Hi everyone,

I had a great ride this morning. I left from 77 and 153 at 7:45am. The bagpiper was out playing "Amazing Grace" and I caught a good group. The park was a bit wet and muddy, but not too bad. If you skipped the "Bechtel Challenge" because of the wet roads in the hills, you made a mistake. It was beautiful today!

...And then I pulled out of the park to find...the wind! Man, it was strong in the face today. The sun came out later and I was HOT for the last 90 minutes or so. I ended up stopping at the last 3 rest stops! I finished at about 1pm, but only averaged about 15mph due to the wind.

Some of the rest areas seemed to have less food choices today, and the "hiking it" part was a bit odd, but other than that, I'm really glad I went out. Great weather and great ride.

btw- for those of you who haven't seen this...La Grange, Friday: https://standaman.smugmug.com/gallery...14620927_o9pSM

I started from the official start location around 8:15ish.... It was interesting as it was windy but I was feeling really good. I would either catch a group or just take off and form a group but my friend who I convinced to ride with me couldn't keepup so I'd have to wait for him at the rest stops or places in between rest stops. I thinkI could have trimmed an hour off my time easy today.

And yes the parkwas great!

I wanted to ride yesterday but they held my bike hostage. I talked to a couple guys that rode on Saturday and they said it was very wet but ridable.

All I can say is ... hills and headwinds DO NOT mix! It was quite a challenging ride today.

I got in line at 7:50 and ended up leaving the official start and hour later. I stopped at the second rest stop and then tackled the hills in the parks. I had a camera on my helmet and video recorded my entire ride through the parks. I plan to put the videos on youtube when I can get around to it. Maybe you are on it!!?!

Those downhills were a blast! The big one before the parks, I got up to 45.9 mph.

The wind was pretty brutal. I thought the headwind was worse that last year, but maybe my memory has just faded, or maybe because I had trouble connecting with good pacelines today. They just seemed to dissipate rather quickly. My late start might have had something to do with that.

Overall ended with a 15.7 mph average and crossed the finish line at 2:23. (4:45 rolling time and 5:32 total time.) Beside the park rest stop, I also stopped in Bastrop and the break point where they made us portage. (what was that?)

I couldn't believe the cycling crap I saw on the roads today. Numerous waterbottles, someone's bar end mirror, even a CO2 cartridge. I almost stopped to pick up that last one if it wasn't on an incline with riders behind me.

I liked the way we came down that big hill on MLK Blvd at the end of the ride. Kind of gave one a push to the finish. I stopped at the top of the hill to call my wife to say I was coming through. Amazingly, by the time I got rolling again, I was riding with no other cyclists in front or behind me as far as I could see. I felt like I either won the race or came in last place. The way people were cheering it felt like the former!

Overall, a good ride. Glad this 25th anniversary roller coaster ride (in more ways that one) is over.

I rode Saturday in Houston. I put in 40 miles, but then the rain got pretty heavy and the thunder started, so I put in 2 hours on a spin bike. It was kind of fun being the only guy on the road though

Post a the youtube link when you put that video up, should be cool!

I agree that there seemed like less pacelines. And when I did find one, it would inevitably pass me, I would jump on, and then it would slow down. But then again, I think there were just less people, period.

This was my first MS150 and my first ride over 50 miles. Sorry to not post over 15 mph averages, but i had a great ride. i did the challenge route and had to stop on that big hill out of town because of a down biker (member of KPMG, anyone heard if he is ok?). There was also a down biker on one of the hills in the park (not the sharp right turn one). Overall, i had a saddle time of 6:10 and 12.2 avg. the weather was fantastic, but exiting the park into the wind was a slap in the face.

I was at the official start and below are picures of in front and behind me. i also have one of the unicyclist on the road if anyone cares to see.

The MS 150 web site now says more than 11,000 riders made the Sunday ride, or 85% of those signed up. I also had problems with pacelines that didn't hold together, and my avg. speed was only 13.2 mph. Saw at least four riders down at various spots along the route, but just road rash, nothing serious. The wind after we left Bastrop was tough, and the route rather boring. Loved the parks and the crowds in Austin.

They made the right call for cancelling day 1. From a legal perspective, it wasn't worth the risk.

I went through the park and got stopped due to an accident as well. Never saw the rider and hope he/she is okay. The headwind wasn't that bad.. Maybe +/- 10 mph?

