The Jalapeno 100 started at the Oil Mill Pavillion north of downtown Harlingen. Weather forecasts hinted at the heavy winds the riders would face but the reality was more than many riders could handle. Over 500 people signed up for the ride and the start at 7:33 AM for the 62.5 and 100 mile routes was well attended. Little did we know the turbo winds we would face.
Click on the pictures for a larger view.
These two riders were ready to roll.
Jalapeno Jack was there to send off the riders. (I am the guy with Jack)
Some of the riders gathering for the 62.5 and 100 mile start.
The official starting line cheer squad.
After the start until about mile 14 a nice tailwind was our friend. After that point the turns to the east put us in the 30+ mph wind tunnel. The weatherman had forecasted the winds would increase after 9:00 AM and did they ever. I did not learn until rest stop 10 that the winds were gusting to 45 mph. Wind steady speed was 32 mph from the SSE. The temperature was not much help either as 85 degrees was where the thermometer was headed.
I slogged along through rest stops 3, 5, 6 and 8 with varying time with a tailwind and ferce headwind. At rest stop 8 I was beginning to get the thought that this wind was going to make the ride tougher than it had been up to then. Rest stop 8 was about 42 miles on my computer.
Leaving RS8 I headed straight into the wind which had definitely speeded up. After going about 2.5 miles there were times when I was standing up on the pedals just to go 6 or 7 mph. The gusts were making it almost impossible to stay upright. I stopped on the side of the road and started to walk but I was having trouble just holding my bike on the ground. Within a few tenths of a mile I was joined by a fellow rider who was from Ontario, Canada, who was wintering in the area. We walked for a while and then stopped when the wind and grit from the freshly plowed fields got the best of us. Waiting for a sag wagon looked like the best option but after three past with full loads we started walking again.
Not too long after that a man in a Volvo station wagon drove by and pulled over on the grass 50-70 yards in front of us. Thinking he was a personal support vehicle we walked by but as we did he asked if we could use a ride. We eagerly said yes if he could take us up the road where the route turned west and the wind would be more friendly. His bumper bike rack leaped into action as we learned he was supporting his wife who was doing the 100 mile route. They were from Austin and made the choice to come to Harlingen rather than going to Death Valley for another ride. I commented that the Death Valley ride would have been easier.
As we slowly moved up the road we approached his wife who was moving but showing signs of the blowing dirt and grit from the fields to the left. At times the dirt was so thick you could not see clearly. I learned that his wife was a former professional mountain biker who specialized in solo 24 hour endurance races. She was retired now but obviously still in the mood for an adventure. He pull along side of her to try and shield some of the wind but the competitive instinct was so strong she motioned us to move on because she thought it would disqualify her. This would not be the case since this is a ride, not a race. With this, the driver decided to ferry us to the drop point after rest stop 9 and return to support her.
We made it to the turn and unloaded the bikes. I started on the route and noticed the riders in front of me were leaning quite a lot to the left into the wind. I soon was in the same mode. Approaching cars interrupted the wind briefly with a sudden increase in wind as they moved out of range. I soon learned to grip the handlebars when this happened. The route had a few sections where I headed into the wind but generally it was a crosswind or an infrequent tailwind. Arriving at rest stop 10 I thought the finish must not be too far. I figured the lift shortened the distance by about 8 miles.
One of the ladies manning RS10 had baked some excellent raisin cookies and after eating three I headed out again. Within 25 yards the route turned north and a tailwind pushed me along for about 3 miles. Sensing that I must be nearing the finish line I stopped to call my wife to let her know that I should arrive shortly guessing that about 2 miles were left. I based this partly on a wish and then on some math as one of the men at RS10 said there were 5 miles left at that point. The wind was so strong I could barely keep the bike in place while using the cell phone. Trying to hold the map and look at it was impossible.
Reaching a street that I thought should be where we turned west I hesitated but another rider went straight through the intersection and I took this to be the correct direction. After a bend to the west and more wind we reached US77 I was thinking it cannot be far. Wrong. At this point we turned south into the full wind and rode at least what seemed 10 miles but really only a couple in spite of a sign I saw that sure seemed to say 1/2 mile.
From this point I think we were off the planned route because no route signs appeared and we were riding the wrong way on the north bound feeder road. Finally I made it to the street that headed to the Oil Mill Pavillion and turned east. The finish was not easy. Several wrong side streets were taken before pulling into the Oil Mill parking lot and thankfully seeing my wife waiting there.
From there we drove to the hotel where recovery could begin. What a ride!!!