WhooHoo! I successfully completed the Goatneck Bike Rally 100K. It is known as one of the hilliest bike routes in Texas (elevation profile right).

The rally provided wonderful sag support and rest stops. There were aid stations/rest stops every 8-9 miles along with sag/repair supportvehicles sweeping the course.

I skipped the first 2 aid stations and just kept going. I was trying to get as far as possible before the temperature rose above 100°F.

I should have brought my pocket camera for photos during the ride, but I was just afraid of doing anything that caused additional time in the heat. The minute the bike stopped, the sweat started beading up. Except for a couple of spots at the beginning and end (and the rest stops), there wasn't any shade. But I took photos of the route on our club's practice ride the week before and also while driving the course afterwards.

Around mile 17, there was a great downhill portion (left) leading to the Brazos River. In spite of the recent drought, it was still very scenic. However, you could tell that the water level was down.

Miles 18 to 22 were mainly climbing but the great thing was rest stop #5 at mile 22 (top of the hill).

Shortly after that there were 3-4 miles of road that were recently re-surfaced with asphalt (blacktop). Even though it had been pressed down with a steamroller, it was still very rough. Skinny road tires with their high PSI feel every vibration. It was a relief to turn onto SR 144 around mile 30.5.

Around mile 31, we rode into Glen Rose. I love that small city. In addition to all of the great hills, dinosaur tracks, and Mayberry small town feel, there are lots of interesting buildings and houses. We cycled by the remnants of one building (right) that was very interesting. But I could not figure out what it used to be.

Around mile 39 was rest stop #7 in the small town of Nemo. I remember looking at the post office in Nemo and thinking how that was the smallest post office I had ever seen (photo left). I think the postmaster lived right next door. I love riding through small towns. The small town lifestyle is enticing in many ways. I think that's why there are so many professionals retiring to acreage in the rural communities. Cleburne, Burleson, Joshua, Glen Rose, and Godley are all predominately rural, but also have the big city amenities along the major roads and within driving distance. It's the "best of both worlds."

Around mile 50 is the hill they call "Big Bend". What an incredible hill (photo below)! Even the photo doesn't do it justice. That was one long climb, especially when you've already done over 50 miles and the temperature is around 100°F. Luckily there was a rest stop at mile 54.5. At that point we were all hot and tired. But the good thing about the last two rest stops is that you could break up the last 16 miles into two 8 mile segments, one segment from rest stop #8 to #9, and one segment from rest stop #9 to the finish. Two 8 mile segments seemed more manageable than a single 16 mile segment. That's one of the things they taught me to do in marathon training: break the distance up into shorter goals. It really does help when you're exhausted!

These rides are always enjoyable (in spite of the hills) until the temperature starts rising. I don't know if it's something peculiar to my system, but I have always overheated during long endurance activities. With cycling, I am able to handle much higher temperatures than I can with long distance running. I believe the reason for this has to do with more air moving across the skin allowing the sweat to evaporate, the periodic muscular reprieve on downhill coasting, and rest stops (ice, shade, cold sports drink). I am able to ride for 5 hours in 100 degree temperatures, but I am always sick (nauseated with headache, fatigue, and fuzzy thinking) afterwards. I rarely cramp because I make sure I get enough electrolytes (EFS and SaltStick capsules). But from what I read^*1, "as much as 70% of the total chemical energy used during muscular contraction is released as heat rather than as athletic endeavor." The body tries to release this heat by sweating. However, the effectiveness of sweating depends on whether it can evaporate. If the surrounding air is too humid or hot, convection will not occur(or will be substantially reduced), and the sweat just stays on the skin instead of evaporating and producing a cooling effect.

Apparently, when doing endurance activities during heat and humidity, your body allocates some of the oxygen previously used to fuel the muscles to the skin capillaries for cooling. That's what prevents many athletes from performing as well in hot weather. Your muscles aren't receiving as much blood (oxygen), so they have to reduce their output.Reduced blood supply to internal organs is also what causes the nausea when you stop afterwards. "During a race or long ride, blood has been re-directed to your legs away from your internal organs. Many medical directors will recommend that you should continue walking after your race for at least 20 minutes. If you don't walk and stop or sit down, the blood flow to your intenal organs will not rapidly be redirected to the pre-race state. You would then feel nauseous (not enough blood flow to the stomach) and throw up, as well as feel very dizzy and weak. Walking helps to redirect your blood and brings you back to your 'everyday' physiology."^*2

At the end of the ride, I was so hot and tired that I didn't "walk it off". And of course I became nauseated. But I really just wanted to put my bike on the rack and get inside my car with the air conditioning. My car's temperature sensor showed the outside temperature as 103°F. I knew it was hot, but I didn't know it was that hot! I took about 10 minutes in the car cooling off before I started driving back home.

The rally was extremely well-organized and the cyclists were all very courteous. I actually enjoyed it more than the Peach Pedal Rally. In spite of having more cyclists than the Peach Pedal, there seemed to be less crowding at the beginning. I will continue to do this bike rally. It's a great workout with good scenery. And when our club (FWBA) does the pre-rides on this route, we always stop at a convenience store in Glen Rose with one of the best bakeries around.

^*1 Tim Noakes, The Lore of Running
^*2 EliteRacing.com, Edward Jasper, MD; Lewis G. Maharam, MD