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Originally Posted by Scott P
(Post 17734814)
We were all hungry and ended up getting some of my burned calories back at a Whataburger along the way.
So as I had planned, my buddy and I left the hotel in Schulenburg on our bikes and rode the 15 miles into La Grange. My wife and daughter drove into town with their bikes and parked at the public library as we had planned. As it turns out, we could have parked MUCH closer to the start. Anyway, the ride north was really nice. Right before La Grange, the highway drops down into the river basin on some very steep switchbacks. I certainly would not have expected that if I had not driven into town the night before. (note to self... this section needs to be ridden again!) We had a great ride. My wife and daughter did great. We took our time and churned it out. The temperature and headwinds really picked up for the last 15 miles or so. But still they ground it out, only stopping at the designated breakpoints along the way. We crossed the line around 4 I guess. Took a ton of pictures in front of the capital and dropped off the bikes. The bus ride to La Grange wasn't too bad, probably an hour or so. Thankfully the bikes arrived the same time we did. All things considered, the MS150 folks did a heck of a job salvaging the mess that mother nature threw at them. I was pretty disappointed that the challenge route was cancelled, but being able to ride across the finish line with my family and friends knowing that we've made a difference in the fight against MS made up for it. http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=446221 |
Congrats and thanks to all who persevered!
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Good job everyone. I've never done it but always am proud of the people that do. Way to go!
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I think I need to get a carbon bike before I try lifting it over my head for a picture lol
Sucks riding alone - didn't have anyone to hang out with, cross the line with (aside from all the awesome folks in Austin who really make you feel special), or take pics with at the end. I basically put my bike on the truck, and got on the bus. Also, i walked around briefly, but all I could find were the private company tents. Where the hell is the food and drink and all that stuff for the regular folks at the finish? |
1st and 2nd year on a bianchi pista concept fixed gear.
3rd year on a bianchi c2c geared bike (easy) let's make the 4th ms150 more difficult on a single speed mountain bike =p http://i62.tinypic.com/29v0wfc.jpg http://i58.tinypic.com/x0nq8n.jpg |
Originally Posted by yongxingfreesty
(Post 17736233)
let's make the 4th ms150 more difficult on a single speed mountain bike =p congrats on finishing alive! :) |
Originally Posted by txags92
(Post 17735372)
My wife and I had a good ride. My sister drove us up and we unloaded in the HEB parking lot. I got to start at the front as a rider with MS (with my wife), so was thankful I didn't have to wait too long to get started. I was happy to see how many people made it up to LaGrange to start, despite the logistical challenges. I really commend the MS Society folks for setting up the bus service back to LaGrange as well as Houston, as I think that made a big difference in how many people were able to ride on Sunday.
As for the ride, I was happy with how little headwind we had to deal with. When I heard the forecast for SW winds, I was expecting headwind most of the day, but I really didn't notice it much until we were passing Webberville close to Austin. The tailwind heading out of Bastrop was a lot of fun. We ended up skipping BP1, Lunch, and BP4 and only stopped at BP2 and the last BP. That worked well, giving us three legs of about 22-24 miles. We crossed the finish line just after 1pm. On the last few large hills coming into Austin a few miles after the last BP, I had a lady crash at about 30 mph right in front of me. She was moving left to go around a group of people and bullseyed a cone that was shifted to the right from where it should have been. She went down really hard and had lots of road rash, but didn't seem like she had anything broken. I managed to dodge her and then pulled over and helped get her bike and gear out of the road. It was just another reminder (as if I needed it) that it is not a race, and as much as I may want to carry speed on those downhills to make life easier on the next uphill, it isn't worth risking your safety to do it. Thanks to everybody who rode and raised funds for us! Remember that you can keep raising money until July, and you now have the perfect tool in the form of all those cool pictures you are posting on social media. Include a link to your donation page and keep asking for donations. The downside of the day for me was riding through 2 hailstorms on the way home. One was when we were still west of LaGrange and had nowhere to stop that was covered. We had to keep driving because the movement of the car was shielding the bikes on the back from hailstone impacts. The second unfortunately hit us about a mile from the house, and the only shelter we could get was under a tree hanging over the street. It was a sickening feeling to sit in the car with dime and quarter sized hail falling and my new bike on a rack behind the car. The stones were coming down so hard it would have been dangerous to try to get out and get the bikes off the back. So we had to just sit there and hope that the tree was preventing them from hitting the bikes. We couldn't see damage to the frames in the house, but the lighting wasn't the best. I plan to take the bikes out in the sun this afternoon and give the frames a careful inspection to make sure there is no damage. My truck has a few dents in the hood, and my sister's car has dents all over the roof. It was sitting right behind us under the tree, so hopefully that isn't a sign of what to expect with the bikes. I don't know if this is creepy to say because I've never met you in person and just have seen pictures you've posted on this site, but I think you and your wife were on the live TV coverage on Channel 13. They had a reporter on the side of Manor Road a about a mile or so before you get to I-35, and just as they went to here at the end of the show (just before 1:00), you and your wife rode by. You both were wearing maroon A&M jerseys, you riding in front of her. Yeah, I know, creepy, but you both just looked familiar from the pictures shared on here. I have the show saved on my DVR so I'll see if I can take a picture of it and post it on here. |
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http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=446300
This is a pic my buddy just sent me of the start in La Grange. It was right after the first groups started off. |
That was my wife in the aggie jersey, but I was wearing an orange and grey "I have ms" jersey and went by just ahead of her. The other guy in the aggie jersey was just another aggie we ended up next to on the road into the finish. We actually were on that live coverage twice. Once right as we rode by the reporter before the finish that you saw; the other was while they were interviewing Earl Campbell's son, they showed us turning the corner to come down to the finish for just a sec before they cut back to the interview. I was also in the little segment they did on Because We Can. They didn't use any of my interview footage, but when they showed the group of us riding around, I was visible in several of those shots.
