SAGit

The only way to make this work is to close the camp grounds Saturday night and meet back in LaGrange Sunday am.

Scott P

That would screw over thousands of people. There is nowhere for them to go. They either cancel day one and start in La Grange (2015 schedule) or take the risk.

SAGit

I think you are right on with the probable repeat of 2015 but many teams/riders had to provide their own transportation to the staring point.

The liability cost of keeping Tent City opened may be in the hundred millions $. On the contrary, the cost of busing riders from fairgrounds to a storm safe building and back may be less than 100k $.

memebag

A storm safe building for 10,000 people? In La Grange? Huh? We will triple the population of La Grange Saturday night.

SAGit

I am desperate to ride both days so bad that I am thinking outside the box. What about busing the riders back to Houston from 2-8 pm so we can sleep safe and sound on our own beds. We can wake up after the storm around 3 am and take the bus/drive back to LaGrange. If we cancelled day 1, wouldn't we have to bus/drive to LaGrange anyway?

the sci guy 

Far as I remember in 2015 there were no buses to La Grange from houston - you had to get there yourself.

Keeping fingers crossed.
Don't know if I'll do it if they cancel Day 1.

the sci guy 

Just posted to their facebook:

"The BP MS 150 continues as scheduled this weekend. We know everyone is looking at the weather forecast, and has questions about the plans for the ride. We are continuing to closely monitor the forecast and route conditions for the weekend. Safety is a top priority for all our participants, volunteers, staff and supporters and we want to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone! Each participant’s safety is his or her personal responsibility, and we encourage you to be prepared for different weather situations. Updates will be provided on this Facebook page, website and text message alerts should there be any changes to the plans. Text BP to 68686 to subscribe to receive text messages for this event. Message and Data rates may apply."

cautious optimism?!

Scott P

I took the time to take a bucket with some bike cleaning and maintenance supplies and a raincoat to the brewery this morning for our support crew to haul up to La Grange. That should seal the deal for a rain free weekend.

memebag

New update from MS 150:

2017 BP MS 150: La Grange Overnight Updates - National MS Society

Basically, if it gets nasty in La Grange they will provide a safe place to shelter. They are discouraging individual tent camping.

SAGit

Smart move by the NMSS. Although the bulk of the storm will be Northeast of LaGrange, the current model shows a couple of smaller bands moving over LaGrange between 10pm-2am. I am going to keep an eye on the radar.

the sci guy 

All packed and heading to the start around 5am.
If anyone checks this thread before going or while out there on day 1 I'll have a Phillips 66 jersey on with my big tall teal tacosaurus socks, and day 2 my Syracuse Orange jersey with tall plaid SU colored socks.
Stand out features: beard, bright yellow/blue Roubaix.
Say hi. Hope to see some of y'all out there.

memebag

I will look for you Sci Guy. I will be in a Summer Pils Saint Arnold jersey with matching socks day one, Icon Green SA jersey day two. Black rim glasses on a gray and red CAAD12. And a huge grin on my face.

the sci guy 

Day 1 was good until lunch then it was brutal from lunch to Fayetteville then it was good until the last 10-15.
My knee held up well. No pain. Hoping to survive the maelstrom tonight and get creamed by winds tomorrow.
Good luck y'all!

memebag

Day 1 - I pushed too hard and the sole of my shoe came loose. I ended up ruining my legs.

Day 2 - Brutal, relentless wind. Riding into Austin was fun, but the rest was not.

Scott P

Day two's headwinds were humbling and brutal. Sitting in a pace line, pushing hard and looking down at the Garmin to see 11-12 mph was just a kick in the teeth. It seemed everyone as going slow. Between the late start and the headwinds, I got into Austin three hours later than I wanted to and couldn't stick around to enjoy it.

the sci guy 

Yeah day 2 was brutal. Glad we first survived the storm at 3:30am and no one got hit by lightning, then thankfully the rain decided to beat it at start time, and then the sun came out! But that headwind omg.
I was able to start with the VIP peeps at the head of the line (even in front of BP! lol) so we got out right at 8am - still didn't make it to Austin until almost 4:30. I hung out at the Phillips tent for a little while getting some snacks and drink, then we took off because someone we were giving a ride home had a thing at 8:30. He was a little late....

Pace for day 2 was abyssmal. Couldn't find a good paceline - they were either way too fast, or way too slow.
Will hopefully upload my GPS stuff to strava tonight to see stats.

faulker479

It was tough on day two for sure(After Industry, day one wasn't a picnic either).


The only way I could find a group of riders was to get behind some slower ones and then as a faster group passed, I latch on to the back. If that wasn't working, I would hide behind a slow rider or two, recover, take off and repeat with the next rider I came up on. I don't normally like to be a wheel sucker, but I was glad to make an exception this weekend.


I was able to finish at 3:10 and was glad to be done with it. I don't want to look at my bike for at least a week or two.

the sci guy 

I pretty much did the same. Found some strength when I hit the fresh blacktop because it rolls just so smoothly it was a boost.

