(1) I don't have a bike that would survive the MS150 (2) I don't have the money to buy a new bike (3) I don't have the time to shop for a new bike (4) I don't have the time to buy the other equipment needed (5) I don't have the time to do the practices Not right now, I don't. Maybe in a year or two.
that depends on how good of shape you are in. I've done it twice in the past '97 & '99 and didn't train at all. The first time I got drunk the night before and decided to do it. It wasn't a fun start. I even smoked at every rest stop both times. I never walked one hill and never took a van. It was tough and long but its doable if you are in some shape. Getting on the bike the second day was a killer though. I thought it was more mental than anything
don't listen to updawg. he could do it any year if he wanted and without any training. he's just built that way. if you forced him to run 5 miles, he could do it without any running training beforehand. other people would probably collapse and die. so, for those of you contemplating it who have done no training for it, how well would you fair riding on some hills for a little bit or running a couple of miles when you are out of shape? whatever your answer is...is your answer as to whether you should ride. yes, and mental toughness factors into it. if your a quitter at the first sign of trouble, then it's probably not for you. i know it's for a good cause and all...but that doesn't mean you should just grab a bike and do it if you are not prepared to do it. some people can just be put on the spot and do it with little to no prep...based on their present conditioning. others can't. don't be a hero...or you might be a dead hero. lol
The longest I've ever rode was 16 miles, and it wasn't too tiring. There were hills, but nothing like the hill country I'm sure. What sort of pace should you target when you're training for it?
I'm riding too - been watching the weather like crazy for the past week and a half. Honestly glad they called day 1 off - there's already too many wrecks with the overcrowded field and the sheer number of inexperienced riders. Add slick roads to the mix and it's begging for more people to get hurt. I am bummed in that I was look to ride like the devil tomorrow to beat the storm to La Grange (and stay ahead of the Suburban moms riding 3 a breast on mountain bikes). Ah well. I can settle for just day 2. Hopefully next year will break this mini-streak of bad conditions. I would agree that people in reasonable shape can will their way through the ride. You only have to take it one rest stop (~15 miles, 1 hr) at a time. Of course, headwinds can knock out even riders that have done a couple (last year broke no less than a quarter of the field). Evan
Pace isn't that big a deal. Ideally, you should be able to maintain a speed that's over 15 mph on flats with no wind. You'll find that your comfort will change drastically once a couple of hours have past. Building the strength to do climbs and learning how to use all of your gears are important, but so is learning about shammy cream and staying comfortable 3 to 4 hours into your ride.
My brother was pretty bummed. He's staying with his in-laws in Sealy tomorrow night and going to La Grange from there. At least we'll still have free St. Arnolds to drink in Austin.
Keeping an eye out on things - it's apparently not a given that Day 2 will happen, because of the amount of water in La Grange and other areas. Still planning on riding unless I get notice that it's shut down as well.
I called around last night and lucked out and got a hotel in Lagrange.... So I got up early this AM and rode from Katy to lagrange... solo... and yes it rained super hard the entire way. It was intense... I'm really lookig forward to day 2! I'll post a recap she. I get back (on my phone now)
just got back that was in-sannnnnnnnnnne http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6380567.html
From what I understand, 8,000 still made the ride from La Grange to Austin. My brother was saying the head wind was pretty difficult the entire way. Under less windy conditions, he would have been in by 1, but didn't make it until nearly 4 (he didn't sag at all, though). We were down there by the finish line from about 1:30 until he got there. It was a fun time and is always a great event. My sister-in-law works for the MS Society and is one of the organizers. They really do a fantastic job with this.
Impressive work to those that did the whole thing! After Day 1 got scrapped and Day 2 got pushed back an hour, I opted out. I look forward to this ride, but if I'm not going to be able to enjoy it...no thanks. I knew those headwinds were coming, and wanted to start closer to 6 to get well into the course before they really starting pushing. My dad and cousins still went after it and my dad really impressed me with how strong he finished - got in just after 3, despite getting knocked over near Bastrop. He didn't say anything about it in his updates and finished the ride with his left side half-bloody. Nice stuff. Evan
I can vouch for just how terrible the head wind was Sunday. Head wind for like 75% of the ride. I rode in Fiesta Wildflower Century. There were a few MS150 riders, who came over after Day 1 was cancelled. Guess that didn't want to risk Day 2 gettting cancelled also. The same storm passed threw San Antonio, but earlier in the week. Congrats to all that participated
Ok so here is my recap: I got to Tully stadium around 6:30AM. To my surprise there was a large number of staff and volunteers out there and police. No riders though. I pull up and am immediately approached by a MS coordinator telling me I am not to ride the route, and not to wear my numbers as to avoid people being "confused" that the ride is officially back on (whatever..). So I ask him where to park if I plan on doing the ride solo, he tells me I can't park there (BS! Public property... refund my registration then!) and I have to leave. Its about this time a Chronicle photographer finds me and asks if he can tail me on my way out of Katy, I say sure. So I go to the only persons house I know in Katy and dump my car in his driveway so it will be safe and hit the road. This location was about 10 miles further out than Tully, so all told, I did the MS190. The ride was fine til about the FM529 @ FM362 interchange. That was when the sky opened up. I parked for a bit under a taco truck and checked my phone radar. Nothing but black skies the rest of the way. So I scarfed down a taquito and shot off towards Bellville. I ran into some other riders in Bellville at a cafe for lunch. Some even had their own personal SAG support. Must have been nice! One of the coolest things was going through those tiny towns like Bellville and Fayetteville where the entire town seemed to turn out for the riders. So as you can imagine, when they are expecting 13000 and only 20 people show up, they cheer extra hard for you. I was offered homemade cookies until I thought they were going to start coming out of my ears. I think it took me about 7.5 hours all told, between rest stops and rain delays. Which all told is pretty damn good for someone who only did 2 training rides. My bike was a total mess after the ride, and I tried to clean it as much as I could after getting to my hotel in La Grange, but all day on ride 2 I was throwing my chain and hearing squeaky brakes, not good. I also spent almost the entire night blow drying my clothes (the only stuff I had on me.. since my luggage was in Austin) while watching the Rockets dismantle the Blazers. That made things go by a little quicker! Day 2 was absolutely gorgeous weather. Perfect even. I did the park ride and I'm SO glad I did. Very cool. Much better than highway action. I was astonished at how many people crapped out going up hills, even minor grades, and were complaining about headwind. I felt great the second day and made it in probably 7 hours at most, if not sooner. I took my time to rest and smell the roses though. I met a lot of really cool people and everybody was really nice in offering me supplies and gear since I was shorthanded after day 1. At the finish line my team treated me like a rock star for being the only one to finish the entire tour. It was pretty gratifying. To have the whole ordeal make it into the Chronicle was the icing on the cake. I have a giant headache today (lack of sleep and water) and my legs are stiff as wood, but I'll live. No regrets.