Some pics:













More can be seen in my photobucket account (MS150 folder).

Did anyone else get robbed? I had my truck broken into while at the finish line in Austin. My brother-n-law drove it up there to pick us up. He had it parked on 18th street and Guadalupe. While he was watching for us at the finish line, someone punched the lock and got my wallet, camera, Tom-Tom and my sister-n-law's purse.

Luckily, someone found the purse and wallet a few blocks away and called us. We walked over there and got them back. Everything was still in them except for the cash. They didn't touch the credit cards. We were so happy for that.

And to those folks who found our stuff and called, we owe a huge debt of thanks.

Unfortunately, they were robbed too. They found our stuff in the dumpster while looking for their stuff, which they never found.

hey! I see two teammates right there! Go CGGVeritas! (blue jerseys)

Thanks for the photos!

I was navigator/comms in a SAG van for the ride.

We came through La Grange Friday afternoon, and believe me, MS made the right choice in cancelling Saturday. We ferried team TacoDeli from Houston to where they were staying outside of Schulenberg on Saturday, and the rivers/creeks were very, very high (we had to divert at one point as a river was washing across the road). Considering that is the first cancellation of a full day in 25 years of the ride, they do not cancel lightly.

They may not have taken your cards, but there is a good chance they wrote down the #, expiration date, 3-digit code on the back, and can use it anytime. I would cancel your cards and get re-issued ones just to be safe.

You sound kind of like me, my little brother rode with me but he broke his leg on Jan 31st and we only got in about 2 weeks of riding before this! I would jump on a paceline and then look back a couple minutes later and he was gone so I would slow or stop and wait for him to catch back up. Maybe we should try to ride together and keep the fast pace and let them ride their slightly slower pace

I rode with Team BP so took their bus to the La Quinta where they all started, 3 miles and passed the fair grounds that still looked swamped. I think I started at 7:45. Took the park route and like others have said that downhill before it is fun, max on my bike computer shows 46.7mph so I was flying down that one, no wrecks when I went by.

The park is beautiful, glad I got to see that route and the climbs are fun to me, again my brother was not happy with them, kept having to wait at the top for him.

The winds were a little bad and the pacelines did not work well so I just would sit in front and pull while he rode behind me. I ride based on heart rate so I know he can keep up with my effort. Sometimes I would look back and have 4-5 people behind me, but I know if they started pulling it would ruin my pace.

Finished about 1:30 with stops at 1st in park, lunch and then where you had to walk across the grass Average speed of 15.9mph moving, not sure on the rest of my numbers.

Slight sunburn, should have re-applied sunscreen but the medical tent at the lunch stop did not have any sunscreen, the only logistics problem I saw.

Edit: Oh yea, my brother had one flat that we had to stop and change, probably about 50 miles into the ride, small sharp rock that I had to pull out of tire. Total miles on computer 78.9 just after the finish line.

My wife and I couldn't sleep the night before, so at 2 am we decided to start driving to La Grange. We arrived at the Knights of Columbus at 4 am and slept for a few hrs in our car until people started arriving in droves shortly after 6 am.

I was the guy wearing all-white w/baggy mesh shorts, tennis shoes, and full commuting setup (bike weighted about 55 lbs. with loaded trunk bag + panniers, full fenders, front + rear racks, 4 lights on the front, 2 on the front fork, and 2 in the rear). In the trunk bag and panniers I was carrying 2 u-locks, a spare chain, a full hex wrench set + other bike tools, spare change of clothes, suntan lotion, a box of granola bars, and 2 big bottles of fluids. Basically I was trying to simulate conditions on an unsupported tour where I would need to do all repairs on-the-fly myself if necessary. I didn't need stop at any rest stops - if I was hungry or thirsty I just stopped on the side of the road and ate my food and drink from my trunk bag. The only official stop I needed to make was for lunch in Bastrop (where I refilled on fluids and devoured sub sandwiches).

The time I saved by not waiting in lines at the rest stops kind of made up for my low average speed. I know it was completely unnecessary to ride with all that weight, but I just wanted to prove to myself and to some of my friends (some who scoffed at me for riding such a heavy setup for the MS 150) that yes, you can do this ride with a full commuter / touring setup and no fancy cycling shoes or special team kit or anything like that.

Anyways - I saw a few guys on mountain bikes with knobby tires tackling the Challenge route, which is 10x more hard-core than anything I did.

