First of all, thanks for signing up to ride and fundraise! I was diagnosed with MS in 2006 after having already ridden 2 MS150s. So on behalf of all the Texans living with MS, thanks for signing up to help us! MSD gave a really good short summary above, it is all good advice.
My first advice would be to find out if your wife's company's team is part of the "Ready to Roll" training series. It was originally started by the Conoco Phillips bike team, and has expanded over the years to include a couple dozen teams and over 1000 riders each year. The fee for the training series is usually about $100 per rider, and it starts in early January with 2 rides designed to teach new riders how to ride safely in groups and give them a soft entry into the kinds of group rides that make up the rest of the series. After the two beginner rides, the series will have around 12 rides over the next 12 weeks scattered all over the area west of Houston. The rides take place on Saturday mornings and are very well supported. The entry fee pays for police support at intersections, food for break points, etc. Each team provides volunteers to staff 2-3 of the rides with SAG vans and break point personnel. The rides start with shorter flatter rides in the Katy/Fulshear/Monaville area and then over the weeks, they will get progressively longer and more hilly. The idea is to get you used to riding in groups, slowly build up your mileage, and slowly work your way into riding more hilly terrain. There is a very heavy emphasis on safety, and it really is the perfect way for a beginner to learn how to ride in groups and prepare for the MS150. For non-beginners, it is 10-12 group rides for the equivalent of about $10 each. Attendance at the Ready to Roll rides is highly dependent on the weather, but there will generally be anywhere from 600-1100 riders at each ride. So it really is the perfect preparation and many of the rides you train on will actually end up being part of the MS150 route between Houston and Fayetteville.
Even if you don't plan to join the Ready to Roll series, my advice would be to plan to start in late January or early February doing rides in the 20-30 mile range at least once per week, and then ramp up by about 10% per week. Starting at 20 miles and doing 10% more each week for 12 weeks will get you to a 60 mile ride before the MS150. My other advice would be to either ride or spin during the week. I found that shorter more intense interval type workouts like spinning helped make me faster (and more able to recover when climbing hills) in a way that I just didn't get from doing only long steady rides. There are several bike shops on the west side that also do group rides, including some no-drop rides that would be good for first time roadies. Also, if you join a team, many will have their own training rides outside of the ready to roll series, so those will give you a chance to go out with more experienced riders and learn from them.
The one thing I have found about the MS150, is that the people involved are just really nice and nearly everybody is willing to help or answer any questions you might have. Sure, there are always a few jerks on the road who think it is a race, but the vast majority of the folks are just really friendly and are out there to have a great time while raising funds for a great cause. All along the route you will have people in groups from 2 to a few dozen just sitting by the side of the road with signs, cowbells, and other noisemakers cheering the riders on. The scene in Fayetteville is always just crazy. It is like the whole town shows up to throw an 8 hour party while the riders go through. There is music, people dancing, bubble machines, deafening cowbells, and just an amazing and positive party atmosphere. I am always tempted to loop back around the town square and ride through town again just for the chance to experience it again. The finish line in Austin is even better. Literally hundreds, if not a thousand or more people clapping, screaming, and cheering as you finish in the shadow of the State Capitol. As somebody with MS, I always struggle to hold back tears as I cross the line, knowing that all of those riders, volunteers, and fans are out there giving up time, effort, and money to be a part of something so special to help folks like me. It is always an amazing experience, and once you do it once, you will look forward to it every year.
Feel free to ask more questions if you have them, and again, thanks for riding!
Last edited by txags92; 10-31-13 at 03:27 PM.