Charity Events - 2009 bp ms 150

Just curious how many BFers will be doing the 2009 Houston-Austin BP MS 150? With 13000 slots being filled in 6 hours, I'm wondering--did you make it?

So who's riding (and if attached, with which team).
I'm riding for Team UT:thumb:

I made it with 3 other co-workers. Stunned about how fast it filled up. I'm riding with Team St.David's.

Yep - I made it as well. And to think my wife was making fun of me for sitting in front of the PC at 10:15 to try and sign up. I'm hopefully going to ride with Devon Energy. I heard lots of the 'veterans' who've done this ride for many years are upset that they got locked out while lots of newcomers made it in. That's sure to up the number of saggers and rascals on the ride next year, but hey, that's the way it goes!!

I am in...riding with Mustang/Wood Group.

I am in. I was at work waiting also to register at 10:15. Two co-workers also signed up and we are riding on Baker Hughes Express.
good luck with the fund raising and the ride.

I'm registered with the Technip Titans.

I'm about halfway there on my fundraising. Yay! :)

I'm on Team HP. Training in the Conoco Phillips series. Anyone else attending this one?

waited till the night of registration to sign up (so we can sign up as a team) and registration closed...

I heard alot of people back out 1-2 weeks before and sell their spots...true?

I may be WAY off, but I thought I read that on the MS website that it's illegal to 'sell' spots for other riders. Again, don't quote me on that - your best bet is to contact the MS folks directly.

Good luck!

I'll be riding for Team Bike Barn in my first, but hopefully not last, MS150.

The wife and I will be riding again this year for Team Deloitte. We rode in it last year for the first time and had a blast! The park and associated entertainment was my favorite part. We live in Austin so all the Houston-based training programs/rides don't do us much good. I've been organizing my own training rides for friends doing the ride for the first time. Looking forward to the ride!!!

If anyone wants to ride in an MS ride, but is unable to get into the BP (Houston-Austin) ride, take a look at the Sams MS 150 (Frisco to Fort Worth) and the Ride to the Beach (San Antonio to Corpus). The D/FW ride is before the Houston one, and the San Antonio ride is after. Neither of the other two rides fills up (like the Houston on does).

FWIW - the Frisco to Ft. Worth MS150 is actually AFTER the BP MS150 from Houston to Austin. It's the weekend of May 2-3.

I did the San Antonio to Corpus MS150 last year and had a BLAST! It's a great ride, AND the overnight accomodations are INSIDE! I slept in a nice air conditioned gymnasium in Beeville - very comfy...

Good luck to everyone!
-Tim

You are right, noob...
I will probably be working SAG/HAM for the BP ride, and will be working HAM for the Frisco to Fort Worth this year (will ride next year).

Unfortunately, the San Antonio MS ride isn't going to the beach anymore. It is now the "Ride to the River" and goes from Downtown San Antonio to New Braunfels and back, via LaVernia and Seguin.

I'm glad my first MS 150 was last year's Bike to the Beach, the prospect of riding to New Braunfuls and back from San Antonio does not excite me like San Antonio to Corpus Christi did.

I'm riding for Team UT:thumb:

Which Team UT? I was a ride marshal for Team UT, Medical campi in houston.


This year I am riding with St. Arnolds

I'm glad my first MS 150 was last year's Bike to the Beach, the prospect of riding to New Braunfuls and back from San Antonio does not excite me like San Antonio to Corpus Christi did.

I tried telling that to anybody I could find at the MS Society, but apparently they weren't listening. I also think it is going to be MUCH harder to fundraise with friends and family for that ride. It just doesn't sound as daunting to ride from SA to NB and back as it did to tell them you were riding from SA all the way to CC. I wonder what they will do if they get fewer riders and their fund raising total goes down this year?

I heard a rumor that the person responsible for determining the route this year rode the Bike to the Beach route last year for the first time and thought it was too windy and that there was nothing to do in Beeville after the Day 1 ride.

While this was my first time riding the Bike to the Beach I really did not think the wind was that bad until I got out of Sinton on Day 2, and by the time I got to Portland I never noticed it (I was focused on the big bridge I knew I had to cross). As far as nothing to do in Beeville, I was tired and just looking for a shower and a place to get some sleep so maybe I missed out on something. My family meet me at the finish line in Corpus Christi so I missed the bus ride too.

To me riding to Corpus Christi was an accomplishment, riding to New Braunfuls is something I do on a Sunday morning ride. I agree that it will be harder to find sponsors for this ride and I wonder if they will get the turn out they got last year.

I just signed up for the SA to NB. I think it sounds a lot better than the old route. I never did the old route but did drive that way many times. Not exactly very exciting. I think the hills will be more interesting by far. It's sill going to be 160 total miles. I don't think fundraising will be any differant than in previous years because of the route. The economy maybe. I have done the Houston to Austin many times but it just got to be too big to be enjoyable.

Just curious how many BFers will be doing the 2009 Houston-Austin BP MS 150? With 13000 slots being filled in 6 hours, I'm wondering--did you make it?

So who's riding (and if attached, with which team).
I'm riding for Team UT:thumb:

Team UT, as in Texas Cycling Club? Who is this?

I am going with Mustang.

I think the hills will be more interesting by far.

What hills? The route through La Vernia, Sequin, and New Braunfels can hardly be described as hilly.