I left the starting point in La Grange around 8:30am and arrived at the finish line at 4:30 pm. I took the Challenge Route and rode the entire way (did not have to walk up any hills and didn't take any SAG rides). Wind was a definite killer, though, and so were the hills (I am not used to hills at all).

This was my first MS 150, and I got the privilege to meet several cool folks during the ride. A few people rode up to me and started chatting about bike touring and commuting and some guy asked me if my bike was made in France (?) Thumbs-down, though, to the jerk who rode by and lectured me on how I was pedaling too low of a gear (he was riding a light racing bike in a 6-person pace line at the time, while I was pedaling alone against the wind).

A few months ago I had installed 44-33-22 mountain bike cranks (I already had a 11-32 cassette), and believe me I used every last bit of those low gears hauling 55 lbs. up the hills on the Challenge route. The thing with having a heavy loaded bike is that everyone passes you on the uphill, but man oh man do you rocket down the downhills. The last downhill on MLK toward the finish line in Austin was also a blast.

I hope to do the MS 150 again sometime. Next time I plan to ride straight from my house to the starting point so at the end of the ride I can say that I rode directly from my house all the way to Austin.

Yeah, if you have the will, you can do it with just about anything.

A guy down the street from me did it on a full suspension WalMart mtb!

I saw a guy in the park on a hand cycle too

I also saw a guy in full Boy Scout gear. My taint was sore just looking at him, but he was having fun.

BTW: I used my camera to video the last couple of turns. The video is at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYQE6WkHFmo

watch the HD version. the end it totally worth it...

And if you are in Austin, I'd love to ride with you!

I signed up for the MS150 at Mt. Rushmore in September. god help me... 170 miles over 15000ft ascent.

Here's an update on the rider who was injured in the park:

Feedback - Accident in the Park
Some of you were held up by a spill near the end of the road through Bastrop Park. I spoke to Matt Kovich, Captain of the Newfield Team who was a short distance behind the rider and stopped to help.
Here is part of the note that Matt sent:
"The EMS told me at the accident that his helmet saved his life – plain and simple. This is a lesson for all of us. The key takeaways are:
- NEVER ride without a helmet
- Ensure your helmet is properly fitted to your head and make sure the strap is tight enough that the helmet does not come off or shift on your head
- If your helmet is older than 3 years old, replace it!! A couple hundred dollars could save your life if you have an unfortunate accident!! I am buying a new helmet this week.
- On down hills, be sure to control your speed at a pace you are comfortable with. With skinny road tires, a couple of pebbles could send you out of control at any rate of speed.
Thanks Matt for sharing the feedback from the EMS.
It turned out that the rider was on Matt's team. Early this week, Matt reported that the rider was in serious condition but the doctors were optimistic about their recovery.

My car was valet parked at the doubletree near the finish line saturday and sunday night (IOW: on the curb in front of the hotel), and when I went to drive home Monday the tank had been siphoned. No break-in, though. Still annoying to start off toward home, only to have to find a gas station immediately in an area you're not familiar with.

Teeleton

Wow, thanks for the update. That must have been a serious accident. I the rider recovers soon.

You don't need to spend a couple hundred dollars on a helmet. A $30 helmet that fits will protect you just as well as a $200 helmet. The key is to get it fit so that it actually fits.

I remember passing by the accident site. I saw a cyclist lying motionless on his back; his chest was a bit red (blood?), and he was tended by several other people. I just remember someone saying, "Yeah he's going to have to go to the hospital."

Good to hear that he's going to be ok.

Two riders collided and took a spill on one of the long hills coming into Austin right in front of me. One of my teammates said that the guy's helmet was broken due to the impact.

I guess the biggest confusion was that the ride marshal was trying to get the guy to stand up and get off the road (which I could see as a priority due to the situation). But, the guy hadn't really come out of his daze yet. I've always been told not to move due to risk of further neck damage if something is wrong, but with so many other riders coming down the hill, there was a lot of confusion going on.

Finally got my ride videos up on youtube. Be sure to select HQ for better quality. The park ones get kinda long (about 8 min each). Maybe I'll do a short edited version like I did last year.

Ride Start (was that a slow start or what?)

Bagpipe player

Huge downhill before the parks

Parks Video 1

Parks Video 2

Parks Video 3

Parks Video 4

Parks Video 5

Parks Video 6 <-- if you watched all 6 you deserve a medal

Finish Line Re-live the cheers!