The Finish Line

Well, I am back and here is the post I promised all about the MS 150 weekend.  First off, as you may or may not know, the first day of the ride was cancelled.  There were torrential rains/thunderstorms from here all along the whole route on both Friday and Saturday.  Besides it being very dangerous to ride in t-storms, the campgrounds where we stay overnight were flooded.  In the 25 year history of the ride, never have they had to cancel any part of the ride.  The MS society was scrambling to figure out what to do with 13,000 cyclists who were here for a 2 day ride.  The weather for the second day was beautiful, so they had us start in La Grange, TX where we would normally start the second day.  The problem with starting there is that it is over a 2 hour drive from Houston.  I stayed all night with my brother/sister in laws since there was no place to sleep in La Grange the night before,  and we had to get up at 4:30 am, so we could leave by 5 am to get there and be ready to roll.  Todd drove us there and dropped Mary and I off at a hotel in La Grange where our team was starting. Then he drove on ahead to Austin to wait for us at the finish. The day looked very overcast and the air was very wet and a bit chilly feeling when we started.  Very quickly though, the clouds cleared and the sun came out and it was just beautiful!  The first half of the ride starts out of La Grange and heads into Buescher and Bastrop state parks.  They are very hilly and absolutely stunning.  This is always my most favorite part of the ride every year!  The hills are very up and down, and I was definitely standing on my pedals to power up the hills at times, but it's all worth it.  The second half of the day is not as exciting scenery wise and it was also hilly and all into head wind from lunch to Austin.  My speed definitely suffered from the combination.  Mary and I made it in to the finish together at about 2:30 pm.  It is so exciting to roll in with thousands of people lining the route to the finish and cheering for you!  All along the route there are lots of people cheering as well, and it is especially touching to me for those afflicted with MS to be out there cheering for us and thanking us for helping.  It is a great event, and even though it was a bummer that day one was cancelled, 11,000 people still rode the second day to make it a big success and a good time.  Here are some pictures of the day.

Here we are with some friends of ours who also ride every year. I am on the left and Mary is third from the left.


Here is one of the many people who entertain us from the side of the road along the route. This guy was really good!



This is the top of the highest hill on the ride (fondly called suicide hill). If you don't ride your brakes and you get into aero position, you can reach over 40 mph on the way down. My max speed was 35.5 mph, which is really fun, but kind of scary!



It can also be dangerous if you don't maintain some control, as evidenced by this emergency vehicle that was picking up a "rider down". I didn't see what happened, it was there when I got there. Thankfully, this was the only accident I saw the whole day. Normally, I see several on both days of the ride.





I couldn't really ask anyone to stop to take my picture on the hill, so I took this picture of myself.  This is one of my favorite pictures ever!  I just think it is so cool!



This is a small lake at the beginning of the route through Buescher SP.



An overlook in the park.



This is a picture taken just before leaving Bastrop SP. Almost the entire park ride is tree-lined like this.



Mary and I feeling good at one of the rest stops.



The finish line as we approach.



Victory stance in front of the capitol building in Austin (it's behind my bike!)!



Feeling fresh after a nice shower right on the street in Austin!



I got home about 10pm last night, so it was a long day. Other than being sun-burned on my left arm (facing the sun most of the day), I feel pretty good after some much needed sleep. I love doing this ride and if you donated to the MS society in support of me, thank you SO MUCH!

Off to bed for me now.

Peace-Out!
Tri-Vet