Texas - MS150 Question

I can currently ride 70 miles with one stop and average 18mph. Will I have any trouble with this ride if I keep up my current fitness level?

Also, due a stomach ulcer I have dropped twenty pounds in the past three months. I have been living off of protein shakes (homemade, about 40mg a day) and liquid GMC vitamins. Been hitting the trainer hard and doing intervals but haven't been able to take any real distance rides in the past month due to a neck problem. The neck thing seems to be resolving itself (with the help of a lot of doctors and chiropractors) so this weekend i'm going to try a solo 60 mile ride to see how that goes, but ... basically I just want to know,what is your take?

PS: Having lost this weight, my sprint max sprint went down from 30.4 to about 28.9 (could be due to change back to training tires) but on the other hand, my average speed went up on my last 30 mile ride. So I seem to have lost some muscle mass but gained some .. something? I'm not really sure what weight loss did for me other than making me look better. Now I'm 5'9" and 138 as of this morning, before that I was between 155-165.

You'll be fine. Most people on this ride will be a lot slower than you.

Remember it will be crowded so you won't break any speed records just enjoy the ride.

Absolutely. You should have no trouble.

You'll be fine. Most people on this ride will be a lot slower than you.

Remember it will be crowded so you won't break any speed records just enjoy the ride.

+ 1

I don't know where you train, but if it's mostly flat you might want to consider training on more hilly(?) courses (Chappell Hill, Huntsville, ect.). You can always wait til after the first of the year or so until you physical issues heal.

Good Luck

If you are riding 70 miles right now and averaging 18 mph, you will be fine if you just maintain that. As others have said, make sure you can do it in some hills too, but at that weight, hills aren't going to bother you much either.

Hills, just wanted to add another post to my count that does not exist, but I had to throw in my two cents, because that is what we do here on internet message boards. Have a good day, and good luck with your medical issues. :)

I'd suggest coming to Austin to do hills :-)

Hills! You never saw so many hills!! And big ones! I had been commuting about a month, and rode it without too much trouble. I did walk the last 20-30 yards of some hills though, even with a triple. I was about 220 pounds and 40 years old, and I finished. You shouldn't have too much trouble. People younger and seemingly more fit were sagging, so I felt pretty good about my performance.,,,,,BD

You'll be fine. Save a little for the end of day two, which is a little hilly going into Austin. IMO, this is the 2nd best part of the ride. The best part is the optional ride through the park.

As others have said, if you avg 18, you'll be MUCH faster than most of the others out there. The MS is fun, but it's also an exercise in "on yer left".

I was thinking about getting a horn that said "on your left" should be easy to rig up. You'll say it 13000 times during the ride.

And it will be ignored by 90% of the folks riding 2+ abreast...

I can currently ride 70 miles with one stop and average 18mph. Will I have any trouble with this ride if I keep up my current fitness level?

Also, due a stomach ulcer I have dropped twenty pounds in the past three months. I have been living off of protein shakes (homemade, about 40mg a day) and liquid GMC vitamins. Been hitting the trainer hard and doing intervals but haven't been able to take any real distance rides in the past month due to a neck problem. The neck thing seems to be resolving itself (with the help of a lot of doctors and chiropractors) so this weekend i'm going to try a solo 60 mile ride to see how that goes, but ... basically I just want to know,what is your take?

PS: Having lost this weight, my sprint max sprint went down from 30.4 to about 28.9 (could be due to change back to training tires) but on the other hand, my average speed went up on my last 30 mile ride. So I seem to have lost some muscle mass but gained some .. something? I'm not really sure what weight loss did for me other than making me look better. Now I'm 5'9" and 138 as of this morning, before that I was between 155-165.

3. a. Get off the line fast and get around the Noobs that are tooling along at sub 12mph.
b. Leave the noobs in the dust!


2. Keep your average speed at 15 mph or better.

1. Make sure your healed before you attempt the MS150.

3. a. Get off the line fast and get around the Noobs that are tooling along at sub 12mph.
b. Leave the noobs in the dust!


2. Keep your average speed at 15 mph or better.

1. Make sure your healed before you attempt the MS150.


And it will be ignored by 90% of the folks riding 2+ abreast...


And be sure to leave before the official start on both days, so those pesky noobs aren't "in your way". I swear I wish I had a frame pump a few times, for those riders that felt they were more important than everyone else. Measure the length of your bike and multiply that times 13k. You should then see that riding single file so you can hammerhead your way through is absolutely impossible. Last time I checked it's not a race? If you want to race, enter a race. This is a charity ride. Acting like it's a race makes you look like a jerk. Just my personal opinions though. YMMV;););).,,,,BD

The first year I did the MS150, my daughter told me a good litmus test would be to ride two 50 mile rides back to back over a weekend. If I could do that, she said I would be fine. I did do this 3 weekends in a row before the MS150 and like dumbo and the magic feather, I made it without any trouble at all.

