Underground

Who is attending this year? What start point are you beginning the ride at? What routes are you taking?

This will be my third year on the ride. I will be starting from my house on the west side of Houston. I don't think I'll be riding through the park this year, I think I'll take the express route out of La Grange.

I am changing it up this year though. I will head out early Saturday morning to beat the rush of people on the ride. I will stop in Bellville for the lunch break. Then I will head out again and ride to La Grange. I'll make a pit stop at the team tent, get something to eat, rest for a little bit and rehydrate some, then hop back on the bike and ride into Bastrop. That is where my hotel is at and I think that will make a good starting point for the Sunday ride (plus I can sleep in that morning!).

Overall it will be 120-miles on the first leg of the ride. I've been trying to talk my riding buddy into doing it with me, but I think he will ride with our wives from La Grange to Bastrop and head out with the AM start from La Grange. I want to get to the point that I can complete the entire ride in one day. That will take another year or two.

Am I crazy for wanting to attempt this?

Creakyknees

sounds like a plan, as long as your legs and butt will handle 120 miles...

Tyrell

Nah, you're not crazy. If I was doing it as an independent (sans team), I'd possibly be up for your route. I'm planning to stay with my parents about 20 minutes from Katy and I would prefer to leave from their house rather than futzing with the traffic to get near a team start and inconvenience my parents by taxi'ing me out there. Maybe next year...

waitforme

The team I'm riding with will be starting from around Park Ten on the Katy Freeway, so I'll be doing approx. 95 miles on the first day. I'm planning to do the Bechtel Challenge hilly route on day two. Not looking forward to sleeping in the team tent at La Grange, I like my home comforts especially after a 95 mile + day in the saddle, but it's all supposed to part of the experience - right? This will be my first MS, I've only done one vaguely hilly training ride in New Waverley, so I guess day two should be a challenge...looking forward to it

roadnoob412

Underground,

Your plan isn't crazy - it's actually a good one, I think. The only thing I'd miss is hanging out in LaGrange, but the payoffs you describe (sleeping in Sunday, hotel room, not part of the mass start Sunday in LaGrange) are all HUGE advantages!! I've slept in a team tent in LaGrange twice, and I can tell you I don't miss it at all. Last year I rented a popup trailer with my ride buddy and a generator and we parked it at LaGrange and it was perfect. This year we've rented a small RV and are dong the same thing. God love A/C and Heat - they make all the difference in being comfortable! The key is to not get caught up in the mass start at LaGrange on Sunday morning - it takes FOREVER to get out of there!!!

I'm riding with St. Arnold and starting inbetween Katy and Brookshire, but my ride buddy and I are just planning to start EARLY (6-ish) to get ahead of the crowd. The lunch stop in Bellville is NUTS - very crowded and can take forever if you plan on eating lunch there. We're also planning to not ride the park but will be riding the challenge route on day two, as the road out of LaGrange on the lunch express route is really rough. Keep in mind (waitforme) that Day one also has hills, not just day two. So, if you haven't done any hill training, try and get a little in before the ride - it'll help if nothing else to learn the tempo and get down a proper shifting routine for getting up and down the rollers. Sounds trivial, but it's helped me tremendously!

Good luck everyone!

waitforme

Thanks Roadnoob412 but it's probably too late to do much hill work now. I'm in reasonable shape so I'll just deal with them as they come up (famous last words....)

Underground

Waitforme - a fellow Katy person! Allright!

Don't sweat the hills. I did nothing but flat training on my first ride and I did just fine. Just remember to not blow up on the hills. I am competitive and it was hard seeing someone pass you at a slightly faster pace and not hop on their wheel. I ended up just riding my pace, chatting with some people and having fun, all was well.


Roadnoob - I am not a fan of the Sunday start. I've been with Team BP these few years. Even though our tent is really close to the start, I still end up waiting quite a bit of time to just get out on the road. Plus slow, and I mean slow, riders riding 3-wide stinks. The right lane is normally clear, if I hop out on there, ride marshals start yelling at me. I just want to avoid the whole craziness this year.

