Ms 150
05-03-17, 02:40 PM
#526
Senior Member
Ok, so here is my weekend report:
Day one, 93.1 miles starting around 7:15am from our house and joining the route from Tully at Queenston and Clay. My wife and I were cooking along quite well all morning. We stuck sandwiches in our pockets and skipped the lunch stop. We ate lunch sitting on the hill at the NP in Nelsonville and had averaged ~17.5 mph up to that point. But that is where the wheels started coming off so to speak. The sun came out, it warmed up quickly to the mid to upper 80s, and I made the mistake of filling my bottles before I sat down to eat, but not after. We skipped the next break point in Industry, and I found myself halfway to Fayetteville, running out of water, and getting too hot. When it gets above about 85F, my MS just starts shutting me down...not unlock the feeling of a really bad bonk. My legs just quit wanting to turn over consistently and I can just feel the energy draining out. The only way to counter it is lots and lots of cool fluids to keep my internal temp down. Which worked ok until I started to run out of fluids about 7 miles from Fayetteville. We stopped once under a tree for a bit of shade, and stopped at the lemonade stand and each got a full bottle of lemonade and ice. Without that, I would have been in a real world of hurt. We took a longer break than we usually would in the shade at Fayetteville, and got bottles with lots of ice from the breakpoint. Of course riding through town pepped us back up a bit, and having the tailwind to the last BP helped get us back on track. We stopped briefly at the last BP to refill bottles and to perform what has become kind of a tradition for me to go over and thank the folks on the porch for letting us use their front yard each year. We rolled into the fairgrounds around 3:10 with an average riding speed of 15.7 mph for the day. I remember sitting on the ground in Fayetteville thinking about the weather forecast for Sunday and wondering how far I was going to make it before I couldn't do it if the headwind turned out the way they forecast it. I was feeling pretty destroyed at that point in Fayetteville, so I was surprised to be tired, but not quite so demolished walking up the path into Camp St Marks after the finish 20 miles later.
After a massage and a good meal of bbq, I got a pretty crappy night's sleep due to the creaking and clanking of the team tent in the wind; and due to the thunder and rain that rolled in around 3:30am. Given that, I woke up feeling better than I usually do on day two and to my surprise was one of the first people up and getting ready. We went over and got pancakes from the MS Society breakfast line, and I have to say I was pretty unimpressed. They were very thick and only about halfway cooked in the middle. I only ate about half of them and what I did eat didn't sit very well. I think I am going to have to work out something different for breakfast next year. I would have been much happier with something like bacon and eggs or breakfast tacos...something with some protein in it.
Day 2, we rolled over to the start line at the Fairgrounds around 7:30 to start with the "Because We Can" riders with MS at the front of the line. After dozens of pictures, we finally got underway just after 8am. After coasting down the onramp onto 71 and getting separated from my wife by a few hundred yards, I was coasting along waiting for her when two ladies rode by wearing butterfly wings and bright colors. One of them was a Club 300 top fundraiser last year, and just as my wife caught up and we went to speed up, the butterflies got into a line behind a ride marshal and a couple of other riders. So I just latched onto the back and rode for a mile or two until the ride marshal pulled off to talk to a friend. One of the other riders took up pulling for a few minutes, but seemed to be getting pretty gassed. By this time, it had become apparent to my wife and I that the butterfly ladies were a little rolling party on wheels. The club 300 member (Margaret) had a bike bell on her handlebars and a cowbell on a chain around her neck, and they would ring/rattle and give a cheer for ride marshals, other top fundraisers, police, ems, etc. as they passed them. The other one (Gill) had a charming british accent and joined in cheering the ride marshal who had pulled them and others. I am always telling people who draft off of me that as somebody with MS, the very least I can do to thank them for all their fundraising is to pull them through the wind when I get the chance. So I saw the chance here and I took it. I went to the front and basically stayed there the rest of the way to Austin. My wife jumped up a few times and took a turn, and she helped Gill catch back on a few times when we managed to unhitch her from the train. But otherwise, we stuck together all the way to Austin. And it was the best decision I made all day. I found out at the 2nd BP that Margaret was one of the originators of the Bubble Bistro for folks with MS to watch the finish line in comfort with AC. When I took off my jacket, they found out I had MS since I was wearing my "I Have MS, This is Why I Ride" jersey. At BP1, I felt so