According to the calendar, the 39th Annual Hotter'N Hell Hundred should be taking place the weekend of August 27th through the 30th. But this year is different. Here's what you'll want to know about this year's virtual event.

First of all, it's virtual. Rather than having ten thousand or more cyclists converging on downtown Wichita Falls they'll be doing their rides in their own neighborhoods. In fact several have already ridden their rides and turned in their times. You can see some of those on the Hotter'N Hell Hundred Facebook page. These riders made their virtual registration online and signed up, trained over the season, then rode their course on the day of their choice, uploaded their info, and will soon be getting their T-Shirt and Finisher Medal. If you haven't registered yet, don't worry, the online registration deadline for this year's event is August 28th.

Secondly, just because there's no actual ride through Wichita Falls this year doesn't mean there's not an official 2020 Hotter'N Hell jersey! You can pick one of those up at the Hotter'N Hell Hundred online store.

Image Courtesy Hotter'N Hell Hundred
Image Courtesy Hotter'N Hell Hundred
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The money raised from the virtual registrations and apparel sales will be used to fund the Wichita Falls Streams & Valleys organization and as seed money for next year's 40th Anniversary event.

Thirdly, just because there's no official course to ride through Wichita and Clay county there may still be more cyclists on our area roads. Even though most of the riders will be selecting courses close to where they live, there's a pretty good chance that several of them will actually drive to Wichita Falls on Hotter'N Hell Hundred weekend and ride the normal course, providing their own support vehicles for the day. So don't be surprised if you still see more cyclists than usual over the next couple of weeks.

And fourthly, the absence of this event will make a huge impact on our entire community. Without this influx of riders and their non-riding family and friends Wichita Falls will be missing out on a huge amount of money coming into our city. The Hotter'N Hell Hundred typically brings between five and eight million dollars into our community each year. That money is spent at hotels, service stations, and restaurants around town. Those businesses were counting on that big weekend in their budget. Since there won't be thousands of riders in town there will be some empty tables so the next couple of weekends would be great times for you to support your favorite restaurants. Whether you choose to dine in or take your order to go they'll be very appreciative of your business.

Coronavirus concerns have forced major changes in almost every large event in the nation and the Hotter'N Hell Hundred is no exception.

Dave Diamond
Dave Diamond
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