I left my hotel before 6 AM to get to the starting area for the 100 km ride at Scott St. and 6th Street. The sun wasn’t up but was peeking over the eastern horizon when I found a parking lot on Travis Street. I tried a different bike packing method leaving the rear wheel on my Cervelo Caledonia bike which made it easier to get the bike out and back in after the ride. I think it worked well and I’ll use it the next time. The Cervelo just fit in the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon with the left rear seat folded forward. This removed the fumbling around with the chain and the rear wheel.
The video shows the area I waited in until the Star Spangle Banner played and the planes from Shepherd Air Force Base flew over the crowd of waiting cyclists on Scott Street. The 100 mile riders started a little after the planes flew over and the pylons for the groups before the 100 km riders were moved out of the way. At 7:25 AM my group moved towards the starting line about a half mile away. We were delayed by two crashes on the bridge beyond the starting line in the groups that started before us. The road surface out of Wichita Falls was concrete with uneven cracks and a few gouges.
Weather conditions: start 72 (humidity 91%, dew point 69), fair, wind SE 5 mph; finish 92 (humidity 46%, dew point 68), a few clouds, wind S 9 mph.
72 degrees at the start felt good and the wind was light at around 5 mph from the SSE which meant an almost tailwind until Iowa Park where the route turned south after the first rest stop which rode by. From Iowa Park the route went south and then west where the rolling hills began. I rode up all of the hills with good power from my legs and I think I only shifted to an easier gearing once or twice. Road surface from Iowa Park to rest stop 2 was asphalt but not rough with a few short sections of chip and seal.
At the second rest stop around mile 21 the route went north. I rode by this rest stop also which had a large crowd of cyclists but traffic was segregated with rest stop people on the left behind some orange cones and through rides on the right. The road surface on FM 2384S became chip and seal but wasn’t too rough from the rest stop to the railroad crossing. That changed dramatically as we crossed US287 on FM 2384N. The surface was full blown rough chip and seal with patches of missing chips. Thankfully the wind was from my right rear quarter as I bounced and vibrated over the road. Mile 31 marked the change from FM 2384N to FM 1739 at rest stop 3 for us but labeled rest stop 12 on the map.
FM 1739 headed east and was smoother than FM 2384 but still chip and seal. Now the wind was the right but not overly strong. I made good headway. Rest stop 4 (aka R13) was around mile 41 and I stopped for fluids and peanut butter cookies (all they had left out of the 3000 they started with the lady said). So far I saw numerous cyclists on the side of the road fixing flats but no crashes thankfully. FM 1739 took us to Burkburnett but on different streets from the 100 mile riders. We went south and east to the southbound frontage road of I-44. The wind was now a headwind and my speed dropped from what I did up to that point.
The frontage road took us by the infamous picnic area along I-44 about a mile north of rest stop where cyclists stopped in the shade as the road was going up but not sharply. Rest stop 5 (aka R14) came at mile 53, site of Panda Biomedical the sign said, but a former GM plant. Rest stop 5 has snowcones and I had a cherry one. I filled my Camelbak for the second time during the ride. With a little over 9 miles left there was one more rest stop at Shepherd Air Force Base around mile 60. From rest stop 5 to the finish the road went south into the headwind which was about 9 mph, light compared to previous years. I didn’t stop at R15 but I rode near the planes and helicopter displayed. Next was airmen alley. There wasn’t as many airmen lining the street but they were loud.
Leaving SAFB the route crossed a road and a bike lane took us south to the turn onto the side streets that took us to Scott Street, turning right from Scott Street to the finish line which I crossed at 12:36 PM.
The volunteers at every rest stop that visited were so friendly and helpful. This is what makes this ride so good.
This is the second time to ride the 100 km route. Strava reported 1 gold PR, 5 silver PR, and 11 bronze PR.
