I finished the ride!  I again want to say again to all of you for supporting my ride.  Your donation is for a good cause.  Finally, your cancelled check to the National MS Society will serve as your tax receipt.  Please send me an email if you have any questions.

Below is my story if you wish to read more.
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Prologue

Should I do it or not?  This was a question that had to be answered.....and soon.  This question had been lurking in the back of my mind since I'd already seen some gnarly bike crashes before and I've heard all the nasty stories about them.  So I was basically reluctant to do so, but I was obviously curious about it and so I had mixed feeling altogether.  I jumped on the internet for some perspective and discovered the pros and cons.  I figured, if I did happen to be involved in a pile-up, then I'd be sorry.  In the end, I did it.  In the tradition of cycling, I decided to shave my legs!

Day One - 100 miles

My alarm sounded off at 4:30 and I jumped out of bed, quickly dressed, and threw my gear into my Jeep and hit the road. The MS150 ride started at 7am.  And with 10,000 riders participating, my goal was to avoid as much traffic as possible.  Thankfully, the team I rode with (Sun & Ski Sport) started in the number two position.  bp, the corporate sponsor, started off the race.  It should be noted that my ride started at Tully Stadium (Dairy Ashford/I-10) as opposed to Rhodes Stadium (located in Katy) and so an extra 15 miles were immediately tacked on.

From my POV, this day's ride was no different from any other I did in the preceding weeks other than the fact that it was longer by about 40 miles.  After the start and once the crowd thinned out, I got into my groove (after pulling over for a quick relief stop) and stayed within my own and kept a moderate speed with a high cadence.  The sun was above the clouds, but while en route a large, dark menacing cloud seemed to head my direction, but thankfully it amounted to nothing and the cloud cover remained most of the day.

I admit, my goal was to get to LaGrange as soon as possible without exerting too much energy early on.  In order to do this, I avoided the official rest-stops as much as possible.  When I did pull in for a snack or to refill my CamelBack with water, it was a long wait as there were a few hundred people at each stop.  At my first stop, I misplaced my cyclometer.  I removed it from my bike so that no one would steal it.  I got off my bike, stretched my legs, and loaded up on liquids and oranges.  On my way back to my bike, I noticed my cyclometer was neither in my hand nor in my jersey.  ****!  So I went back to the food table and asked the volunteers if they'd seen it (they had not), and I looked in the nearby trashcans.  No luck.  Now I was disappointed but I put it behind me.  On my way back to my bike, I SAW IT ON THE GROUND.  Whew!  So back on the road.

After a few more rest stops (to stretch and liquid-load) and even more roadside relief stops, I arrived in Bellville for lunch.  With my goal in mind, I quickly ate and hit the road again.  The ride became more scenic but my body began to get restless, namely my back, neck and rear end.  The sun broke the through the clouds and I began to sweat profusely.  To wipe away the sweat I used my "pedal partner" bandana.  My partner is someone named Kathryn who has MS.  The point of the program is to get to know this person and let them know that I was able to do what they could not because of the disease.

There were lots of spectators in LaGrange, and the campsite was not far the from city limits' edge.  The crowds lined the road for 1/2 a mile.  After I arrived at 2:40, I checked in my bike, went to the Sun & Ski team tent, got my clothes, took a cool shower (this was awesome), ate lunch, and waited for a massage.  I was obviously tired and tried to get a nap in but, with the sun up, it was difficult to do.  Eventually, I pulled The Sun Also Rises from my bag and began to read randomly (it's one of my favorite books).  I woke up an hour later feeling much better.  

By this time, it's around 7 o'clock and the sun is still up, so I wandered the campgrounds, ate some more, and visited friends on other teams.  Once the DJ closed shop and the staff began to make room for people to sleep, I setup camp in a quiet corner of the tent, stretched as much as possible and went to sleep.

