Bike Noob

We probably could have seen it coming.  It had rained lightly in Austin all day Friday, and when I went downtown to load my bike on the truck and myself on the bus, it was still raining.  

The check-in tent for MS 150 riders on a gloomy, drizzly afternoon.

When the bus pulled away for the ride to Houston, the skies opened up.  The farther east we got, the heavier the rain became.  Some areas along the ride route recorded 11 inches of rain.  I snapped a poor photo from the bus, but I think it shows the extent of the problem caused by the downpour.

That’s not a river or a lake — it’s farmland.  Shortly after I took the picture, some other riders on the bus started getting updates on their cell phones: the first day of the MS 150 was indeed cancelled.

My hotel roomie, Jared of Just Another Nerd…, got to Houston and checked into our hotel, which was about a mile from the main ride headquarters hotel.  The ride organizers said there would be an update at 10 that night, so we made it a point to be present for the announcement.

Most of the crowd were good-natured about the circumstances of the cancellation.  Parts of Saturday’s route were under water, and the county fairgrounds in LaGrange, where we were to spend our first night, was a quagmire.  On top of that, so much rain had fallen that it had collapsed some of the team tents.  

The new plan was to shuttle Austin-based riders who had paid for transportation to Houston from Houston to LaGrange at 5:30 a.m. Sunday.  Our bikes, which went to Houston by truck, would be taken to LaGrange by those same trucks.  The ride would begin promptly at 8 a.m. Sunday.

When we woke up Saturday morning, the correctness of the decision to cancel the ride was obvious.  It was pouring.  I would have been content to get a cheap paperback from the hotel gift shop and curl up with it in the room all day.  But Jared had other ideas.  He rented a car, and we drove over to the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

The Bike Noob with the Tyrannosaurus Rex at the Museum of Natural Science.

We spent hours there.  Every so often, one of us would look outside, where it seemed to be raining harder than ever.  We began to steel ourselves to the possibility that the second day of the ride would be cancelled, too.

But during supper Saturday night, we learned through text messages and the ride’s web site that Sunday was a go.  The food was dispensed with quickly, and we went back to the hotel to get packed and turn in early for an extremely early wakeup call the next morning.

Tomorrow’s the day. I’ll take off work early, head home and pack up my bike and stuff. I’ll drive to downtown Austin, where I’ll rendezvous with a bus for Houston. The bike goes on a separate truck, which will take it to the starting line in Houston and secure it overnight. Then, I’ll meet up with my biking and blogging buddy Jared, and we’ll hop the bus for the three-to-four hour ride.

In Houston, there’ll be lots to do. We’ll check into our hotel. We’ll head over to the ride headquarters hotel and take in the bike expo. Our team is hosting a hospitality suite, and it will be our first chance to meet most of the other team members. And we’ll chow down on a spaghetti dinner.

Early to bed, because it’s up at 4 a.m. Saturday. We have to pack our bags and tote them over to the headquarters hotel, where they’ll be put in a team truck for delivery to our halfway stop in LaGrange, Texas. A shuttle bus will run us across I-10 to Tully Stadium, where the ride begins. With luck, we’ll be able to snarf down some breakfast tacos at Tully.

Our team was one of the top fund raising teams last year, so we get the fourth team starting spot. The start is at 6:45 a.m., so we’ll have to be on the bikes and ready to go at that time. It’ll be interesting to see just how the ride organizers herd everyone through the start and keep bikers from crashing into each other left and right.

We’re going to get wet. Depending on which forecast you read, the chance of rain is between 50-80 percent. I hate riding in the rain. But the rest of the day should be nice, with partly cloudy skies and a high in the mid-70sF.

I’m really looking forward to the ride, but I’m feeling some concern about it, too. I haven’t done nearly the prep miles I should have. But I do have that century under my belt, so I’m confident I know how to approach this endeavor. I’ll make it a point to draft more than I did in October, to make my ride a bit easier to handle. And when my bottom starts rebelling during the afternoon, I’ll know how to baby it to get it to the halfway point. First day’s ride is 99.6 miles, according to the ride map. I’ll pedal around the block to get that extra four-tenths of a mile.