sorry for the folks there offering up ice cream. I am sure the group planning the break point thought it would be a big hit when thinking about a late April ride date, but at that point, I was half frozen and couldn't feel my finger tips. I had stupidly left my leg warmers and full fingered gloves in the bag thinking the jacket was all I would need. But I suffered through it and finally took off the jacket after BP2. From there on out, I have no idea how many people I pulled to Austin in some shape or form. We averaged about 12-14 mph on the flats most of the way and I know quite a few people jumped on behind my wife and the 2 butterflies. I kept humming the song "Convoy" in my mind as I pulled through the wind. The remarkable thing about it was that it felt so easy. If it had just been my wife and I, we would have ridden faster and worked a lot harder for sure. But since I knew Gill was struggling a bit with the hills, and I was trying to keep it fun instead of a death march, I just pulled at an easy steady pace, with my HR around 70-75% of max most of the day. Taking it easy meant I could pay more attention to the rest of what was going on around me, and riding with Margaret and Jill was a blast. Listening to them cheer on other riders and banter with them was fun, and inspired me to do more of the same than I would typically do. I started reading the names off of the club 300 rider numbers as we passed them, and I would thank the rider by name for their fundraising. In the end, we reached the finish line around 3:20 and averaged only 12.5 mph for the day, which I would normally be quite disappointed with. But I have to say, even though it was the toughest conditions of any BP MS150 day two that I have ridden, it was the most fun for sure. I rolled into the finish with a smile on my face that even my wife getting a flat tire less than 1/2 mile from the finish couldn't take off my face. I was way less sore and tired than I was expecting to feel based on the weather forecast, and I have a couple of new friends that we are looking forward to getting together with this summer.
Thanks again to all of you that rode or volunteered and keep working on your fundraising! Every time somebody asked you how the ride went, it is an opportunity to ask them for a donation. I want you to all know that I appreciate what you have done by riding and raising funds from the bottom of my heart. Whether you raised the minimum, or make it to Club 300, the money you raised is important and it is life-changing for folks with MS. There have been a couple of recent stories about breakthroughs in new treatments and even some hope for myelin repair therapies in recent weeks. I know we are cycling focused here for the most part...but the MS150 is a big part of the reason why those kinds of breakthroughs are coming faster and more frequently these days. So thanks again, and I hope to see you all out there again next year. And if you see me and want a draft...get in the line!
Day one, 93.1 miles starting around 7:15am from our house and joining the route from Tully at Queenston and Clay. My wife and I were cooking along quite well all morning. We stuck sandwiches in our pockets and skipped the lunch stop. We ate lunch sitting on the hill at the NP in Nelsonville and had averaged ~17.5 mph up to that point. But that is where the wheels started coming off so to speak. The sun came out, it warmed up quickly to the mid to upper 80s, and I made the mistake of filling my bottles before I sat down to eat, but not after. We skipped the next break point in Industry, and I found myself halfway to Fayetteville, running out of water, and getting too hot. When it gets above about 85F, my MS just starts shutting me down...not unlock the feeling of a really bad bonk. My legs just quit wanting to turn over consistently and I can just feel the energy draining out. The only way to counter it is lots and lots of cool fluids to keep my internal temp down. Which worked ok until I started to run out of fluids about 7 miles from Fayetteville. We stopped once under a tree for a bit of shade, and stopped at the lemonade stand and each got a full bottle of lemonade and ice. Without that, I would have been in a real world of hurt. We took a longer break than we usually would in the shade at Fayetteville, and got bottles with lots of ice from the breakpoint. Of course riding through town pepped us back up a bit, and having the tailwind to the last BP helped get us back on track. We stopped briefly at the last BP to refill bottles and to perform what has become kind of a tradition for me to go over and thank the folks on the porch for letting us use their front yard each year. We rolled into the fairgrounds around 3:10 with an average riding speed of 15.7 mph for the day. I remember sitting on the ground in Fayetteville thinking about the weather forecast for Sunday and wondering how far I was going to make it before I couldn't do it if the headwind turned out the way they forecast it. I was feeling pretty destroyed at that point in Fayetteville, so I was surprised to be tired, but not quite so demolished walking up the path into Camp St Marks after the finish 20 miles later.
