NHRA News: Bazemore and Dunn prepare for hellish holiday (12/20/2003)

Bazemore and Dunn prepare for hellish holiday

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
12/20/2003

"Neither one of us has ever gone this far before. The goal is to finish."
– Whit Bazemore

The holidays are going to be hell for Funny Car driver Whit Bazemore and ESPN announcer Mike Dunn, and believe it or not they're paying handsomely for it. No, the duo aren't being forced to spend time with nagging mother-in-laws and their homes aren't being turned into a base camp for massive family reunions, instead the avid cyclists will be heading south to pedal their way through nearly 800 miles in eight days.

Signing up for something that has a slogan of "No Wimps or Whiners Allowed" might sound more like a court-mandated boot camp, but Baze and Dunn insist it'll be worth every penny of the $2,000 they'll spend for the honor of completing the journey through central and south Florida known simply as Gator Hell Week.

"The goal is to finish," said Bazemore, who estimates that he logged more than 5,000 miles in the saddle this year. "To be honest, neither one of us has ever gone this far before. We'll take it easy and have fun. It's certainly not the time to be a hero."

Bazemore will ride this titanium
Seven bike during Gator Hell Week.
Photo by Randy Anderson

Bazemore and Dunn, along with Bazemore's wife Michelle, a competitive cyclist on the amateur circuit, routinely get together during the 23-event POWERade Drag Racing Series to cycle through various parts of the country. Wherever the tour takes them, the trio will usually find a place to fuel their passion for riding, and Bazemore packs several bikes on his bus just to make sure they're prepared. Sometimes they select long, lonely stretches of highway. Other times they'll conquer hills and mountains. They've even been known to trade in their sleek road bikes for knobby tires and grueling off-road jaunts down challenging dirt trails. It's all for fun and fitness.

Of course, as fans of the sport, they always follow the prestigious Tour de France, the Super Bowl of cycling which has been won five straight times by Bazemore's Oakley teammate, Lance Armstrong. The strategies and riding style used by Armstrong and his fellow professionals to weave their way through France will be followed on a much lighter scale during Gator Hell Week.

Although the event isn't a race, the group dynamic – a similar Hell Week in Texas drew nearly 300 riders this year – is what appealed to Bazemore and Dunn. According to Bazemore, it's also the main reason they think they'll be able to finish.

"It's like the Tour de France in that you're riding in a big group and people share the work of leading the pack," Bazemore said. "But, aside from that you really can't compare this to the Tour. The Tour is 3,000 miles long over some of the largest mountains in Europe. This is like a casual stroll compared to the Tour de France.

Sharing some riding tips, five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong (left) visits with Bazemore.
www.RacersEdgePhotography.com

"From a cycling standpoint you have to remember that we're not racing each other, rather riding together, and that we'll be averaging 18 mph instead of 28 mph like they do in France. That was one of the first questions I asked. I didn't want to sign up for something we had no chance of completing.

"It's all in how you ride and where you ride. The people putting on this ride, Nick and Becky Gerlich, have ridden every mile of the route many times. They tell us it's relatively flat and it's safe for riders. Since we're not racing we can take a slower pace and really enjoy the countryside. I think we'll end up having a great time."

Gator Hell Week is set up like a circuit, meaning the riders will stay in a different town each night. The event begins and ends in the southwest coastal town of Fort Myers and travels in a large, lazy loop as high as Daytona Beach, where the weary travelers will welcome in the New Year. The ride starts Dec. 28 and finishes Jan. 4, 2004.

"They take care of everything," Bazemore said. "There's a support and gear vehicle that follows us along the way. They have lunch set up for you each day. You stay in hotels at night. I think we'll enjoy ourselves.

Bazemore estimates he logged 5,000 miles on his bicycle this year, considerably more than the 61
quarter-mile blasts he made in his 8,000-horsepower
Matco Tools Dodge Stratus R/T in competition.
Photo by Randy Anderson

"To be honest, when I first called Dunn to see if he wanted to do it with me and he said 'Yes' right away I just about fell over. Michelle had already turned me down because she's more of a sprinter than a long distance rider but Dunn jumped right on board. All kidding aside, he's a good rider and I know he'll finish even if it kills him. He would never give in."

For Bazemore, the incentive is slightly different.

"I need to lose five more pounds to be at my optimum weight. I think doing eight centuries (the cyclist term for a 100 mile-ride) should knock off at least that much," Bazemore said with a laugh. "Staying fit is part of my job and I love cycling so spending part of the preseason riding a bike all over Florida is perfect.

"To go out like this and suffer on your bike really builds up your strength, both physically and mentally. I think it will be very good for me, especially if we finish. It'll be a nice confidence builder."

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