Houston bicyclist willing to ride in circles for his cause He's aiming for 24 hours and 500 miles on bike with no brakes

Houston bike mechanic Walter Dawes is in training at the westside Alkek Velodrome. He's trying to raise funds to fight histiocytosis, a group of diseases caused by overproduction of white blood cells. Houston bike mechanic Walter Dawes is in training at the westside Alkek Velodrome. He's trying to raise funds to fight histiocytosis, a group of diseases caused by overproduction of white blood cells. Photo: Melissa Phillip Photo: Melissa Phillip Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Houston bicyclist willing to ride in circles for his cause 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

One man. One track. And 500 miles in 24 hours on a single-speed bicycle that has no brakes.

While thousands prepare for the two-day MS 150 ride from Houston to Austin, Walter Dawes, a local bike mechanic, is readying himself for something more daunting and solitary.

He plans to ride as many as 2,417 laps around an oval concrete bicycle racing track with high, steep embankments and no shade. He'll push himself to the limit to raise money to fight histiocytosis.

The disease primarily strikes children, and can cause cancer-like damage to the body. It is treated with chemotherapy.

"You try not to think about anything," he said of his endeavor. "Just zone out, and focus on what you are doing."

Dawes, 40, was born in Orange, raised in London, and works at West End Bikes, in Houston. He's also a bass guitar player and massage therapist, and has been riding for 20 years.

The feat, billed as "Big Fix 24," is a throwback to tough times generations ago when people held 24-hour dance-a-thons and sat on flag poles, he said.

More Information To learn more Go to www.histio.org/page.aspx?pid=748

Down, but not out

The sturdy Dawes knows what could happen May 5, when he attempts to ride from noon Saturday to noon Sunday at the Alkek Velo­drome.

In 2008, he was on his way to a similar goal at the track, which is owned by the city and run by the Greater Houston Cycling Foundation, when a fellow cyclist, riding nearby to encourage him, slid on dew coating the track at 3 o'clock in the morning. He crashed into Dawes, who broke his collar bone and left in an ambulance.

He had traveled 309 miles in 18 hours.

"The last time I did this, it was like walking on the moon," Dawes said. "You are alone. You are detached. You are not all there, pushed to the extreme."

And now, he's back.

He plans to hold an average speed of just over 20 mph while circling the 333-meter track.

He would like to cover 500 miles during the 24 hours, but given the usual May heat and humidity might have to scale that back to 450 miles.

Dawes said he'll drink about five gallons of water and likely will lose up to 10 pounds. He'll also burn at least 27,000 calories. That's about 50 Big Macs.

He said he will load up with plenty of fluids and carbohydrates beforehand, but during the ride will rely on pickle juice, flavored energy gels sold at sports shops, and his mother's chicken-salad sandwiches.

He's trained by riding about 1,200 miles a month, and conditioned his body to take abuse. A portable toilet will be set up beside the track.

As for falling asleep: he said after 12 hours of riding he'll be so pumped he couldn't doze.

Fellow musicians, including at least one punk band, are going to play to keep him company.

"The true story is he is a rank-and-file guy with a lot of experience going out to do something special for something he believes in," said Carl Jones, a volunteer coach for the Greater Houston Cycling Foundation. "That is pretty cool."

How will Dawes keep the bike from rubbing his body raw? He'll use a caramel-like sealant used on tattoos.

"You have to be medically certified crazy to do what he's doing: ride a bike all day, 24 hours," fellow cyclist Kiet Tran said with a laugh. "He has set a pretty awesome goal for himself. He is trying to stir people to action, and the way to do that is doing the craziest thing you can do."

'He just does not stop'

Dawes first raised money for histiocytosis in 2006, when he and five other cyclists pedaled across the United States in 27 days, also on single-speed bikes.

"I watched him ride across the country," said Jeffrey Toughill, president of the Histiocytosis Association, which is taking online donations raised by the ride. "I saw this guy ride from 5 o'clock in the morning until after dark on those mountain roads, with blood coming down his face. It was amazing. He just does not stop."

dane.schiller@chron.com