After a massage and a good meal of bbq, I got a pretty crappy night's sleep due to the creaking and clanking of the team tent in the wind; and due to the thunder and rain that rolled in around 3:30am. Given that, I woke up feeling better than I usually do on day two and to my surprise was one of the first people up and getting ready. We went over and got pancakes from the MS Society breakfast line, and I have to say I was pretty unimpressed. They were very thick and only about halfway cooked in the middle. I only ate about half of them and what I did eat didn't sit very well. I think I am going to have to work out something different for breakfast next year. I would have been much happier with something like bacon and eggs or breakfast tacos...something with some protein in it.
Day 2, we rolled over to the start line at the Fairgrounds around 7:30 to start with the "Because We Can" riders with MS at the front of the line. After dozens of pictures, we finally got underway just after 8am. After coasting down the onramp onto 71 and getting separated from my wife by a few hundred yards, I was coasting along waiting for her when two ladies rode by wearing butterfly wings and bright colors. One of them was a Club 300 top fundraiser last year, and just as my wife caught up and we went to speed up, the butterflies got into a line behind a ride marshal and a couple of other riders. So I just latched onto the back and rode for a mile or two until the ride marshal pulled off to talk to a friend. One of the other riders took up pulling for a few minutes, but seemed to be getting pretty gassed. By this time, it had become apparent to my wife and I that the butterfly ladies were a little rolling party on wheels. The club 300 member (Margaret) had a bike bell on her handlebars and a cowbell on a chain around her neck, and they would ring/rattle and give a cheer for ride marshals, other top fundraisers, police, ems, etc. as they passed them. The other one (Gill) had a charming british accent and joined in cheering the ride marshal who had pulled them and others. I am always telling people who draft off of me that as somebody with MS, the very least I can do to thank them for all their fundraising is to pull them through the wind when I get the chance. So I saw the chance here and I took it. I went to the front and basically stayed there the rest of the way to Austin. My wife jumped up a few times and took a turn, and she helped Gill catch back on a few times when we managed to unhitch her from the train. But otherwise, we stuck together all the way to Austin. And it was the best decision I made all day. I found out at the 2nd BP that Margaret was one of the originators of the Bubble Bistro for folks with MS to watch the finish line in comfort with AC. When I took off my jacket, they found out I had MS since I was wearing my "I Have MS, This is Why I Ride" jersey. At BP1, I felt so sorry for the folks there offering up ice cream. I am sure the group planning the break point thought it would be a big hit when thinking about a late April ride date, but at that point, I was half frozen and couldn't feel my finger tips. I had stupidly left my leg warmers and full fingered gloves in the bag thinking the jacket was all I would need. But I suffered through it and finally took off the jacket after BP2. From there on out, I have no idea how many people I pulled to Austin in some shape or form. We averaged about 12-14 mph on the flats most of the way and I know quite a few people jumped on behind my wife and the 2 butterflies. I kept humming the song "Convoy" in my mind as I pulled through the wind. The remarkable thing about it was that it felt so easy. If it had just been my wife and I, we would have ridden faster and worked a lot harder for sure. But since I knew Gill was struggling a bit with the hills, and I was trying to keep it fun instead of a death march, I just pulled at an easy steady pace, with my HR around 70-75% of max most of the day. Taking it easy meant I could pay more attention to the rest of what was going on around me, and riding with Margaret and Jill was a blast. Listening to them cheer on other riders and banter with them was fun, and inspired me to do more of the same than I would typically do. I started reading the names off of the club 300 rider numbers as we passed them, and I would thank the rider by name for their fundraising. In the end, we reached the finish line around 3:20 and averaged only 12.5 mph for the day, which I would normally be quite disappointed with. But I have to say, even though it was the toughest conditions of any BP MS150 day two that I have ridden, it was the most fun for sure. I rolled into the finish with a smile on my face that even my wife getting a flat tire less than 1/2 mile from the finish couldn't take off my face. I was way less sore and tired than I was expecting to feel based on the weather forecast, and I have a couple of new friends that we are looking forward to getting together with this summer.
