(very detailed) MS 150 report...NOW WITH PHOTOS
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cherylpf
crazy cat lady
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 Posted: 04/14/03 - 10:36 Post subject: (very detailed) MS 150 report...NOW WITH PHOTOS
I made it!!  Me and my bike (and my mom, my 2 cousins and 10 of my friends) made it safely to Austin this weekend amongst over 10,000 other cyclists and we all had a great time!
We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather. It was a bit chilly (but nice) at the start. I was on a corporate team this year, so I got an early start this year (they give special perks to the teams who either contribute the most money or most help to the MS society, my team donated a bunch of trucks for use for the weekend) which was nice, it meant we beat a lot of the crowds which can sometimes make the start hard. I rode with 2 of my friends on the team and we decided to take an easier pace than we all did last year (last year we were trying to break landspeed records or something but all we really did was burn out faster and still get whooped by 28 mph pacelines...) so we actually had a lot more fun this year. At about rest stop 2 (they have rest stops every 10-12 miles) I caught my mother  who is 61 and coming off of knee surgery 7 weeks ago and had up to that point been faster than me.... We rode with her until our lunch stop in Bellville (where I had a nice congratulatory chat with one Alanintx!), where I ate my weight in Oreo cookies (these count as carb loading, no?). My mom found some people she knew and we took off ahead of her from there, but we slugged it out in the heat through the increasingly hilly landscape towards Austin. I don't know if it was the excessive bluebonnets in bloom along the sides of the roads (which were BEAUTIFUL) or all the hills we were cranking up, but my asthmatic lungs started getting very tight very quickly. My friends and I took longer and longer stops at the break points to help me out some, but finally, exactly 19.6 miles from La Grange, 78.6 miles from the start, against everything in my stubborn determined little brain I decided to take the bus in to our campsite  . One indication I should stop was not only stabbing chest pains but the fact that I no longer had to tell people I was passing them, they could hear my wheezing as I would go by and would turn to look to see what that horrible sound was ....another small indicator was my mother screaming at me to do so via cellphone...  But I decided I needed to get to the camp, shower, relax, get all my meds so that I would have some hope of completing day 2, which is my favorite and SO much more fun.
Despite 3 hours sleep in a tent next to a campfire (cough, cough) I actually did all of day 2 with little breathing problems. I'll never understand my lungs. Anyway, day 2's start was actually quite a bit colder than day 1, I was shivering so hard at one point I wasn't sure I had any grip on my bike....however, the hills as we left La Grange and approached Smithville warmed me up pretty quickly!! I'm not sure, because my computer sort of went on the fritz mid morning, but I think I made 33 mph down the "smithville hill" (a hill thats notorious on the ride, people have gotten 50+ on it....) and went soon after into Bastrop and Buescher (sp?) state parks that are a roller coaster of sloped surfaces. I was lucky to go through the parks at a time the crowds were light, I didn't feel like I had to brake constantly or worry about maniacs passing me on my right. As a result, I actually got 36 mph TWICE in the state parks and over 30 probably 10 times. SO much fun! A lot of work uphill (talk about your ATFH!!!  ) but very worth it.
We came into Bastrop high school for lunch, slathered on more sunscreen and headed out into the heat of the day to make our way north. The route was different this year, we actually finished in (or very close to Pflugerville) which is north of Austin instead of UT in downtown Austin. But I love this new route, last year's took us 30 miles through flat monotonous head wind filled farm land. This year was through beautiful fields of wild flowers (which are out of control this year, its so pretty right now), gentle hills (which felt like monsters as the day wore on!) and a couple cute towns. I really started to get pretty tired at one rest stop, I was really trying to find the motivation to go 30 more miles and someone came on a loud speaker saying "They've found the POW's alive!! They are home and safe!!!" you've never seen a group of beat down worn cyclists brighten so quickly and cheer like crazy!! (we were obviously very isolated from news this weekend....) That really did help me somehow. People along the way would have signs saying that too "POWs Safe! God Bless USA" and such. Really neat. As we got closer to Austin (Pf-ville?) it got hillier but I started to just get numb to it and crank through it, I was ready to be finished. And finally, on a hill in the distance, I could see Samsung with heaven's light pouring down and angel choirs singing I'm not partial to their vcr's, it was the finish line for this year's tour. 
I did the half marathon in January and I'm not sure that even the fanfare surrounding a marathon compares to the finish line of this event, so many people, family, friends, flags, music, hugs, pictures....its so incredible. I, as tired as I had been, I could have ridden 50 more miles after riding through that finish line.
