txags92

As of 6pm Sunday evening, registration is still open for the BP MS150. If you want in or know somebody who does, get in now while you can! www.ms150,org

Teeleton

Amazing that it's still open.

Here's a better link...

https://www.nationalmssociety.org/cha...150/index.aspx

Griffin2020

I am from the Dallas area, and am thinking about riding.

Looking for a team, any suggestions?

CranesInTexas

The bike shops typically have big teams. Sun and Ski or Bike Barn are usually the biggest LBS teams.

aggarcia

How many here on BF are planning to ride the MS150 for 2010?

AG

Mash Master

Team St. David's is a free team that is great

H-Bear

I'm in and riding with the St. Arnold's team. Good times.

FLATOUTVIPER

Me and my Father just signed up for our first MS 150! I just separated from the military after 10 years of service and moved back to the Lake Conroe area. We are riding with the Lyondell/Bassell team. We both picked up new road bikes ( Cannodale Cad-9's ) as we both have been mountain biking for the last couple years and have been wanting to start road biking. We are hooked

Andy Wheeler

big_heineken

I'm riding with the Weatherford team. On the last MS150, they canceled support for us since the 1st day was canceled. Hopefully that won't be the case on the next one.

Engyo

Riding with my work team - Jacobs.

alanbentrup

This will be my first MS150, and I'm riding with Team Gardere.

Mash Master

Today I signed up for the MS150 at Mount Rushmore in August. Anyone else wanna go?

froggmann

Our team capt emailed us this evening saying there were about 2k spots still open. Anyone think this new registration system backfired, considering registration closed in 11 hours last year?

aggarcia

I had talked to one of the MS150 committee members at a local bike shop on Monday. The biggest drop is the existing teams that were given pre-registration for most of November. Only about 40% of the big teams that normally register signed up for 2010. They were thinking that was because of the economy, these teams did not have their normal financial support they had in years past. This economy has effected everybody and this is an indirect result. The MS organizers were hoping that new teams and individual riders would make up the shortfall in big teams. The Wednesday registration of 4K riders filled up in about 50 minutes. Since they had advertised a Saturday registration they had to have it. Now one wonders if closing registration on Wednesday was a wise move. I hope they fill up, this is a good event for a very good cause.

AG

Engyo

Our team had a significant drop in return signups because we have reduced staff by approx 30% since this time last year. Economy related, but not a lack of company financial support per se.

H-Bear

I think there are several reasons registration is slower this year. The two that stand out the most (IMO) are:

1) The economy - This is, afterall, a fundraising event and people are holding onto their wallets. Also keep in mind that training can get expensive and consume a lot of time. Finally, I think +/- 20% are first timers and are probably more hesitant to register than in years past due to these reasons.

2) Last year's first day cancellation - I honestly believe a lot think the MS society overreacted on cancelling Saturday's leg. I don't fault them because I originally thought the same. However, after speaking with Lone Star reps, I can say with a straight face that they made the right call. It would be one thing if there were a few standing puddles but the campsite was completely washed out. Hypothetically if something REALLY bad happened (ie a serious injury, drowning, etc), it would have been the last MS 150. They took in all factors and decided in today's litigious society, unfortunately, it wasn't worth it.

txags92

I think it is mostly economic in nature. Alot of the corporate teams used to pay the minimum donation for any employee who would ride for them...quite a few are not doing that this year. Faced with having to raise the minimum themselves in a bad economic year, many are just not signing up. I think some of it too is people who just decided it wasn't worth the hassle when they heard about the priority registration. Now that they are finding out space is available, they are slowly trickling back in. I bet it is full before christmas.

Griffin2020

I worked both the BP (Houston) and the Sams Club (DFW) last year. Both rides had one of the days cancelled. I think that they could have done day 2 in Fort Worth, but it was also right in the middle of the first pig sniffles scare, and the Tarrant County Health Department would not allow them to bring the ride into Tarrant County (it normally finishes in downtown Fort Worth at Sundance Square.

Day 1 from the Houston ride, I cam through the route on Friday (from Austin to Houston), and quite a bit of the route was under water. The weather was horrendous, and I honestly agree. They made the right choice form the perspective of rider safety. considering that it was the first time in 25 years that an entire day had been cancelled (on ANY of the MS rides), I would say that is a pretty good track record, and was obviously not done lightly.

However, I do think that the change to the registration method backfired. Considering that the Houston ride is the original, and therefore has quite a bit of cache, I believe that if they had simply done as they always have before, it would be full now.
This is unprecedented that registration stays open for over a week. It has not done this since the 80s.

aaronechang

I am curious why the MS Society did not refund half of the $100 registration fee when they cancelled Day 1 last year.

Everyone will say - "but the money went toward MS research". But if that is the case then why am I not able to deduct that $100 (or $50) from my taxes? The MS 150 clearly states that the $100 registration fee is used for ride-related expenses and is thus not tax deductible.

If the $100 was intended to be primarily used for ride-related expenses, then essentially they took money for a 2-day ride but only gave us half (1 day) of what we purchased.

Not trying to be a grinch, but this something that has been bugging me for a while. The least they could have done was credit $50 toward next year's registration fee.

big_heineken

That would have been cool to get a discount this year for the first day cancellation, but I'm sure there were still expenses that they couldn't get refunded for the first day. It's not like canceling the first day, at the last minute, canceled all the cost of it.

yeamac 

I don't know if the new registration has anything to do with it, and the factors others have listed sound reasonable to me. I have a conference scheduled the same weekend so am unable to ride. Even before I found out about the conference I had decided since I had ridden the last 3 years, and seeing how fast it filled up, I would take a break and let others ride.

I think 2010 will be the first year the MS150 sees a decrease in funds raised through the bike ride, because I am involved with several other charities, and ALL of them are hurting big time right now with poor funding. It makes sense ... people are hurting financially and they have to make cuts, and for most people what hurts them the least is their charitable giving. I'm no economist, but I don't see the situation improving anytime in the next few months. The past few years right about now was when I started my fundraising for the MS150 ... I can honestly say I am glad I am not having to ask people for money for the MS150 with the economy the way it is. I imagine that sentiment is keeping many others from registering.

Griffin2020

Exactly. They still had to spend the same funds that they would have had the ride been run.

aaronechang

I understand that there are expenses that could not have been recouped; however, that is just not plain good business or customer service to treat customers like that. That would be like my company telling a customer: "We already spent the money to manufacture your system. However, for whatever reason the product did not arrive to you as promised. But the money has already been spent, so sorry you're out of luck."

Everyone seems to give the MS Society a pass on this because they're a charitable organization, despite the fact that the registration fee is specifically allocated to non-research activities.

Oh well - what's done is done. There are other reasons why I'm not doing the ride anymore, but the issue with not refunding / crediting part of last year's registration fee is just something that irked me.

aggarcia

Aaron,

I think you lost the main point of the MS150 - to raise money to find a cure for MS. The entry fee goes to pay for the support of the event, so that monies raised go to finding a cure for MS. Like others have mentioned, there are fixed costs to put on the event that were paid before the 1st day was cancelled. There is no money to refund as it was spent already. If you have ever planned an event, even if the event gets cancelled at the last minute there are costs involved. Your example does not accurately depict that situation. Sorry you feel soured about the MS150.

Griffin2020

+1000

I was happy to see (at both rides I was involved with last year) that most of the people kept site of this fact. It is obvious that you will not be able to please 100% of the people 100% of the time. Even if the ride had gone off without any major issues, there would have been riders upset with something.