Thanks again to all of you that rode or volunteered and keep working on your fundraising! Every time somebody asked you how the ride went, it is an opportunity to ask them for a donation. I want you to all know that I appreciate what you have done by riding and raising funds from the bottom of my heart. Whether you raised the minimum, or make it to Club 300, the money you raised is important and it is life-changing for folks with MS. There have been a couple of recent stories about breakthroughs in new treatments and even some hope for myelin repair therapies in recent weeks. I know we are cycling focused here for the most part...but the MS150 is a big part of the reason why those kinds of breakthroughs are coming faster and more frequently these days. So thanks again, and I hope to see you all out there again next year. And if you see me and want a draft...get in the line!
05-03-17, 02:41 PM
#527
Senior Member
Thanks...you about made me snort the banana I was eating when I read that right out my nose!
You must have started right behind us, as I was up there in front of the Club 300 with my wife. I was wearing a red jacket, and she was wearing an aggie jersey with black arm warmers.
05-03-17, 03:12 PM
#528
bill nyecycles
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Thanks...you about made me snort the banana I was eating when I read that right out my nose!
You must have started right behind us, as I was up there in front of the Club 300 with my wife. I was wearing a red jacket, and she was wearing an aggie jersey with black arm warmers.
You must have started right behind us, as I was up there in front of the Club 300 with my wife. I was wearing a red jacket, and she was wearing an aggie jersey with black arm warmers.
Aw man. I was pretty tunnel-visioned for most of the morning because I was so cold, and struggling to cut through the wind on my own. But yeah you were probably not far in front of me because I went with the first wave of riders!
Next time!
05-03-17, 03:18 PM
#529
bill nyecycles
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Join Date: Mar 2013
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Ok, so here is my weekend report:
Day one, 93.1 miles starting around 7:15am from our house and joining the route from Tully at Queenston and Clay. My wife and I were cooking along quite well all morning. We stuck sandwiches in our pockets and skipped the lunch stop. We ate lunch sitting on the hill at the NP in Nelsonville and had averaged ~17.5 mph up to that point. But that is where the wheels started coming off so to speak. The sun came out, it warmed up quickly to the mid to upper 80s, and I made the mistake of filling my bottles before I sat down to eat, but not after. We skipped the next break point in Industry, and I found myself halfway to Fayetteville, running out of water, and getting too hot. When it gets above about 85F, my MS just starts shutting me down...not unlock the feeling of a really bad bonk. My legs just quit wanting to turn over consistently and I can just feel the energy draining out. The only way to counter it is lots and lots of cool fluids to keep my internal temp down. Which worked ok until I started to run out of fluids about 7 miles from Fayetteville. We stopped once under a tree for a bit of shade, and stopped at the lemonade stand and each got a full bottle of lemonade and ice. Without that, I would have been in a real world of hurt. We took a longer break than we usually would in the shade at Fayetteville, and got bottles with lots of ice from the breakpoint. Of course riding through town pepped us back up a bit, and having the tailwind to the last BP helped get us back on track. We stopped briefly at the last BP to refill bottles and to perform what has become kind of a tradition for me to go over and thank the folks on the porch for letting us use their front yard each year. We rolled into the fairgrounds around 3:10 with an average riding speed of 15.7 mph for the day. I remember sitting on the ground in Fayetteville thinking about the weather forecast for Sunday and wondering how far I was going to make it before I couldn't do it if the headwind turned out the way they forecast it. I was feeling pretty destroyed at that point in Fayetteville, so I was surprised to be tired, but not quite so demolished walking up the path into Camp St Marks after the finish 20 miles later.
After a massage and a good meal of bbq, I got a pretty crappy night's sleep due to the creaking and clanking of the team tent in the wind; and due to the thunder and rain that rolled in around 3:30am. Given that, I woke up feeling better than I usually do on day two and to my surprise was one of the first people up and getting ready. We went over and got pancakes from the MS Society breakfast line, and I have to say I was pretty unimpressed. They were very thick and only about halfway cooked in the middle. I only ate about half of them and what I did eat didn't sit very well. I think I am going to have to work out something different for breakfast next year. I would have been much happier with something like bacon and eggs or breakfast tacos...something with some protein in it.
