DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about one of the most defiantly named events in all of Texas. Now, most folks, when they hear the words 'one hundred miles in one hundred degree heat,' their first instinct is to sit down in the shade with a cold drink and reconsider some life choices. But in Wichita Falls, they turned that very idea into a celebration — and not just any celebration.
They made it an annual one. The story goes back to 1982, when the city of Wichita Falls was gearing up to mark its centennial — a hundred years since the town was founded out here in the Texoma region. The Wichita Falls Bicycle Club had a notion: kick off the whole centennial with a bicycle ride.
A hundred miles. In a hundred degrees. To celebrate a hundred years.
That was the motto, and they meant every word of it. The idea, as the marker tells it, was to celebrate the tenacity of the people who settled Texoma. And tenacity, friends, is exactly what the region had on display.
Now, somebody — and we don't know exactly who — made a comment that the ride would be, quote, hotter than hell. That phrase rattled around until somebody said, well, why not just call it that? The name was a little controversial, sure.
But unforgettable? Absolutely. And the marker notes plainly that the unforgettable name helped to market the ride.
Sometimes the boldest choice is the right one. So the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred — HHH, as it's known — was set for Saturday, August 28, 1982. And here's where the story gets good.
That first ride was, in the marker's own words, wildly successful. Two hundred and fifty volunteers showed up. And the cyclists?
One thousand, two hundred and three of them rolled out onto the roads and highways of the Texoma region. For a brand-new event with a slightly scandalous name, that is not a small number. The Wichita Falls Bicycle Club had thought this through, too.
The ride wasn't just a single brutal hundred-mile slog — they offered routes of a hundred miles, a hundred kilometers, fifty miles, twenty-five miles, and a ten-K. Something for every level of heat-induced ambition. Over the years, the Bicycle Club kept running it, kept expanding it.
What began as a single-day kick-off became a four-day event with multiple rides across different categories. They added a flyover and a cannon blast to initiate the ride — because when you're about to spend your Saturday pedaling across the Texas summer, you deserve a sendoff with some drama. And the folks running HHH stayed serious about health and safety.
More than twenty rest stops. One thousand medical volunteers. And they invented something called Hell's Gate.
Sixty miles from the start, there it sits — a checkpoint that 100-mile riders must reach by a given time. Miss that cutoff, and you're detoured to the shorter hundred-K route. It's not a punishment.
It's the event protecting you from yourself when the heat is winning. The numbers kept climbing. By 2010 alone, up to four thousand volunteers were on hand, and thirteen thousand and sixty-seven cyclists had registered.
In 2013, the 83rd Texas Legislature took notice and passed House Resolution 1784, commemorating the fact that HHH had attracted more than three hundred thousand cyclists across its first three decades. Three hundred thousand people chose, of their own free will, to come ride a bicycle in the Texoma heat. That right there says something about the pull of this event.
HHH has brought millions of dollars each year into the local economy, and donated to non-profit groups along the way. The marker sums it up with a line that earns its place: warm hospitality soothing the strain of rather inhospitable weather. One hundred miles.
One hundred degrees. Started with twelve hundred cyclists on an August Saturday in 1982, and it grew into one of the classic cycling events in the nation. The Wichita Falls Bicycle Club set out to honor the tenacity of Texoma's settlers — and somewhere along the way, they proved that tenacity is still alive and well, one grueling, glorious mile at a time.
What the marker says
An annual 100-mile bicycle ride in 100-degree heat on the roads and highways of the Texoma region, the Hotter 'N Hell Hundred (HHH) first began as a kick-off event for the 1982 centennial celebration of Wichita Falls. The plan was to celebrate the tenacity of the people who settled Texoma, thus the event's motto is 100 miles in 100 degrees to celebrate 100 years. The name stemmed from a comment that the ride would be "Hotter than Hell." Though a bit controversial, the unforgettable name helped to market the ride. The first HHH, set for Saturday, August 28, 1982, was wildly successful with an attendance of 250 volunteers and 1,203 cyclists. The ride had varying routes of 100 mi., 100K, 50 mi., 25 mi., and 10K. The Wichita Falls Bicycle Club conceived of, organized and conducted the Centennial HHH. They have continued running it and expanded its offerings to a four-day event with multiple rides of different categories and a flyover and cannon blast to initiate the ride. Ever focused on health and safety, HHH boasted more than 20 rest stops, 1,000 medical volunteers, and invented Hell's Gate. Located 60 miles from the HHH start, 100-mile riders must reach Hell's Gate by a given time before they are detoured to the shorter 100K route, thus limiting heat-related issues. Over the years, HHH has consistently proven its popularity with thousands of participants, as up to 4,000 volunteers and 13,067 cyclists registered in 2010 alone. In 2013, the 83rd Texas Legislature passed House Resolution 1784 to commemorate HHH attracting more than 300,000 cyclists in its first three decades. HHH has helped to bring in millions each year to the local economy as well as donating to non-profit groups. With its warm hospitality soothing the strain of its rather inhospitable weather, HHH has become one of the classic cycling events in the nation. (2017)