Bike For Mike in Fulshear is this saturday so I'll be out there rollin again!

dstrong 

I wore my 2014 jersey this weekend in honor of you guys slugging it out with the elements. The last 3 years have been rough weather-wise and I've been happy to contribute my $$$ and live vicariously through your stories on BF, happy I'm not on the road with you. If it didn't kill you, it made you stronger. Chapeau.

Scott P

I first rode the MS150 in 2015, so this was my first full, two day ride. We had a small team of four riders. I left out of Waller an hour later than I wanted. I managed to grab the back of a good group of some Team BEMA riders and a couple others. We flew past the first stop and had a solid pace until about three miles to the lunch spot when one rider lost a tail light from the bumpy road. It was good timing as I was barely able to hang on to the 18-19 mph pace in that crosswind. I left the lunch spot and rode with various groups for the rest of the ride. The cross winds were tough and even the large trucks coming the opposite direction were almost blowing me over. I got into La Grange around 2:30. That final stretch was a bit rough and I kept telling myself I would never survive a whole day of headwinds. We spent our night in a house in Round Top, so we were protected from the storms.

Day Two was just ugly. We got to La Grange and I realized I left my heart rate monitor straps in my bag back at the house. My shoes were full of mud the moment I stepped out of the truck. I did not actually check Sunday's weather when packing, so I only had some arm warmers that I happened to throw in. No base layer and it was cold. I'm a Yankee and I think my blood has officially thinned out. My feet were wet from waiting in line and from the rain. I was shivering while trying to text the wife updates. The first 10 miles were cold and I took it easy since I wanted to get warmed up and stretch at the fist stop. I kept telling myself that this wasn't fun and I could always SAG. But I saw others that were older than me, heavier than me and were wearing sneakers riding platform pedals without even toe clips. If they could do it, so could I. Once I topped that big mountain just before Bastrop's lunch break, I knew I could finish.

It was just such slow going. I ran with a few pacelines, but even then, they were either too slow or a hair too fast. I didn't feel overly sore or exhausted, but just frustrated. I was lucky to get 12 mph in a pace line when that same effort got me 18 mph on the previous day. I just pulled off at the turn for the last breakpoint, popped some chews and found a sample BCAA packet that had caffeine in it. That was a boost (at least in my mind). I cruised those last eleven miles, even those ugly hills getting into Austin.

I pulled in about 4:30 and we hung around a bit before heading home. We arrived at 9:00 pm to two hyper three year old twins. It was just a long, exhausting and frustrating day.

I do have to admit that I am not very sore today. I can tackle stairs well and even get out of a chair without much of a grunt or groan.

the sci guy 

Day 1 was my first [just about] century - so I was really happy about that.
Total weekend miles 165.4 (starting from ConocoPhillips old campus on Dairy Ashford/Eldridge.

I only walked up 1 hill, and that was Day 2 - that Tahitianville, or whatever it was called just before lunch (probably what Scott was referring to above). I was winded, and didn't want to press my knee. But I grinded everything else out. Really really really happy my knee hung in there - little to no pain at all - and I didn't stand and mash once the whole weekend, it was all spinning which probably made a few hills a little harder for me.

Looks like we shared the same pace line experience on Day 2, lol

I didn't pack any layers or warmers either because I've ridden in sub-60s in just a kit before so I figured it'd be OK. WROONNNGGG. With the rain and cold wet wind it was miserable I was so cold. THANKFULLY the Bike Barn tent was right next to ours and they were selling stuff! So now I own another cycling jacket hahahahah I don't think I would have survived hypothermia without it.

Here's some pics

Day 1





Day 2
The guys I rode with are part of the special 300 Club VIP section, so I got to go to the very front of the start line on day 2, which put us in front of even Team BP. This was the best pic I could get

My buddy took this of me at the start line - they were doing the park route, i was doing express.






Already looking forward to next year.

memebag

Re pace lines on day 2:

I ran into a group of my team mates at lunch. They were folks who showed up at a lot of training rides, so we work well together. The next rest stop we found even more of the Saint Arnold training ride regulars, and we ended up with 20 or 30 good riders to finish the ride. They were great.

I left La Grange around 8:30, finished around 3:15. I had planned to take the challenge route, but at the last minute I did the express. My legs were just wrecked from day 1.

Tanstaafl

Congratulations to all of you for completing a tough MS150! The wind, the rain, the wind, the cold, the wind, the hills, the wind, all made for a very challenging ride. Lots of bumps and bruises, and the SAG vans were especially busy.

I ride some of the organized rides around Houston, but my involvement with the MS150 has always been on the volunteer side. Thanks for coming out and riding!

the sci guy 

Thank YOU for being a volunteer. The event couldn't happen without you. The scale of it is incredible and only made possible by volunteers.

Bananas are vile.

memebag

Yeah, the volunteers are amazing. I'm really curious about what that experience is like. There are a bunch of people who show up early in a field someplace to make sports drink, direct traffic, haul trash, etc. and they don't even get the fun of bike riding. How are they recruited? What motivates them? I'd like to see a documentary about that.