Day 2, we rolled over to the start line at the Fairgrounds around 7:30 to start with the "Because We Can" riders with MS at the front of the line. After dozens of pictures, we finally got underway just after 8am. After coasting down the onramp onto 71 and getting separated from my wife by a few hundred yards, I was coasting along waiting for her when two ladies rode by wearing butterfly wings and bright colors. One of them was a Club 300 top fundraiser last year, and just as my wife caught up and we went to speed up, the butterflies got into a line behind a ride marshal and a couple of other riders. So I just latched onto the back and rode for a mile or two until the ride marshal pulled off to talk to a friend. One of the other riders took up pulling for a few minutes, but seemed to be getting pretty gassed. By this time, it had become apparent to my wife and I that the butterfly ladies were a little rolling party on wheels. The club 300 member (Margaret) had a bike bell on her handlebars and a cowbell on a chain around her neck, and they would ring/rattle and give a cheer for ride marshals, other top fundraisers, police, ems, etc. as they passed them. The other one (Gill) had a charming british accent and joined in cheering the ride marshal who had pulled them and others. I am always telling people who draft off of me that as somebody with MS, the very least I can do to thank them for all their fundraising is to pull them through the wind when I get the chance. So I saw the chance here and I took it. I went to the front and basically stayed there the rest of the way to Austin. My wife jumped up a few times and took a turn, and she helped Gill catch back on a few times when we managed to unhitch her from the train. But otherwise, we stuck together all the way to Austin. And it was the best decision I made all day. I found out at the 2nd BP that Margaret was one of the originators of the Bubble Bistro for folks with MS to watch the finish line in comfort with AC. When I took off my jacket, they found out I had MS since I was wearing my "I Have MS, This is Why I Ride" jersey. At BP1, I felt so sorry for the folks there offering up ice cream. I am sure the group planning the break point thought it would be a big hit when thinking about a late April ride date, but at that point, I was half frozen and couldn't feel my finger tips. I had stupidly left my leg warmers and full fingered gloves in the bag thinking the jacket was all I would need. But I suffered through it and finally took off the jacket after BP2. From there on out, I have no idea how many people I pulled to Austin in some shape or form. We averaged about 12-14 mph on the flats most of the way and I know quite a few people jumped on behind my wife and the 2 butterflies. I kept humming the song "Convoy" in my mind as I pulled through the wind. The remarkable thing about it was that it felt so easy. If it had just been my wife and I, we would have ridden faster and worked a lot harder for sure. But since I knew Gill was struggling a bit with the hills, and I was trying to keep it fun instead of a death march, I just pulled at an easy steady pace, with my HR around 70-75% of max most of the day. Taking it easy meant I could pay more attention to the rest of what was going on around me, and riding with Margaret and Jill was a blast. Listening to them cheer on other riders and banter with them was fun, and inspired me to do more of the same than I would typically do. I started reading the names off of the club 300 rider numbers as we passed them, and I would thank the rider by name for their fundraising. In the end, we reached the finish line around 3:20 and averaged only 12.5 mph for the day, which I would normally be quite disappointed with. But I have to say, even though it was the toughest conditions of any BP MS150 day two that I have ridden, it was the most fun for sure. I rolled into the finish with a smile on my face that even my wife getting a flat tire less than 1/2 mile from the finish couldn't take off my face. I was way less sore and tired than I was expecting to feel based on the weather forecast, and I have a couple of new friends that we are looking forward to getting together with this summer.
Thanks again to all of you that rode or volunteered and keep working on your fundraising! Every time somebody asked you how the ride went, it is an opportunity to ask them for a donation. I want you to all know that I appreciate what you have done by riding and raising funds from the bottom of my heart. Whether you raised the minimum, or make it to Club 300, the money you raised is important and it is life-changing for folks with MS. There have been a couple of recent stories about breakthroughs in new treatments and even some hope for myelin repair therapies in recent weeks. I know we are cycling focused here for the most part...but the MS150 is a big part of the reason why those kinds of breakthroughs are coming faster and more frequently these days. So thanks again, and I hope to see you all out there again next year. And if you see me and want a draft...get in the line!