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This was my first MS 150, and I found the ride to be a lot of fun, even without the first day and the closing of the challenge route. It was very moving to ride past folks with MS thanking us for riding on their behalf and to ride the final straightaway with the crowd cheering everyone on. I also couldn't help but smile even more than I already was at the end when I saw the person holding the sign saying "Smile, if you're not wearing any underwear."
One thing I found surprising about the ride was how there were constantly other riders around me every single minute of the ride. I generally ride solo and, even in the Ready2Roll training series here in Houston, I always managed to find myself riding solo for long stretches. It made for a much more social ride but also was mentally tiring having to maintain constant vigilance. I also was surprised just how hilly the last 10 miles or so were into Austin. Looking at the elevation graph on my computer after the ride, it made me think how much easier it would be if the ride started in Austin and finished in Houston! Anyway, I loved the ride and am honored to have been a part of such a great cause! P.S. My post-ride guilty pleasure was Hruska's on 71 rather than Whataburger. I'm physically incapable of driving by that place without stopping for a kolache. |
Originally Posted by the sci guy
(Post 17736054)
Where the hell is the food and drink and all that stuff for the regular folks at the finish?
Also, Karbach gave out free beer, no matter if you were on their team. Are you listening Saint Arnold???? Hahaha. |
Originally Posted by EthanHawley
(Post 17737235)
P.S. My post-ride guilty pleasure was Hruska's on 71 rather than Whataburger. I'm physically incapable of driving by that place without stopping for a kolache.
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Originally Posted by the sci guy
(Post 17736054)
I think I need to get a carbon bike before I try lifting it over my head for a picture lol
Originally Posted by the sci guy
(Post 17736054)
Sucks riding alone - didn't have anyone to hang out with, cross the line with (aside from all the awesome folks in Austin who really make you feel special), or take pics with at the end. I basically put my bike on the truck, and got on the bus.
Originally Posted by the sci guy
(Post 17736054)
Also, i walked around briefly, but all I could find were the private company tents. Where the hell is the food and drink and all that stuff for the regular folks at the finish?
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Originally Posted by tronnyjenkins
(Post 17737846)
We thought the same thing for a bit... the tent was on the west? side of the finish line, or to your right as you were crossing it.
Also, Karbach gave out free beer, no matter if you were on their team. Are you listening Saint Arnold???? Hahaha. |
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Here I am crossing the finish line. I rode by myself (with a few thousand other people). I skipped the mass start in La Grange after sitting in it for about 2 hours in 2009. Both of my legs were cramping for about the last 20 miles, but I managed to keep going and I didn't walk up any hills. About a mile from the finish line, some guys were handing out beers. The ice cold Lone Star was the best beer I ever had and it gave me the oomph that I needed to finish strong!
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=446414 |
Great photo!
My legs were hurtin pretty good the last 20 miles or so as well, but i also plowed up those hills - slow as it may have been - but didn't walk any of them, which was a good accomplishment. Anyone else think its absurd that marathon photo wants $25 for a digital copy of your pics? |
Originally Posted by big_heineken
(Post 17738137)
Here I am crossing the finish line. I rode by myself (with a few thousand other people). I skipped the mass start in La Grange after sitting in it for about 2 hours in 2009. Both of my legs were cramping for about the last 20 miles, but I managed to keep going and I didn't walk up any hills. About a mile from the finish line, some guys were handing out beers. The ice cold Lone Star was the best beer I ever had and it gave me the oomph that I needed to finish strong!
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=446414 Those same guys handed the rider in front of me a Bud Light, and he proceeded to splash it all over himself and all of us behind him. |
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Here are a few of the wife and I at the finish line, and a really good one from Randy Ramos of the two of us from the New Ulm Ready to Roll series. If you rode in the R2R series, Randy has lots and lots of photos on his website http://RandyRamos.smugmug.com He took some great shots of us this year! The bandanna I am holding in one of the shots below is now up to 36 signatures/message from people living with MS. I sent it around the country back in 2008 to get signatures from a bunch of folks with MS that I had met online. Since then, I just keep adding to it every time I am around people who have MS.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=446485http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=446486http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=446487 |
Awesome, dude!
