Road Cycling - Ms150... Done!

This Saturday morning at 8:00am, 2500 cyclists set out from San Antonio on a ride to Corpus Christi. 29 hours later (9:12 spent on the bike) a member of the Bike Forums crossed the finish line... ME!

MAN! That was THE hardest thing I think I've ever done! The first day was 85 miles, which was a good 30 miles longer than my longest training ride. I was fine until lunch (I had averaged about 18mph) then I sat down for 15 minutes to eat a ham sandwich and about died when I hit the first hill 10 minutes later (legs had tightened up) :P That last 30 miles was brutal! THEN, on day 2, we hit a ?25mph? headwind that we fought for 20 of the last 25 miles. Oddly enough, I faired better in the wind than on the hills (15.5mph the first day and 16.5 the second). Pobably the massage the night before. I now know why Lance always gave post-stage interviews like this: "uh... uh... it was hard... uh. um... it was really hard... uh...". It was an hour before I could carry on a fully coherent conversation (which seemed to coincide with taking a shower).

AWESOME experience! To anyone who hasn't done it, make sure you do! It's a great experience and really shows you what can be done on a bike.

I'm gonna attach some pics (not of me, but of some of the amazing riders) in a little while...

Good job & congrats! Hope the shoes have worked out.

Congrats!!! You have a lot to be proud of!

Attaboy Carl! Congrats on your first MS-150 -- the first of many, I'm sure! :D

Roadbuzz: Shoes wound up working fine. Guess i got lucky :D

Krek: Thanks

Grendel: You bet.

Woo-hooo, Carl!!!!! Just found this -- congratulations! Sounds like you did a fantastic job! :) I'm glad you had a great time -- it's kind of grueling and exhilarating at the same time, huh? Or at least you've experienced both of those emotions by the time you're finished. ;)

Fantastic!! :D

Sweet! Glad to hear everything went well. It's definitely something to remember for a long time.

This Saturday morning at 8:00am, 2500 cyclists set out from San Antonio on a ride to Corpus Christi. 29 hours later (9:12 spent on the bike) a member of the Bike Forums crossed the finish line... ME!

MAN! That was THE hardest thing I think I've ever done! The first day was 85 miles, which was a good 30 miles longer than my longest training ride. I was fine until lunch (I had averaged about 18mph) then I sat down for 15 minutes to eat a ham sandwich and about died when I hit the first hill 10 minutes later (legs had tightened up) :P That last 30 miles was brutal! THEN, on day 2, we hit a ?25mph? headwind that we fought for 20 of the last 25 miles. Oddly enough, I faired better in the wind than on the hills (15.5mph the first day and 16.5 the second). Pobably the massage the night before. I now know why Lance always gave post-stage interviews like this: "uh... uh... it was hard... uh. um... it was really hard... uh...". It was an hour before I could carry on a fully coherent conversation (which seemed to coincide with taking a shower).

AWESOME experience! To anyone who hasn't done it, make sure you do! It's a great experience and really shows you what can be done on a bike.

I'm gonna attach some pics (not of me, but of some of the amazing riders) in a little while...

Congrats CarlJStoneham!! That's a big achievement. Doing some MS150s left me with unique experiences and memories. A rule of large group rides that should be repeated is "If both of your feet are clipped in for a mass start, you're going down". There's a bit of a wall that hits most cyclists between 60-70 miles (about lunch time for a MS150). If you stop for more than a few minutes and you're near that "wall", count on leg cramps when you get back on the bike. Do Not thoroughly clean & lube your bike before a MS150 or century, it causes rain clouds to form. Don't stop and go back to pick up a fluid bottle you dropped (assuming you've still got another, or you're within 5miles or so of next SAG). And most important (for me anyway) is, ride within YOUR envelope of skill and ability without regard to what the other 300 riders are doing.

Good job, Carl!

All these MS 150 stories are making me really want to do this next year. Sounds like you had a great time. I'll be waiting on those pics, dood!

Congrats again!

Koffee

did you get to socialize with any of the guys from Bike Mojo?? They're a pretty cool bunch.

Some pics from the ride. Note the dogs in the second one.

[/QUOTE]did you get to socialize with any of the guys from Bike Mojo?? They're a pretty cool bunch[QUOTE]
No. We saw them, but I'm a kind of shy guy. I'll probably try to be more outgoing next year :)

Love the pics Carl, and have to say, that's exactly where a dogs should be when it's anywhere near a bike! I love seeing the happy pooches in the carriers when they pass by! Especially when they could be nipping at my heels instead!

The dogs weren't so friendly on my MS150 ride. :eek: :D

Glad you had a great time! Enjoyed the pictures. :)

Those guys on the handcycles are awesome! I saw several of them at the lunch stop on the second day of the Houston-Austion MS150, and I gotta tell ya that it's humbling to see these guys cranking away when you think you're working hard on a regular bike! Definitely would NOT be arm-wrestling those guys... :D

Way to go Carl - When it's all said and done - was it easier than you imagined. Sounds like you trained right and had a great experience. We had a gal on our 150 who has MS and rode it on the front of a special tandem. As you passed them it put everything in perspective. And I mean everything. It hammered home exactly why your were out there....
It's a wonderful ride and experience. Hope you ride next year.

Cheers.
R