Oh and the Bellville lunch stop hasn't been bad for me in past years. Then again, I tend to arrive before most of the slower riders. I am not that fast, but the first MS150 I did I started right up at the front at Rhodes Stadium. So I avoided some of the chaos there. Same at La Grange. I just hope to wake my friend up early enough that he doesn't hold me up. I want to be out of the house by, at the latest, 5:45am. That will put us past the Katy start by a solid 30-minutes. Last year we left late and I took him on a detour down Morton Rd, because 90 was crazy. Nobody was around, it was nice. We turned left at 362, right at Royal HS, and took that to 359. It was a nice detour.


This week, my plan is a 60+ mile ride. Hope to do a route from my house to Stephen F Austin park, eat at the clubhouse at the golf course there, and ride back home. Should be a great ride!

waitforme

Hi Underground, I live just off South Fry Rd and generally ride from home.

Sound advice regarding riding your own pace, my plan is to start at a slower pace and see how I feel after 50 miles. My training is coming to an end now, I did a solo 80 miles last Saturday afternoon (Home/Fulshear/Brookshire/Patterson/San Filipe/Simonton/Fulshear/Bois de Arc/Home), I averaged 18.5 in the windy conditions including warm-up and cool down, then I did 45 recovery ride on Sunday. I plan to do the same this weekend, then I will start to taper off the training ready for the ride.

Yes I’ve heard the crowds suck at the start of day two but hopefully it clears out after 15 or 20 miles. How long is the wait normally at the day two start, what time would you recommend lining up?

Underground

Line up EARLY. People start lining up well before the start time. As far as clearing out, normally it is kind of busy all the way to the lunch stop. After the Bastrop stop, it typically clears up nicely (plus you aren't confined to the shoulder of 71).

My friend and I hung out in the tent until after the "start" officially happened, a solid 15 minutes or so. We got in line and it was still a good 25-40 minutes (can't remember, it just took forever it seemed) before we got close to the start line. They do a stagger start. If you want to avoid the crowds, get up and on the bike before the start, and just walk the bike around the start group, head out on your own. Then again, a ton of people do that, so it will still be a bit crazy. Just be mindful for the rumble strips on the shoulder. Those can damage a wheel really quickly if you aren't careful (I normally bunny hop over them if I need to move to the lane).

My 60+ mile solo this week should take me from home to Fulshear, Brookshire, Stephen F. Austin Golf Course, maybe all the way to I-10, and back again. I tend to like out and backs more than loops. That way I can watch for things both ways. This will be a cadence driven ride. I bonked my last ride and didn't even know it until I saw my computer. I felt like I was pushing near my max HR but it was at 155. It didn't help that I was having some stomach cramps as well. I guess I didn't eat enough for breakfast that morning and then the energy chews didn't sit well with me. Hopefully this week will be better.

My first MS150 consisted of nothing but 20-30 mile training rides. I did one 40+ mile ride and then did the MS150. You should be set.

I'm just off of S. Fry myself.

waitforme

Thanks for the info on the day two start, so it sounds like they let you go early if you want to or is it just a case of Texans doing what they want to....I like the idea of hanging back and waiting for the worst of the crowd to start but I guess your then fighting slower riders for most of the first half of the ride. I guess it's all just part of the fun of the MS 150...

Did the same training rides again this weekend - 80 on Saturday and 45 recovery ride Sunday. I'll do a couple of sessions on the trainer during this week and a 60 next Saturday, then just a few gentle spins next week. So hopefully I'll be good to go!

I spoke with one of my team mates this week and we will be setting off from home too, so it looks like Saturday will be a 110 mile day for me. That will be my first century ride, well sort of.

Good luck to all.

Underground

I did a 63 mile ride this past Monday. I am done with long rides. Easy stuff (mainly only running errands) from here on out. Nothing hard, just keeping the legs moving. I start taking it easy, no rides over 20-miles, about 2-weeks before the ride. I find I feel the best with that setup. Of course, we all are different.

Good luck!

88txaggie

The start on day 2 is kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't - either line up an hour or 2 before the official start and be toward the front, or sleep in and do your waiting after the official start. We stay in Oak Thicket and bypass all the mess at LaGrange.

FYI, I don't think Bastrop park will be an option this year due to the fire; at least that was the latest I heard a couple of weeks ago. They still have the 2 routes, but if the info is correct everyone will bypass the park. That will affect the crowds quite a bit on day 2.