My times on this day:  3'18" from Houston to Bellville, 23" for lunch, 3'52" from Bellville to LaGrange.  Total time = 7'34"

Day Two - 80 miles

No alarm was necessary on this day because the portable generators all seemed to fire up around the same time - 4:30.  It was hard to get out of bed but I eventually did.  I had to load my gear, fill my CamelBack, stretch, and wait in line for the start.  By 6:30 I was at the back of the pack and I did not like this.  From this vantage, I would not leave Bellville until after 8 o'clock.  I followed a misfit gang that tried to go another route to exit the campgrounds, but while doing so a "pppsssttt" sound came from my rear tire. That sounds means only one thing - a flat tire.  ****!  I went to the repair tent and found that the tire was sliced...either the tire was damaged or I walked over some glass.  The repair line was short and $29 was the damage for a new tube and tire.  On the bright side, I was closer to the start and got out on the road much earlier than I anticipated.

Overall, my body wasn't too tired and my legs felt okay.  The night before I stretched frequently, took gobs of Advil, and rested as much as possible.  I feared day two the most because word was out that the route had lots of hills and 80 miles is no easy task.  I deliberately started off slow just to get the blood flowing and to loosen up the muscles.  10 miles had past and I was fine.  I had to decide by mile 25 whether to go the hilly route (Bastrop State Park) or bypass it entirely.  

I talked to a few riders about it and chose to do the hills.  At mile 25 was the entrance to the park and a rest area.  I loaded up on liquids and decided to get a quick massage at the medical tent.  A rider told me he did this the day before and felt much better afterwards.  And so I was on the park course and the hills were short and steep.  The reward for climbing these hill was a well-deserved coast on the other side.  Then another hill.  And another...et cetera.  This was the case for about 10 miles.  The last hill was the most difficult.  The burn in my thighs and rear was more evident but I kept going.  My goal for this segment was to not stop.  Many others did but I went to my lowest gear and grinded it out.  After the last hill was the home stretch.  Lunch was minutes away at Bastrop H.S.

I was psychologically confident at this point since I only had 40 miles left and the hard part was behind me.  Upon immediate (and post-race reflection, I determined that the ride through the state park was the best part of the ride.  It had everything - shade, cooler air, no wind, hills, and a thinner road in which to maneuver.  It required me to focus, relax, and strategize on how to approach each hill.  Although I consider myself a beginner biker, I think I graduated to the intermediate level after than experience.

I still felt okay after the hills since I stretched quite well during lunch.  But I was back on the road because Austin was not going to get any closer with me staying in LaGrange.  I stopped at one rest area and pulled over another time.  Soon afterward, the "Austin 24" was in sight.  Only 24 more miles!  I was at my own pace when a rather large peloton passed by.  I decided to get on-board and kept with it for about 8 miles.  They were pedaling faster than I could keep up and I admit it took a lot out of me.  I knew the finish was near but my legs began to falter.

The final 5 miles was made up of more hills but it was the final stretch.  Many bikers were in their lowest gear including myself.  The path narrowed to about 8' since we were in the city and this made for dangerous conditions on the hills.  There is always a reckless biker who is interested in speed only and, unfortunately there was one such person near me who would pass me on the downhill at high speed, but I would pass him on the uphill.  Because of him, I nearly had a spill.  He came a little too close on a downhill.  We exchanged a few words and I deliberately slowed to let him pass.  Jerk!

And the crowds were there in Austin cheering us on.  One more dip and hill and the finish line was near.  Could this be the end?  It was.  I took my final picture of the finish line and was thankful that I finished.  I rarely go to Austin but when I do, it's on a bike.  Funny, huh?

Now I'm hungry, very hungry but I need to check in at the Sun & Ski tent, claim my luggage, shower and then finally eat.  To do this took about 1.5 hours because of the many other people wanting to do the same thing.  I probably ate too many cookies but my appetite was very strong and I didn't care what I ate at this point.  The Hooter's chicken sandwich was not enough to satisfy my hunger, but the two Shiners I had satisfied my thirst.

It was time to go home, so I claimed my bus ticket, loaded my bags and boarded the bus with my pillow.  The people on board had lots of enthusiasm as we exchanged stories and experiences.  This lasted for about an hour and we all seemed to fall asleep at the same time.  I woke up with lots of drool on my pillow and felt a little better.  Food was on my mind again and, by this point, I just wanted to be at home in my bed.  We pulled into Tully Stadium, I claimed my bike, drove home, and went to sleep.

My times on this day:  3'25" from LaGrange to Bastrop, 44" for lunch, 2'42" from LaGrange to Austin.  Total time = 6'51"

TOTAL BIKING TIME (including lunches) = 14'26"