We COULD NOT have done the ride without the support from the police that we got the entire ride. Amazing amount of work they put in to keep us safe just so we could have a little ride. I don't think we could thank them enough. Also this year lots of patients with MS were cheering us on the whole way (and I of course  like a baby several times....it just doesn't seem right for them to thank me, when its not fair that I undeservingly have a healthy life and they have to live with MS every day...those people are my heroes...) And yet another cool inspiration, Texas Institute for Rehabilitation had a group of riders who rode bikes that looked sort of like recumbants but with 2 wheels in back, one in front and they "pedaled" with their arms. These people AMAZE me. You have no idea some of these hills these people rode up...WITH THEIR ARMS....amazing.
Anyway, you've now taken half your day to read this, but needless to say, I had a fantastic time, I can't wait until next year!! in fact, I'm thinking of not waiting and doing another one, MS 150 Bike to the Beach San Antonio to Corpus Christi in October....
I just want to thank everyone for your support in all forms, financial, thoughts, prayers, phone calls (baskets!) and otherwise. It really really means a lot!
Last edited by cherylpf on 04/15/03 - 10:22; edited 1 time in total
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purple hayes
Frightened Inmate #2
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Joined: 14 May 2002
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Location: ON YOUR LEFT!
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 10:46 Post subject:
Great ride report! I'm assuming that you were the coolest rider there.
Got pics?
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pokychick
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 10:52 Post subject:
Congratulations Shurl! Great Report!
Sounds like you had a great time.
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shelflifers
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 10:52 Post subject:
WOO HOO!!! Way to go, Cheryl!! I was rooting for you this weekend (did you hear me?!)
You are so the WOMAN!!!!!
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cherylpf
crazy cat lady
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 10:57 Post subject:
| purple hayes wrote: | Great ride report! I'm assuming that you were the coolest rider there.
Got pics? |
Duh!
I have photos, not as many as last year (too much cycling, not enough photography!!) but I need to get them developed and onto cd rom tonight. I'll get them to you ASAP so I can post them!
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jrjo
Gone Fishin
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 11:06 Post subject:
Shivering limbs, crying like a baby, and stabbing chest pains.. more than I could handle. You are the WOMAN!! Tremendous report and big 
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Pebbles
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 11:32 Post subject:
Great Job Cheryl!!!!!
[scroll:5b570f4a2d]  CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! [/scroll:5b570f4a2d]
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Cappy
Excelent
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 12:03 Post subject:
Great job Cheryl.
How did the new basket work out?
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cherylpf
crazy cat lady
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 12:09 Post subject:
yeah, um, bad news on the basket front....much to my chagrin, once hooked up my personal bike entertainment center in the basket then attached it to the bike, it didn't workout so well (and my non-water proof mp3 player's lcd screen was turning all sorts of colors in the 100% humidity of the cool foggy morning Saturday....) so in a last minute decision at the starting line, in order to spare my basket and my mp-3 player (all of which were securely attached to eachother at this point) we removed them from the handle bars, reattached my number to my newly naked handle bars and the basket setup was left in the car. I missed it a lot.  But its purpose was thought of often.
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ShannonG
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 12:09 Post subject:
[scroll:7d59809158]You rock in your pants! [/scroll:7d59809158]
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rolling rock
The Pinball
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 12:49 Post subject:
| jrjo wrote: | | Shivering limbs, crying like a baby, and stabbing chest pains.. more than I could handle. You are the WOMAN!! Tremendous report and big |
 big fat
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Erstwhile Lurker
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 12:51 Post subject: Re: (very detailed) MS 150 report...(extremely long)
| cherylpf wrote: | | And yet another cool inspiration, Texas Institute for Rehabilitation had a group of riders who rode bikes that looked sort of like recumbants but with 2 wheels in back, one in front and they "pedaled" with their arms. |
Somebody cut my arms off with pruning shears if you ever catch me riding one of the regular recombinant bikes.
Last edited by Erstwhile Lurker on 04/14/03 - 12:54; edited 1 time in total
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shelflifers
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 12:51 Post subject:
| ShannonG wrote: | | [scroll:8cedd98f05]You rock in your pants! [/scroll:8cedd98f05] |
I'm not too sure about this one, Shannon.... 
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ShannonG
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 12:55 Post subject:
| shelflifers wrote: | | ShannonG wrote: | | [scroll:6d619715ee]You rock in your pants! [/scroll:6d619715ee] |
I'm not too sure about this one, Shannon.... |
Geez Shelf, weren't you around for the whole Pant Rocking thread? It's a compliment.
Or maybe you're just jealous.....
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shelflifers
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Posted: 04/14/03 - 13:15 Post subject:
| ShannonG wrote: | | shelflifers wrote: | | ShannonG wrote: | | [scroll:adef04f201]You rock in your pants! [/scroll:adef04f201] |
I'm not too sure about this one, Shannon.... |
Geez Shelf, weren't you around for the whole Pant Rocking thread? It's a compliment.
Or maybe you're just jealous..... |
No, I was around and I've used the new slogan mucho already...It's just, I'm not sure if one can 'rock in their own pants'???? 
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