If you’ve been reading MomsToolbox for awhile, then you probably know about my annual participation in the Houston to Austin MS 150 each spring. It is a 2-day, 180-mile bike ride from Houston to Austin to raise money to combat Multiple Sclerosis. 2013 was my 6th year to participate in the fundraiser, which is the [...]

A joyful finish… After 6 years, we finally took a pic with the Capitol in the background. :) That’s my husband whose face I am blocking with my bike. (oops!!) The cute kid is Steven and Ami’s son, Liam.

If you’ve been reading MomsToolbox for awhile, then you probably know about my annual participation in the Houston to Austin MS 150 each spring. It is a 2-day, 180-mile bike ride from Houston to Austin to raise money to combat Multiple Sclerosis.

2013 was my 6th year to participate in the fundraiser, which is the largest MS fundraiser in the world, bringing in about $18 million for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. And, from what I can tell, this one extremely efficient organization, so I have no doubt they put every penny raised to its best use.

This year the ride was April 20-21, and the weather was the best I had ever experienced. Also, this year I wasn’t able to train on my bike as much as I had the first two years, but I trained in other ways and it definitely paid off.

The following is from my journal after day one:

This has been a seriously amazing day. It’s my 6^th MS150 from Houston to Austin and, so far, most definitely my best riding day… and maybe my best riding day ever.

All the other MS rides I have done have had pretty miserable weather, but today was, and is, absolutely gorgeous.

When we started this morning at 6:45 it was still a bit dark and was also a chilly 44 degrees. Brrrr.

Getting ready to roll!

I wore full-fingered gloves under my regular cycling gloves, as well as spandex thigh highs (okay, leg warmers), my light cycling jacket and an extra UnderArmor t-shirt under my jersey. I was still a bit chilly but wouldn’t dream of complaining as the weather was the most promising of any year I had cycled— and a tailwind was predicted!

Basically, a tailwind means that the wind will be coming from behind and potentially push you on your path.

For every MS150 I have ever cycled, there has been a headwind, a massive force slamming against me, sometimes even making rides downhill a struggle. I was due this mythical tailwind and thrilled at the possibility that 2013 just might be the year. And today it most certainly was!

No headwind for all but maybe the last 7 miles and tailwind for much of the other 91—gorgeous!

I was giddy as we began rolling. I could barely contain my excitement.

“This is gorgeous!!” I would spontaneously shout.

“Oh, Steven, thank you so much for convincing us to do this,” I’d yell.

“Wow! I love this! What a day!!”

I promised to keep it under 75 exclamations of joy. (But I knew even that would be hard for me.)

We rolled out and rolled, rolled and rolled. I stayed with Gary and Steven for quite awhile.

When riding, often cyclists will tuck up close to each other so that they can catch the pull or draft off the rider in front of them. This can be dangerous as you have to trust the rider in front of you to call out road hazards, and you must pay close attention to your spacing, but it also enables you to go faster with less effort. Cyclists in this arrangement take turns pulling at the front and then drift to the back of the line, rotating back up to the front as new riders fall to the back.

I’m not one who typically enjoys pacelines, as I feel like they take so much of my energy to concentrate on the rider in front of me, so often I do my own thing. But with Steven and Gary I went up front at one point and pulled for a bit. I pulled and pulled and then was passed by and then caught up with another paceline and jumped on the back. That group was going at a great pace for me to keep up and they pulled us quite a long way. As long as we were with the group, the guy pulling at the front never came back. Eventually we turned a corner and lagged back a bit, losing the paceline, but still reaping the benefits of drafting them for several miles before that. Then it was back to the three of us for awhile.

The only negative of my day was that my cycle computer, which serves as a speedometer and odometer among other things, stopped working right at the start. It was a little frustrating not to be able to tell my speed or distance. However, once we came upon the lunch stop, at about 9 a.m., it was a delightful and invigorating surprise. I couldn’t believe we had made it so quickly!!

We bypassed the stop, though, and eventually stopped at a convenience store in Bellville.

In the past I had either stopped at rest stops or not at all, so the idea of running water and space, as opposed to a porta-potty thrilled me. It’s the little things that can be so big, people! :)

We refueled, used the bathroom, peeled off our layers and were back on the road in 30 minutes.

We stayed together as a threesome for a few miles, but the hills always impact me more than they impact Steven and Gary, so it wasn’t long before the guys left me. I had encouraged them to leave whenever they wanted right from the start. I don’t mind rolling solo and I hate the thought of holding anybody back.