What I liked at the old route was that I got to go through areas that I don't normally cycle through. We already train in the areas around SA. Plus camping in Beeville was kinda fun. I guess if I do the new route I'll just drive home on Saturday and return on Sunday.

Come to the Black Hills of SD for our Weekend Ride Around The Hills, gets around 100 riders. the 100 mile ride on Sat. has usually about 7000 feet of vertical climbing. Sundays rides are shorter but still challenging. Last year had riders from several states and one Canadian couple.
Several riders from Denver area loved the fact that there weren't thousands of participants.
It is held in September when temps are cooler.
Google WRATH MS ride.

My wife and I, along with her dad and my buddy are riding for Texas Children's Hospital where she's a nurse.

I'm riding with Team St. David's. I'll be in an NVidia jersey.

I'll be the one saying "on your left" (well only sometimes.)

Only two weeks away, god I am not ready

<--- Team BP. I can't wait!

-Paul :-)

Have you guys been out riding in the wind? Hopefully it calms down before the ride, but I was passing people all over midtown/heights/river oaks who were having trouble with the wind.

I was out in it yesterday; 25 mph headwinds with gusts to 30 mph. I think I prefered the headwind to the crosswind though.

Yeap I'm in!

I'll be riding with Memorial Herman team but I have friends I'll be riding with all over the place from bp, conoco, and a few others.

I also checked the weather for this weekend.

looks like we're getting tail wind with scattered thunderstorms sat, sunday we will get head wind. =(

Is this the first year they have offered the Waller start? I think I am starting there. I really hate the first day of the MS.

I think they have done the Waller start for about 2-3 years. I know for sure they had it last year, but not sure before that.

I'll be there, riding with Team St. David's but wearing an Nvidia jersey the first day with other co-workers. Good luck everyone and stay safe.

I would have been there with team BP, I am now sad and confused fr this weekend with Day 1 cancelled.

is anybody crazy enough to start Saturday morning despite cancellation of day one?

Well, all support is closed for Day 1, so maybe not a great idea, unless you're a randonneur (or other self-support 'specialist'). Like others, wondering how the logistics of a Day 2 will occur...

Through hell and high water the spirit of the MS150 will continue!!! I don't know how I'll do it, but I will get in my 180 charity miles (for my friend with MS, and those who sponsored me). Maybe not Houston-La Grange-Austin, but somehow...and this weekend...hmmm...Houston is a big city...might be boring and repetitive, but nothing compared to living with this progressive neurologic disease.

For those who were wondering previously--Team UT (yes, the medical campus...UT-Houston, School of Medicine!!!)

Talked with a group of 30-something Cat 4 racers who rode to La Grange Saturday. They showed up looking like drowned road rats. Visibility was poor & they had trouble with flats caused by stuff washed onto the road.

None would come out & say it, but I got the vibe they felt it was a mistake. Kinda like the old fighter pilot credo 'Better dead than wrong'.

Day 2 was a good ride, not as crowded as in the past. The MS Society claimed 11K rode, but I think that is just PR spin. It's likely the number who picked up packets. I think about 6K actually rode, as there were NO lines for portacans or at the showers.

Da Tinker, I was working a SAG van, and I do think that the number was pretty accurate. Over half of the riders staged from somewhere other than the Town Square, and started the route at 7 or earlier...

Da Tinker, I was working a SAG van, and I do think that the number was pretty accurate. Over half of the riders staged from somewhere other than the Town Square, and started the route at 7 or earlier...

Good deal! Town square looked like maybe 3K riders. I'm a RM, and took off right behind the 300 Club.

I imagine the SAG wagons were busy, what with the wind. Thank you for the support.:love:

If you were that close to the front, then it isn't surprising that you thought there were only 6K in the square. What you couldn't see was the double tailed line wrapping around two different corners behind you and going almost all the way to Business 71. I am familiar with the Bike to the Beach start which typically has about 3K riders, and there were easily 3X that many in LaGrange. My estimate at the time was about 9-10K.

Keep in mind, they also have a very detailed count of the riders who made either lunch or the finish from the rider connect equipment.

Keep in mind, they also have a very detailed count of the riders who made either lunch or the finish from the rider connect equipment.

True that. And that's the joy of a forum that actually works: free exchange of information. :thumb:

But it was a good ride for me & I hope for you.

This was my first charity ride. Sunday was great, Saturday was a big dissappointment. So much preparation and anticipation and then the storms arrived. I do understand why it had to be cancelled.
I rode with Baker Hughes team and several tool the Bechtel Challange route. I mostly rode with one friend and we went to the official courthouse start. It took about 40 minutes for us to leave and there were a lot behind us.
We caught up with a few other team members and had a good paceline going till the state parks. Then it was fun climbing those short and sweet hills, they were actually pretty tough climbs. So, many folks were jammed up on the tops of the hills; pushing bikes, resting, wobbling, that it was tricky to get around without having to stop.
After the lunch in Bastrop, my friend and I decided to rotate pulls every half mile, because the wind was really strong by then. We were saying "on your left" constantly. We hooked up for a while with a couple on a tandem, I only know them as "Little Rock", where they were from. So, 'thank you' Little Rock! They worked really well with us and we rotated pulls all the way to Austin. The last few miles of rollers in town were quad burners.
The support of the crowd was unbelievable, it made you feel like you had done something great, all I did was ride my bike.
Next year I plan on doing it again. There will be priority registration for fund raisers who exceeded certain amounts, so I have a good chance to get in.