I’m counting on being tired enough that night that sleep on a collapsible cot in a sleeping bag under a large group tent shouldn’t be an issue.

On Sunday, the hilly route into Bastrop awaits — I hope. Then it’s another 25 miles to Austin, where Mrs. Noob will be waiting — I hope. I’ll try to post a ride report Sunday evening. I’m pumped.

By the way, I am still soliciting donations to support my ride. It is to raise funds to fight multiple sclerosis, after all. If you’re interested, click here and follow the instructions. Or, you can wait to see if I finish the ride without having to sag in. If I do, you can donate then, if you like. The MS Society will take money for an additional month.

As you know, I’m getting ready for the MS 150 Houston-to-Austin ride next month. I’ll ride along with 13,000 other riders, and pedal about 98-99 miles the first day, overnight in LaGrange, Texas, then go about 80 miles the second day into Austin.

Organizing a ride like that is a massive undertaking, and I’ve been as interested in seeing what the plans are as in training for the ride itself.

Transportation: First of all, since it’s a one-way ride, we Austin-based riders have to get to Houston somehow. My wife suggested we drive over there, then she would drive our car back on Saturday, the first day of the ride. But she might not be able to get off from work on Friday. The ride organizers have a better solution. Buses will leave Austin every half hour most of the day Friday, and take riders and their bikes to Houston. The riders will be dropped at the Omni Hotel along the Katy Freeway (I-10), which is the ride headquarters. The bikes will go to Tully Stadium, just south of I-10 a few blocks from the hotel, where the ride will start. The bikes will be secured overnight at the stadium. At the Omni, riders can go to a bike expo, and gorge on a pre-ride pasta meal.

Accomodation: Unfortunately for me, the Omni was booked when I tried to make room reservations. I was surprised to find that rooms at other area hotels were still available, and got one at the Hilton Garden Inn, also within easy walking distance of Tully Stadium. It looks like one of my biking buddies will be able to share the room costs.

Packet pickup: Most organized rides have a packet pickup the week of the ride. The MS 150 has about a dozen of them, starting almost a month before the ride. You must pick up a packet, because it has the waiver form and the bike numbers — numbers for the handlebars, the bike frame, the front of your helmet, and your jersey. There’s also a wrist bracelet that gets you into meals on Saturday and Sunday.

Bike inspections: On a ride with such a large field, over such a long distance, breakdowns are bound to occur. They want to keep them to a minimum, so all riders must get their bikes inspected before the ride. Ride-approved bike shops will do it for free up until a week before the ride. Good timing — my bike needs some minor adjustments.

Luggage: Riders can also download packing lists for the weekend, one for what you bring on the bike, one for your luggage. Each rider is allowed two pieces of luggage, no more than 25 pounds each. Trucks will transport the luggage from Houston to the halfway stop in LaGrange, then on to Austin on Sunday.

The overnight: Teams can do a group camp thing in LaGrange. Showers are available, and ride veterans tell me many riders wash their team jersey in the shower along with themselves, so they can wear it again the next day. My team is making cots available to team members to use in the team tent. They’ve also got massage therapists, beer, changing areas, and overnight bike storage.

On Sunday, riders can choose from two routes to the lunch stop in Bastrop. One route tackles hills. The other is relatively easy. The challenge will be for 13,000 riders to all start from the same place. I’m told many riders get up at 4 a.m. just to get a place near the front!

By the time the ride gets to Austin, the cyclists will be done in. Shower trucks will line the streets near the State Capitol so folks can clean up.

The thought of such a massive ride fills me with anticipation and excitement. They’ve been doing it for a long time — this the 25th anniversary year — so I expect it will all be rather smooth. I’m looking forward to it.

By the way, I’m still soliciting donations to support my ride. You can follow this link to my personal MS 150 page. Click the “Donate to Ray!” link and follow the instructions. It’s easy to do, and I will be most appreciative.