I pedaled and pedaled, passing farmhouses, bluebonnet flowers, cattle and field after field.

I passed tons of families and groups cheering us on, some with sound systems blaring, one group of musicians with a serious fiddler, and lots of kids with cowbells and smiles.

One of my very favorite parts of the ride is rolling through Fayetteville, where it appears the whole town gathers to celebrate. People gather on restaurant and business patios, as well as front lawns of homes to blow bubbles, clap, cheer and encourage us. I can’t help but to smile and wave back—they make us feel like heroes.

At some point after that I turned on music from my phone and began singing along with the music blaring. (Don’t worry, I don’t use headphones. The phone was playing through the speaker for anyone to hear.) I had sung before on rides, but just a few short hymns here and there, and only when I was pretty sure I was alone. This time I was belting out all sorts of songs. I didn’t really care if anyone heard me. One man rode near me for quite a while. I hope my voice didn’t ruin it for him. :)

I was having a joy-filled time singing, pedaling, thinking and taking in the gorgeous weather. Did I mention that we had a gorgeous tailwind?

I’m not sure what mile it was when I passed a rest stop and saw Gary waving at me. I think it was the second to last one, making it about 20 miles from the first day finish line.

Once I knew he had stopped, it became obvious that yes, I had a good chance to finish before he and Steven, which really wasn’t that big of a deal to me, but Ami and Steven had mentioned the concept, challenging me, more than a few times. (I have finished before the guys a few times in the past, but really because I don’t stop much and the guys typically take one more stop than I do on the first day. Day 2 is a completely different story! They typically finish an hour or so ahead of me.)

So, anyway, this was the first time I realized that I really could finish first again and, well, I have to admit that this really energized me. Is that wrong?

I pushed and pushed, still enjoying every pedal stroke.

Seriously, the weather was amazing, how could I not be inspired?

In cycling, you are supposed to communicate with the other riders for safety reasons. If you are intending to pass another rider, you should pass on the left side and call out “On your left,” or “Left side,” as you approach and pass. This lets the rider know you are there and also encourages them to slide right, if needed, to give you room to pass safely. Cyclists also call out when I car is in coming from the front (“Car up!”) or from behind (“Car back!”) or other hazards like gravel, bumps or railroad tracks.

I often call out other things to fellow riders while passing. For example, I might shout out “Hey #220—Nice fundraising!” after seeing someone rider number. Rider numbers 1-300 are reserved for the top fundraisers and issued in order. Our friend Steven is #165 this year, having raised about $9,700 last year. I also comment on cute jerseys and accents (tutus, boa trims—yes, they are there) or just comment on the gorgeous weather. I like to relate and chat briefly with other riders here and there.

As I was passing one rider I noticed his number indicated he was a VIP.

“How VIP are you?” I couldn’t resist asking.

“What?” he said.

“Your rider number says you are a VIP. Why is that?” I asked.

“Oh! This is my 19^th year and I’d rather have that than ‘Veteran Rider,’” he explained.

We chatted a bit about the weather—seriously it had been so bad the past few years that anyone who had ridden before was overjoyed by the glorious weekend we were having. Then he told me to save some energy for the last 7 miles.

“When we make that last turn, we’ll be into a headwind, so save something in the tank for that,” he said.

We agreed that 7 miles of headwind paired with 90-ish of a slight tailwind was just fine with us and cycled on.

It wasn’t long before I passed the last rest stop, which is 11 miles from the LaGrange finish.

I passed the point where the wind stole my bag of Fig Newtons right out of my hand last year. I smiled and pedaled harder.

I passed the place where my stomach started to contract so terribly my first year that it felt very much like labor. That was awful, as it remained that way long after I finished that year. I remembered crying in pain those last 10 miles and was thankful to not have that pain this time.

I made the turn into the wind and still giggled. Yes, the veteran rider was right- there was definitely a headwind, but I had 7 miles to go and the wind was not that terrible at all. Only 7 glorious miles and I had energy to spare.

I pushed and pushed, then started to wonder about Gary and Steven. Would they overtake me at the last point? Would I lose my lead? Or would I be texting Ami at the finish with a three-peat first finish?

I dug in and pedaled a bit harder.

Soon I saw a sign that read 1.5 miles to go! I pedaled harder.

Then 1 mile.

Then .5 mile.

I could see the fence, the signs, all the indications that I was getting closer. I wondered where Gary and Steven could be.