Be careful, everyone - know the riders around you and avoid those you don't know - I crashed last year before the first rest stop because I wasn't careful enough. An inexperienced rider crashed in front of me and I couldn't avoid her. Smacked my head on the road. Luckily with a new helmet, gloves and glasses I was able to finish the ride. I *try* to ride with space around me now, but that is hard to do on the MS150!

H-Bear

aaronreyna

This is my first year to ride. I'm riding with Team Dow. You guys have a ton of great suggestions for skipping the crowds etc. I unfortunately live in Deer Park and work until 12 the night before the ride. So this should be fun getting up and going!

I'm staying in the Dow tent, have reservations for my wife and son in Columbus, and reservations in Austin. Any other suggestions you guys have I'm all ears!

Underground

Just remember to go your own pace. It will be especially important for you due to the lack of sleep. Being sleep deprived, I would suggest not getting on a wheel. I know my reaction time is increased when I am a little tired. Even if the blood is pumping and I feel awake, I am just not as focused on what I am doing. It is kind of like riding in a slight fog so to speak.

Let me know how staying in the tent goes. My first year out it rained badly, several actual tents flooded (personal tents). Just try to pick a high spot! haha I am sure they will have cots there for you all.

Underground

I am curious about the weather this year. I won't hold my breath until about Wednesday this week.

The big questions I have, if the forecast has rain or shine, and what direction/how strong the winds will be. 120-miles would be a whole lot easier with the wind at my back!

roadnoob412

I agree underground - this is my 5th and final year for a while (need a break, have a 5 year old in little league, soccer, etc...) and every year I've ridden we've had a cool front blow in the day before, giving us headwind for two straight days - MISERABLE! The forecast is looking good right now - south wind and sunshine! Knock on wood - I may finally get a break!

H-Bear

Take forecasts this far out with a grain of salt.

From weatherunderground.com:

Houston

Saturday
Clear with a chance of rain. High of 86F. Winds from the North at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

Saturday Night
Clear. Low of 52F. Winds from the North at 5 to 10 mph.

La Grange

Saturday
Clear. High of 82F. Winds from the North at 10 to 15 mph.

Saturday Night
Clear. Low of 59F. Winds from the North at 5 to 10 mph.

Austin

Sunday
Clear. High of 81F. Winds less than 5 mph.
Sunday Night
Clear. Low of 57F. Winds from the SSW at 5 to 10 mph

waitforme

As you say 5 day forecasts are likely to change, so I'll hold off until Thursday.

Did anyone do the New Ulm training ride on Saturday, a bit windy (15+ mph) and rolling hills (1,900 ft of gain according to my Garmin) plus the wind blew down some of the signs so I got lost and did some additional miles...but a great ride and the New Ulm Fire Brigade grilled us burgers for lunch afterwards!

Steve Moskowitz does a great job organizing the R2R series, I don't know where he finds the time.

big_heineken

I'm not sure what you are talking about. Last year we had tail wind the whole first day and it was awesome! The second day had a couple miles of head wind, but mostly tail or cross wind.

wkndwarrior

Now they're saying 15-20 mph N/NW winds, gusting to 25. Could get a bit ugly.

yeamac 

My advice for those riding the MS150 this year: Get in the drops. Find a big cyclist that you can draft. Have fun!

Underground

My friend better be in shape. He just got a new Roubaix, and he states it is super fast. We shall see. He got a 4-5lb lighter bike, while I have the same bike but I have lost 20lbs. We shall see who is hurting in La Grange! hahahahahahahaha


15-20...meh. It could be worse. They did mention possible rain. I will know what to pack Friday morning. I want new batteries on all my lights, trunk bag packed and loaded (with spare tubes, my friend can be horrible about tubes), my duffel bag packed and ready to go (with spare bottle), and all the numbers on my gear.

As for riding gear...well I'll be able to decide on that later Friday. I normally wait until the last minute to figure out what I will wear on the bike.

I can't wait for Saturday! I love these really long rides.

H-Bear

+1

Due to the potential headwinds, we considered the possibility of starting at Rhodes and doing 83m instead of the century at Tully. However, take a look at the map:



Assuming the winds are coming in NNW, it actually seems the Rhodes route would be more brutal than Tully. Personally, I would rather deal with mostly crosswinds over a direct headwind.

The lesser of two evils, I suppose...

wkndwarrior

I'm starting off at Rhodes, too. While Saturday is looking like a doozy, Sunday should be much more manageable with winds at only 5 mph or so.