Seven days and counting for my debut in the MS150 bike ride. I joined my Austin cycling buddies on the Dow Chemical team to fundraise and to ride together. The Dow team alone as raised over $120,000 for Multiple Sclerosis. Donations in my name are still accepted (hint, hint folks)! We ride from Houston to Austin in two days. This is a big deal. A big deal for the cause and a big deal because I have never ridden so far in one day, let alone two days in a row. About 80 miles on Saturday, and close to another 80 on Sunday. Why is it called the MS150, you ask? Beats me, because that route is well over 150 miles.
I decided to do this ride with my friends back in January. They were doing it,and I jumped on the bandwagon, thinking April was soooo far away. Uh, hello! How did this year go into warp-speed and it's ended up here already?
Bring it on! We are ready. We have trained. And trained. We've rode long hours in all weather conditions, cold, wet, windy (oh hells yeah, the winds this winter/spring have been a big ole booger for our training), and Austin has some of the best roads and hills to train on. I have my trusty Cervelo bike, "Dash" as I call him (her?), to carry me along the way. I've been cycling these roads for 4 years now and am proud to say some many of the hills that used to eat my lunch I have now conquered time and time again. Not to say they don't wear my ass out, but I am no longer defeat-ed, I defeat those sumsabitches!
I have battle scars. Every person who's consistently rode a bike, and especially a bike with shoeclips, has fallen down. I mean Fall...Down. Picture an old useless building being imploded and toppling down in one big piece. That is a cyclist who can't unclip before he/she hits the ground. Boom. This usually causes scraped knees/shins/hips (clipped feet and legs taking the brunt of the fall) or bruised wrists/elbows/shoulders (uselessly trying to stop the ground from coming at you). I've slid off roads onto grass and into curbs. Passing cars have sprayed gravel at me. And especially fun has been some jerky motorists honking, yelling, or shaking their fists at me and my companions. Even had one brainiac threw a full can of Sprite at us, and it barely missed my friend's helmet. Not complaining here. These are the facts of life on a roadbike.
Here's the evidence of my cycling activities today...rode out around Pflugerville and Hutto and Elgin today with my friend. Forgot to spread the sunblock all the way down my arm. The white mark halfway up is my watchband. My hands stay white because I wear gloves. I went sleeveless today to try to cover up the tan line from when I've worn half-sleeve jerseys before. My feet are white too and I have a line on my mid-thigh. Not pretty. Cycling is not conducive to the upcoming bikini season...
But as I've said before, I love it. Right now the bluebonnets and other wildflowers are rampant and beautiful, sprawling across the farms and fields we pass. Today we rode over a bridge and looked off to the side below and saw two gray mules (donkeys?) grazing hip-deep in pretty purple wildflowers and tall green grass near some woods. I wished I'd had a good camera to catch the sight. When the wind is at your back (as all cylists wish it always was), you feel like you are flying. My body is moving Dash but the wind is carrying us both.
The MS150 is a long trip, but with my friends rolling by my side, and great support from the Dow team and the MS150 ride coordination for the break-stops and lunch-stops, and our overnight stay in LaGrange at the half-way point, we will glide into Austin to the Finish Line with sore butts, but smiles on our faces.
My personal donation page:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/TXHBikeEvents?px=7622378&pg=personal&fr_id=12962
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