The crowd was definitely smaller and consequently quieter this year than in the past. Typically there are cars and people lining the roadway for the last 2 miles or so, clapping, ringing cowbells, holding up signs. I was finishing earlier than I had in the past, which could account for some of that. My suspicion, though, was that the smaller crowd had something to do with the bombs at the Boston Marathon earlier in the week. Throughout the ride I saw more police presence than in the past at the rest stops.

But the crowd that was there was enthusiastic and still encouraged me greatly as I rolled over the finish.

“Good job!!” I heard over and over.

I saw signs saying “Thank you,” and was reminded why we ride—to raise money to combat Multiple Sclerosis. Seeing those signs always bring me right back to reality and tears me up. I am so thankful I am able to ride. I have a strong body, a supportive husband and a great babysitter. I’m not sure why God has gifted me with those things (and more) but I am truly thankful and glad to put them all to use to help others.

The finish curves around a bit, so, once I reached a safe spot, I pulled over to the side and hopped off my bike to wait for Steven and Gary. After a minute or so, I decided to walk my bike to the other side of the finish, leaned over to snap a photo of my heart rate monitor results, and heard my name.

Steven rolled in right after me. I probably beat him by a mere 3 minutes. I texted Ami to let her know, Steven and I chatted a bit and it wasn’t long before Gary rolled to the finish.

I finished the ride at about 12:30, which, factoring in our stop, meant I spent 5:30 on the bike. I was thrilled with that result.

GLORIOUS DAY!

I couldn’t stop talking about what a great day and great ride it was… I was still filled with energy. Ahhhhh…. SUCCESS!

Day one, DONE!

******

Here are a few photos from our stay at Camp St. Marks, an overflow of the larger campsite for riders. We ride with the National Oilwell Varco team and they take excellent care of their riders. This means we sleep in a big tent with other riders riding under their name and that they take care of transporting our luggage, feeding us, and other things. They were extremely accommodating and a great bunch. I couldn’t help but notice that I was one of only about 5 or 6 women riders on the team, though. But that didn’t bother me for a second.. and they still set aside awesome porta potties for the girls. :)

This is the sleeping quarters side of the NOV team tent. I slept on one of the cots you can see along the right side.

Yes, this is the one of the porta potties set aside for the women. LOVE it! It even flushed and had water. Thank you, NOV!!

Barbecue dinner– They also had burgers and hot dogs for us, and tons of snacks and drinks after we arrived.

Thank you to all the volunteers who fed us and take care of us! I love the pancake breakfast which is open to all riders. There are about 14,000 of us, so that is a lot of pancakes!!

It’s not often I am up for eating three MASSIVE pancakes for breakfast. :)

Getting ready to roll on day two. In a big tent filled with guys, I got dressed mostly with a sheet over me on my cot.

I did not journal after day 2. Once we finished, we hung around a bit and then headed back to Houston– this time in a car. But I can tell you the second day was equally, or possibly even more thrilling. I had been nervous about cycling through the park in Bastrop, which is particularly harrowing ride with steep drops and climbs and curvy roads. But I even powered through that with gears to spare. Yes, it was still a challenge, but every year it gets easier and easier and this year I loved it even more. I ended up finishing after the guys on day two, as I had expected. But this year I finished at 12:01, about 10-15 minutes after them, which I did not expect.  I think the game is ON for next year. Gulp.

Here are a few pics from the finish:

Toasting a successful ride with bubbles from Hermann J. Wiemer

Me with my MS CHAMP.
Riders can ride in honor of someone with MS by taking a bandana from the MS Society signed by someone with MS. I rode with Peggy’s bandana and was thrilled to meet her at the finish line in Austin.

There are shower trucks at the campsite in LaGrange as well as at the finish is Austin. Steven’s status as a top 300 fundraiser enables him and a guest to bypass the lines at the other shower trucks and use the VIP showers. The showers are the same, but the lines are not. And, although it might not be a luxury shower, I have never felt better showering in my flip flops, washing away all that road grime! Aaaahhhhh!

What an amazing, amazing weekend!

Since this is a fundraiser, it would be remiss of me to not give you the opportunity to contribute to the MS Society. If you would like to learn more about MS and its effects, or if you are up for helping the MS Society work towards a world with no MS and help those battling its effects along the way, please click over to check out my MS fundraising page. Even though the ride is over, they will still accept contributions in support of my ride. And trust me, this is one organization I know will put every penny contributed to good use, so if you can spare $5 – $500, you can rest assured it is going to be used well.