Day one, 93.1 miles starting around 7:15am from our house and joining the route from Tully at Queenston and Clay. My wife and I were cooking along quite well all morning. We stuck sandwiches in our pockets and skipped the lunch stop. We ate lunch sitting on the hill at the NP in Nelsonville and had averaged ~17.5 mph up to that point. But that is where the wheels started coming off so to speak. The sun came out, it warmed up quickly to the mid to upper 80s, and I made the mistake of filling my bottles before I sat down to eat, but not after. We skipped the next break point in Industry, and I found myself halfway to Fayetteville, running out of water, and getting too hot. When it gets above about 85F, my MS just starts shutting me down...not unlock the feeling of a really bad bonk. My legs just quit wanting to turn over consistently and I can just feel the energy draining out. The only way to counter it is lots and lots of cool fluids to keep my internal temp down. Which worked ok until I started to run out of fluids about 7 miles from Fayetteville. We stopped once under a tree for a bit of shade, and stopped at the lemonade stand and each got a full bottle of lemonade and ice. Without that, I would have been in a real world of hurt. We took a longer break than we usually would in the shade at Fayetteville, and got bottles with lots of ice from the breakpoint. Of course riding through town pepped us back up a bit, and having the tailwind to the last BP helped get us back on track. We stopped briefly at the last BP to refill bottles and to perform what has become kind of a tradition for me to go over and thank the folks on the porch for letting us use their front yard each year. We rolled into the fairgrounds around 3:10 with an average riding speed of 15.7 mph for the day. I remember sitting on the ground in Fayetteville thinking about the weather forecast for Sunday and wondering how far I was going to make it before I couldn't do it if the headwind turned out the way they forecast it. I was feeling pretty destroyed at that point in Fayetteville, so I was surprised to be tired, but not quite so demolished walking up the path into Camp St Marks after the finish 20 miles later.
After a massage and a good meal of bbq, I got a pretty crappy night's sleep due to the creaking and clanking of the team tent in the wind; and due to the thunder and rain that rolled in around 3:30am. Given that, I woke up feeling better than I usually do on day two and to my surprise was one of the first people up and getting ready. We went over and got pancakes from the MS Society breakfast line, and I have to say I was pretty unimpressed. They were very thick and only about halfway cooked in the middle. I only ate about half of them and what I did eat didn't sit very well. I think I am going to have to work out something different for breakfast next year. I would have been much happier with something like bacon and eggs or breakfast tacos...something with some protein in it.
Day 2, we rolled over to the start line at the Fairgrounds around 7:30 to start with the "Because We Can" riders with MS at the front of the line. After dozens of pictures, we finally got underway just after 8am. After coasting down the onramp onto 71 and getting separated from my wife by a few hundred yards, I was coasting along waiting for her when two ladies rode by wearing butterfly wings and bright colors. One of them was a Club 300 top fundraiser last year, and just as my wife caught up and we went to speed up, the butterflies got into a line behind a ride marshal and a couple of other riders. So I just latched onto the back and rode for a mile or two until the ride marshal pulled off to talk to a friend. One of the other riders took up pulling for a few minutes, but seemed to be getting pretty gassed. By this time, it had become apparent to my wife and I that the butterfly ladies were a little rolling party on wheels. The club 300 member (Margaret) had a bike bell on her handlebars and a cowbell on a chain around her neck, and they would ring/rattle and give a cheer for ride marshals, other top fundraisers, police, ems, etc. as they passed them. The other one (Gill) had a charming british accent and joined in cheering the ride marshal who had pulled them and others. I am always telling people who draft off of me that as somebody with MS, the very least I can do to thank them for all their fundraising is to pull them through the wind when I get the chance. So I saw the chance here and I took it. I went to the front and basically stayed there the rest of the way to Austin. My wife jumped up a few times and took a turn, and she helped Gill catch back on a few times when we managed to unhitch her from the train. But otherwise, we stuck together all the way to Austin. And it was the best decision I made all day. I found out at the 2nd BP that Margaret was one of the originators of