I'm not riding my bike again for a long time

The Ho.tter'N Hell Hund.red was last Saturday. (I had a few other things to catch you up on first.) I rode all 102 miles. It's over. Thank goodness.


The starting line. Notice how it's still dark.
















The ride started after the Army band played the national anthem. Then, there was a flyover, and a canon was fired.
















Looking back over downtown W!chita Falls.











One of the early rest stops had flags lining both sides of the road leading up to it. It was really cool. I didn't take this at a very good angle -- the flags looked much closer together from the middle of the road.
















At the rest stop just before what's known as Hell's Gate, this guy was spraying people down with a water hose. It felt awesome!
















The HHH is known for Hell's Gate. In fact, one of the quotes you hear often about the ride is "Hell's G.ate sets the standard." Because of the intense heat that you experience in August in Texas, there's a time limit if you want to complete the 100-mile route. To enforce the time limit, they have Hell's Gate, which falls 60 miles into the ride. It usually closes at 12:30, but they have medical technicians who determine if it needs to be closed earlier due to weather conditions. It can close as early as 11:00. (Those who reach Hell's Gate after it has closed are rerouted to an 80-mile path.)
















It's Hell's Gate! It looks different than I thought it would. :)





















This is the "unofficial rest stop" I'd heard so much about from people I know who'd ridden the HHH before. It used to be just a man and several people handing out beers on the side of the road. I heard it was cheap, warm and just half-a-cup worth, but everyone who told me about it swore it's the best beer you'll ever have.
















The stop usually falls at mile 98. The route was 102 miles this year, so the stop fell at mile 100. That wasn't all that had changed. They had six kegs, each a different kind of beer. They even had hot links and chili!





















AJ and I, both done with the ride. AJ's computer on her bike said that it was 106 degrees during the ride. It factored in road heat, so that was higher than the actual temperature. But considering we definitely feel the road heat, I say it was 106!
















No more getting up at 5:15 on Saturdays for training rides!!! Woohoo!