Love the bandanna. Mega. How'd the Emonda roll? (and did it get any hail damage?) |
Here are some of my pics
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7706/...8ab4eb_c_d.jpg https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8704/...9bbb43_b_d.jpg https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7645/...d70a0e_b_d.jpg https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7674/...6a473f_b_d.jpg https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7638/...705ca0_b_d.jpg This was one of the times we got stopped - there was a downed rider right in front of where I was waiting. They brought in the ambulance and took him out strapped and braced to the stretcher. His bike looked decent though so I think maybe he clipped or got clipped by another rider. Hope he was OK. We stood there for about 30 minutes. https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7726/...d60c22_b_d.jpg Sherman at the lunch stop https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8782/...eea992_b_d.jpg https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8695/...86e8cf_b_d.jpg https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7624/...877a01_b_d.jpg |
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Awesome, everyone! Looking forward to my first MS150 next year.
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I had a good weekend. Wound up doing 76 miles in laps at Spring Creek Greenway on Saturday early, then drove to Austin, hung out with the family, got up at 4 and drove to my bike clubs alternate start which was at a facility about 3 miles outside lagarange on the route. Route Sunday wound up being 64 miles for me. Rolled out at 7:40, was on pace to finish around 11:30, proceeded to flat 2 miles from the finish line. Swore a lot, fixed the flat, and finished about 11:50. Biggest pair of rides I've ever done, felt great, but legs were really crampy the rest of the evening. Went to Odd Duck in ATX for dinner, than a few other places for beers with family. Drove home Monday after some breakfast tacos. Will do again next year!
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Originally Posted by mtb_addict
(Post 17942869)
Is the MS very difficult with a comfort bike, like the Giant Cypress or Trek Verve?
I had neck and wrist injuries, and trying to ride a racing road bike is reaggrevating these injuries. Is riding a comfort bike 150 miles totally out of the question, so I don't waste time and money training with one? I'm totally new to road racing/long distance riding. But I commute on my comfort bike every day 15 miles (very flat terrain in SE Texas), and it feels like a piece of cake when not against strong head wind. I'm sure it's doable. I did the ride to San Antonio on an old junky K-Mart mountain bike and my friend was on a BMX. Only you can answer to the physical hindrances and comfort level. I'd recommend starting to make your commute longer a couple days a week and see how it goes. Would putting flat handlebars make your road bike better for your wrists? |
Well it is definitely possible for you though. People do it every year on a wide assortment of bicycles. Your's obviously wouldn't be the fastest but absolutely your comfort trumps the speed to a point. I say to try some of the training rides leading up to it and see how it goes. The worst that can happen is that you enjoy some smaller rides ,
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It is definitely possible on a comfort bike, but probably not the most comfortable or fastest way to do it. I would suggest working with a fit professional to figure out a fit that can be comfortable to you without stressing your old injuries. You may be able to get a relaxed geometry road bike like a Specialized Roubaix or a Trek Domane that would allow you to be in a more aerodynamic position without aggravating your injuries. Or you may find that your current comfort bike is perfect for what you need. Either way, I have seen people do the MS150 on mountain bikes, on unicycles, on single speed road bikes, etc. I have also seen a guy riding a full suspension mountain bike hang with the 18-20 mph group on the NWCC Saturday morning ride for 24 miles. That group probably averaged 22mph for the stretch and he managed to hang with them.
So it really isn't about the bike. I would 2nd the recommendation to just start stretching out some of your rides and see how far you can comfortably go. I always tell people that if you can get the fitness capability to ride 20-30 miles, you can do the MS150. Beyond that first 20-30 miles, you aren't really dealing with anything new from a fitness standpoint...rather you are just getting your back, butt, neck, and hands used to being on the bike that long. If you think of it as riding 10 miles 8-9 times instead of riding 80-90 miles, it gets easier. Just don't plan to stay at the rest stops too long as that will kill your overall average speed and make the ride take a lot longer. |
As far as Avg speed, the ride usually starts around 7-8am depending on which start venue you begin from, and I think they close the course and start bringing you via a van at around 5:30 or 6pm. So you conceivably have 10-11ish hours to get it done on the first day. The 2nd day starts around 7am and the last rider usually comes through around 3:30 or 4pm. So you have another 8-9 hours on day 2 to make it 68 miles or so.
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Support and Gear. It is a generic term used for vehicles (usually big white vans on the MS150) that follow along with a ride and provide assistance or give you a ride to the next break point for mechanical assistance if needed.
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Got a save the date in the mail today for a friend's wedding. It's the same day as the MS150. Reason #5432895 I hate weddings. Really pissed and disappointed.
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Originally Posted by the sci guy
(Post 18164725)
Got a save the date in the mail today for a friend's wedding. It's the same day as the MS150. Reason #5432895 I hate weddings. Really pissed and disappointed.
Just to give everyone a sense of scale for how big the BPMS150 is, I'm doing the Louisiana/Mississippi MS150 in October and they have less than 1000 riders registered. Shameless plug: Please Donate! |
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