the Bubble Bistro for folks with MS to watch the finish line in comfort with AC. When I took off my jacket, they found out I had MS since I was wearing my "I Have MS, This is Why I Ride" jersey. At BP1, I felt so sorry for the folks there offering up ice cream. I am sure the group planning the break point thought it would be a big hit when thinking about a late April ride date, but at that point, I was half frozen and couldn't feel my finger tips. I had stupidly left my leg warmers and full fingered gloves in the bag thinking the jacket was all I would need. But I suffered through it and finally took off the jacket after BP2. From there on out, I have no idea how many people I pulled to Austin in some shape or form. We averaged about 12-14 mph on the flats most of the way and I know quite a few people jumped on behind my wife and the 2 butterflies. I kept humming the song "Convoy" in my mind as I pulled through the wind. The remarkable thing about it was that it felt so easy. If it had just been my wife and I, we would have ridden faster and worked a lot harder for sure. But since I knew Gill was struggling a bit with the hills, and I was trying to keep it fun instead of a death march, I just pulled at an easy steady pace, with my HR around 70-75% of max most of the day. Taking it easy meant I could pay more attention to the rest of what was going on around me, and riding with Margaret and Jill was a blast. Listening to them cheer on other riders and banter with them was fun, and inspired me to do more of the same than I would typically do. I started reading the names off of the club 300 rider numbers as we passed them, and I would thank the rider by name for their fundraising. In the end, we reached the finish line around 3:20 and averaged only 12.5 mph for the day, which I would normally be quite disappointed with. But I have to say, even though it was the toughest conditions of any BP MS150 day two that I have ridden, it was the most fun for sure. I rolled into the finish with a smile on my face that even my wife getting a flat tire less than 1/2 mile from the finish couldn't take off my face. I was way less sore and tired than I was expecting to feel based on the weather forecast, and I have a couple of new friends that we are looking forward to getting together with this summer.
Thanks again to all of you that rode or volunteered and keep working on your fundraising! Every time somebody asked you how the ride went, it is an opportunity to ask them for a donation. I want you to all know that I appreciate what you have done by riding and raising funds from the bottom of my heart. Whether you raised the minimum, or make it to Club 300, the money you raised is important and it is life-changing for folks with MS. There have been a couple of recent stories about breakthroughs in new treatments and even some hope for myelin repair therapies in recent weeks. I know we are cycling focused here for the most part...but the MS150 is a big part of the reason why those kinds of breakthroughs are coming faster and more frequently these days. So thanks again, and I hope to see you all out there again next year. And if you see me and want a draft...get in the line!
But it's great to read stories like this. And I'm glad you're still riding. And I'm glad we got to meet and chat so much while working that break point during ready to roll the other year.
Here's an article from the Chron about a guy with MS who rode with Blue Line this year, it's really great to see stories like this: Man with MS finds strength through illness, cycled for cure in BP MS150 - Houston Chronicle
Also, I agree about the pancakes - I didn't get any this year, i subsided on snacks and muffins provided in my team tent. But when I did get them in previous years they didn't sit quite right. I wish there were better options.
And yes, bananas are so hideously vile, but I ate my fair share over the weekend. I would usually eat one, then suck down like 3 orange slices and some cookies to wash the taste away
05-03-17, 04:12 PM
#530
Senior Member
Saint Arnold provides sausage kolaches, danish and coffee for breakfast. I look forward to it every year.
05-03-17, 04:27 PM
#532
Senior Member
05-03-17, 04:38 PM
#533
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Thank you volunteers! With all the supports y'all provided, my BP MS 150 sailing trip from Houston to Austin was a breeze.
08-18-17, 05:55 AM
#535
Bikes and beers
Cheers!
10-09-17, 10:26 AM
#536
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Breakfast on day 2 of MS150
For those not keen on the pancake breakfast on day 2, especially us celiacs, what's worked for me is stashing half, or maybe all of that bar b que supper from day one, overnight, for a decent protein breakfast Sunday morning. Supper can be gotten from one's company tent, or purchased from the concessions near the dining hall(juicy, hot hamburgers!)