Ditto on the hill training. The first year I did a lot of hill training in Sam Houston National Forest. It paid off. The next year I was working out of town and could not ride during the week. Two one hour spin classes per week took the place of my riding during the week and I was ready for the hills again.

Bob

And be sure to leave before the official start on both days, so those pesky noobs aren't "in your way". I swear I wish I had a frame pump a few times, for those riders that felt they were more important than everyone else. Measure the length of your bike and multiply that times 13k. You should then see that riding single file so you can hammerhead your way through is absolutely impossible. Last time I checked it's not a race? If you want to race, enter a race. This is a charity ride. Acting like it's a race makes you look like a jerk. Just my personal opinions though. YMMV;););).,,,,BD

Okay.. Where in my post did I say "Race?" What I was implying was get down range for safety sake and to get the heck out of the way of Noobs most of whom in my experience I came across riding with their heads in "Cranial-rectal inversion" mode. I did not advocate breaking any rules like leaving early. What I am endorsing is avoiding road hazards caused by inexperienced riders riding in an undisciplined pack and not riding with purpose or riding to the end destination within a reasonable amount of time in mind. I:notamused:

Okay.. Where in my post did I say "Race?" What I was implying was get down range for safety sake and to get the heck out of the way of Noobs most of whom in my experience I came across riding with their heads in "Cranial-rectal inversion" mode. I did not advocate breaking any rules like leaving early. What I am endorsing is avoiding road hazards caused by inexperienced riders riding in an undisciplined pack and not riding with purpose or riding to the end destination within a reasonable amount of time in mind. I:notamused:

I dunno, getting around a pack of noob riders wobbling all over the place really isn't that hard, unless:

a. you have a hard time walking and chewing gum
b. you are a noob wobbling all over the place yourself
c. you are in some kind of hurry

:p

Getting around a pack of noobs at the start can be hard when the entire road is filled with them. I'm sorry, but riding at 12 mph isn't comfortable for me at all. I try to avoid it and opt for the Katy start.

-Nate

Getting around a pack of noobs at the start can be hard when the entire road is filled with them. I'm sorry, but riding at 12 mph isn't comfortable for me at all. I try to avoid it and opt for the Katy start.

-Nate

Don't be in such a hurry. If you can't get off before the mob (usually due to not ponying up enough cash the previous year :eek:), wait until the mob is well on their way...after they have spread out, crashed out, flatted, or pooped out...then you can ride at your pace and pass them in smaller increments. As an added benefit, you get to pass all the slower cute gals and say hi. It's an MS150...start now or an hour from now, no big deal. :D

I started somewhere around the middle, and I was passed and passed people all day long both days. There's really no way around it, unless you jump the start. On the second day, I had some guy pass me about 3/4 of the way through, on a two lane road with traffic and no shoulder. I could hear him coming from 50 yards back, screaming at people to get out of his way, or in his words, "Give me some relief??" I felt sorry for that guy, I really did. He was so worried about going fast, he would rather pi55 off a whole lot of people than enjoy a charity ride in the beautiful countryside of central TX.,,,,BD

Not riding with purpose? You seem to be missing the whole point of the MS150. Maybe I'm wrong though?:D

I get the purpose of the MS150, I just prefer to ride at a set pace.

-Nate

On the second day, I had some guy pass me about 3/4 of the way through, on a two lane road with traffic and no shoulder. I could hear him coming from 50 yards back, screaming at people to get out of his way, or in his words, "Give me some relief??" I felt sorry for that guy, I really did.

I don't feel sorry for guys like that, at all. They are in the ride at the wrong place. My first MS150 was great. I started at the head of the pack and kept ahead by skipping rest stops. The second day, I skipped the lunch. I did not have big crowds anywhere along the way. Last year, I got a late start and was in the thick of it. I was miserable. I may try the Katy start this year or sneak out early.

I was appalled at the serious accidents on last year's ride and yet I understand it was no worse than other years. I guess I've just missed seeing them previously.

The most dangerous part of the whole ride (my opinion) is the last downhill coming into Austin with a sharp left turn at the foot of the hill. Everyone has been used to going faster and passing at will and they are tired. Here is a place where everyone needs to slow way down and give up on the passing/riding fast. Two years ago, I heard riders coming up to that turn yelling "on your left". I yelled at them at the top of my lungs "Slow down, this isn't a race anymore". I must have scared the heck out of them. They did slow down and just blended in with the crowd.

Bob