MS 150 Experience
Obviously, I couldn't spend all this time talking about the MS 150 and then not give out the scoop on how it went. This post could get long. I would have written this earlier, but I had a busy day of sleeping in and doing absolutely nothing.
First of all, the ride was excellent. It was the absolute best cycling experience that Wayne and I have had, which was most notably due to the great organization, gorgeous scenery, and the fun time that everyone had in LaGrange and Austin. There were reported to be 12,800 riders there, and probably at least 3,000 volunteers. They had thought of everything - plenty of porta cans (I can't stress how big a deal this is), oranges, bananas, and even brownies at one rest stop. People came from out of everywhere in the small towns, too. There was one truck that set up along the route both days with concert-quality broadcast speakers blasting rock music and a guy in his seventies dancing along. In both LaGrange, Austin, and a lot of small towns along the way, people would line the streets to cheer for us. It was very encouraging.
When we arrived, we saw that what everyone told us had been true. The fairgrounds and the entire experience was gigantic, but it was still very well organized. We expected to wait in line for things like showers and food, but it wasn't really too bad. We got a chance to walk around and talk with people we knew, mostly co-workers who also had done the ride. We found that our sponsor was a lot more generous than most others with beer and food, and it made us a popular team. Team Saint Arnold, like most others, had masseurs waiting in the tents on both days, and we were happy to see them.
The riding itself was also nice. There were enough hills to make it a challenge, but not enough that it was demoralizing. We took our time on Saturday and ended up at LaGrange around 3:00; not a bad time, especially for a first year. We felt great too, other than a little bit of dehydration that I experienced about three miles from the finish in LaGrange. Some others filtered into the tent until 5 or 6ish, but a lot of factors could have contributed to someone's delay. Sunday we did very well, arriving in Austin by 12:45.
We saw all kinds of people along the way. One guy, sponsored by Al's Formal Wear, did the entire ride in a full tux, including matching black cycling shoes and a top hat over his helmet. Several others had rubber ducks glued to the tops of their helmets, but I'm not sure of the significance. There were some real "winners" on safety, like the guy who drafted two feet behind a huge dump truck to catch his wind resistance, but most people were pretty conscious.
Here's the disclaimer: of the different route variations, we took what some would consider to be the newbie route on both days. The first day, we started from Rhodes Stadium in Katy, and on Sunday we skipped the traditional park route. The park route goes through Bastrop State Park and consists of a ton of very steep hills and we felt fully validated in skipping it our first year. It's a good thing, too, because it was a flat tire marathon going through there. Some idiot had sprinkled tacks throughout the park sometime before the ride and it caused most people to have at least one flat. One of our teammates had three. It was obviously a deliberate act, and I can't figure out why someone would be so evil. People could have gotten seriously hurt, and I wouldn't be surprised if somebody did. That was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect weekend.
Another thing that was pretty inspiring is the number of people who have MS that volunteered for the ride. One lady, who filled out my certificate of completion, was very nice. Compared to the two days that we endure on the ride, living with MS is a constant struggle. Although I didn't sign up to be a Pedal Partner, I received a bandana with the email address of an MS survivor. I will write to her soon and send some pictures of my ride. Next year, my goal will be to do a lot more for the Society and try to be one of the top 300 fundraisers.
My only attempt at FAQs would be those I got from my parents:
Were we tired? Heck yes, but we had a lot of energy built around being there and all of the festivities. Almost as soon as we got on the bus back to Houston, we were out cold.
Does my butt hurt? Absolutely. Not as much as yesterday, though.
Will I do it again? I sure do hope so.
Believe it or not, that's the condensed highlight version. I may post more as I think of other things that happened. If you also did the ride, I'd love to see comments about how it went for you. (Jason, we couldn't find you in Austin at the SA tent!)
First of all, the ride was excellent. It was the absolute best cycling experience that Wayne and I have had, which was most notably due to the great organization, gorgeous scenery, and the fun time that everyone had in LaGrange and Austin. There were reported to be 12,800 riders there, and probably at least 3,000 volunteers. They had thought of everything - plenty of porta cans (I can't stress how big a deal this is), oranges, bananas, and even brownies at one rest stop. People came from out of everywhere in the small towns, too. There was one truck that set up along the route both days with concert-quality broadcast speakers blasting rock music and a guy in his seventies dancing along. In both LaGrange, Austin, and a lot of small towns along the way, people would line the streets to cheer for us. It was very encouraging.
When we arrived, we saw that what everyone told us had been true. The fairgrounds and the entire experience was gigantic, but it was still very well organized. We expected to wait in line for things like showers and food, but it wasn't really too bad. We got a chance to walk around and talk with people we knew, mostly co-workers who also had done the ride. We found that our sponsor was a lot more generous than most others with beer and food, and it made us a popular team. Team Saint Arnold, like most others, had masseurs waiting in the tents on both days, and we were happy to see them.
The riding itself was also nice. There were enough hills to make it a challenge, but not enough that it was demoralizing. We took our time on Saturday and ended up at LaGrange around 3:00; not a bad time, especially for a first year. We felt great too, other than a little bit of dehydration that I experienced about three miles from the finish in LaGrange. Some others filtered into the tent until 5 or 6ish, but a lot of factors could have contributed to someone's delay. Sunday we did very well, arriving in Austin by 12:45.
We saw all kinds of people along the way. One guy, sponsored by Al's Formal Wear, did the entire ride in a full tux, including matching black cycling shoes and a top hat over his helmet. Several others had rubber ducks glued to the tops of their helmets, but I'm not sure of the significance. There were some real "winners" on safety, like the guy who drafted two feet behind a huge dump truck to catch his wind resistance, but most people were pretty conscious.
Here's the disclaimer: of the different route variations, we took what some would consider to be the newbie route on both days. The first day, we started from Rhodes Stadium in Katy, and on Sunday we skipped the traditional park route. The park route goes through Bastrop State Park and consists of a ton of very steep hills and we felt fully validated in skipping it our first year. It's a good thing, too, because it was a flat tire marathon going through there. Some idiot had sprinkled tacks throughout the park sometime before the ride and it caused most people to have at least one flat. One of our teammates had three. It was obviously a deliberate act, and I can't figure out why someone would be so evil. People could have gotten seriously hurt, and I wouldn't be surprised if somebody did. That was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect weekend.
Another thing that was pretty inspiring is the number of people who have MS that volunteered for the ride. One lady, who filled out my certificate of completion, was very nice. Compared to the two days that we endure on the ride, living with MS is a constant struggle. Although I didn't sign up to be a Pedal Partner, I received a bandana with the email address of an MS survivor. I will write to her soon and send some pictures of my ride. Next year, my goal will be to do a lot more for the Society and try to be one of the top 300 fundraisers.
My only attempt at FAQs would be those I got from my parents:
Were we tired? Heck yes, but we had a lot of energy built around being there and all of the festivities. Almost as soon as we got on the bus back to Houston, we were out cold.
Does my butt hurt? Absolutely. Not as much as yesterday, though.
Will I do it again? I sure do hope so.
Believe it or not, that's the condensed highlight version. I may post more as I think of other things that happened. If you also did the ride, I'd love to see comments about how it went for you. (Jason, we couldn't find you in Austin at the SA tent!)
posted by CyndyMW at
8:10 PM
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