;
;
10-09-17, 10:38 AM
#537
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When I did the ride my chicken never lasted more than 15 min.
10-10-17, 12:06 PM
#538
Senior Member
From https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal...b4Bp0LXKA!!/#5
Keep Food out of the "Danger Zone"
Bacteria grow rapidly between the temperatures of 40° F and 140° F. After food is safely cooked, hot food must be kept hot at 140° F or warmer to prevent bacterial growth. Within 2 hours of cooking food or after it is removed from an appliance keeping it warm, leftovers must be refrigerated. Throw away all perishable foods that have been left in room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is over 90° F, such as at an outdoor picnic during summer).
Bacteria grow rapidly between the temperatures of 40° F and 140° F. After food is safely cooked, hot food must be kept hot at 140° F or warmer to prevent bacterial growth. Within 2 hours of cooking food or after it is removed from an appliance keeping it warm, leftovers must be refrigerated. Throw away all perishable foods that have been left in room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour if the temperature is over 90° F, such as at an outdoor picnic during summer).
10-27-17, 01:35 PM
#539
Senior Member
MS 150 has moved the finish line to Circuit of the Americas (COTA).
Why? They say it's because of renovation work being done on the Capitol, but I've heard it's a big pain in the ass to block off streets in downtown Austin. Lots of people were upset with the disruption.
Friends of mine have ridden their bikes at COTA and say it is fun. I always had this dream of continuing past the downtown finish line and getting a Reality sandwich at Hole in the Wall, but I never actually did it. COTA is about 17 miles from Hole in the Wall, so I doubt I'm going to be doing that.
Why? They say it's because of renovation work being done on the Capitol, but I've heard it's a big pain in the ass to block off streets in downtown Austin. Lots of people were upset with the disruption.
Friends of mine have ridden their bikes at COTA and say it is fun. I always had this dream of continuing past the downtown finish line and getting a Reality sandwich at Hole in the Wall, but I never actually did it. COTA is about 17 miles from Hole in the Wall, so I doubt I'm going to be doing that.
10-27-17, 02:14 PM
#540
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It was my understanding that the finish was changed because the parking lots, where all the booths were setup, were going to become either buildings or parking garages.
10-28-17, 06:19 AM
#541
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10-28-17, 06:00 PM
#542
bill nyecycles
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That's lame. It's been finishing there for like, what, 30 years?
What a bunch of ruiners.
Riding the MS is the only times I've been to Austin so I'm unfamiliar with any of the rest of the city. Is this COTA a cool place?
What a bunch of ruiners.
Riding the MS is the only times I've been to Austin so I'm unfamiliar with any of the rest of the city. Is this COTA a cool place?
10-28-17, 06:07 PM
#543
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COTA is awesome. I don't know how it'll work for the end of the MS150 ride, but as a facility it's great. The last bike night of the season is 10/30/17. I'm going.
10-28-17, 07:17 PM
#544
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That is exactly right. Buildings are going up where the finish line tents used to be. If they had kept to their original schedule, the MS150 would have finished elsewhere in 2017. Another factor is Rick Perry is no longer in office. He was a big fan of the MS150, and that brought the ride a lot of pull in keeping the downtown finish.
11-06-17, 03:37 PM
#546
bill nyecycles
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I'm registered with Phillips66 again. Gives me something to look forward to aside from, you know, rebuilding my house...
01-10-18, 02:59 PM
#547
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First ride of the year is coming up, the Ride Through the Forest and Hills in Coldspring. IT doesn't look as cold as previous years. A few of us Back Pew riders will be there. I just don't know if big hills are going to be an enjoyable first training ride. Still, I gotta start somewhere. This is my first time doing this ride.
01-11-18, 03:41 PM
#548
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I haven't done the Ride Through the Forest. How does it compare to the Fayetteville Summertime Classic as far as the hills go?
01-12-18, 08:04 AM
#549
Senior Member
There are several tall hills back into Coldspring. Leaving from Coldspring the hills are generally downhill but the return requires some uphill pedaling if you take the long route.
01-13-18, 09:37 AM
#550
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I've been told the hills are more long than tall, but they are still hills. 