Hey Kathleen: Just a little joy ride I took last month. Rick
MS-150 Houston to Austin “The Headwinds & Hills Tour” April 12th – 13th
Day 1 Saturday started early at 5am with a last minute carb loading and checking of all the gear. Everything I needed was packed neatly in my old Navy sea-bag as we set out for Rhodes Stadium in Katy. Our neighbor drove me to the start line and I awaited the early 7am start from the organizers. It was amazing to see so many cyclists preparing for the same 150-mile trek to the State Capitol. It was estimated that nearly 9,000 people were start from Rhodes Stadium. As we mounted our pedals we were staged in groups of 500 to minimize the numbers on the road at one time. The adventure began at 7:15am as I crossed the Start line and was not to end until 31hrs later. The atmosphere and the crowds were exciting and everyone was eager to set out at their own pace. The morning was calm with a slight chill of 50deg so we all dressed in layers to shed clothes along the way. We made our first pit-stop at ~10-miles to check tire pressures and load up on more carbs and fluids. We were greeted by loud music and several Elvis impersonators which set the standard for the entire weekend.
After the rest stop around 8:30am we soon discovered what would then haunt us for the rest of our journey..…..the headwinds. We were hit by direct headwinds ranging from 15-20 mph as we left the first rest stop, and they were to never let up. Despite this everyone was in good spirits and wherever you looked all you could see were cyclists everywhere. We made our way through the crowds and stopped at a few rest-stops along the way before breaking for lunch in Belleville. Fluor had a team tent where volunteers cooked us chicken wings and burritos along with all the fluids needed to complete the ride. After about a 45-minute break we mounted up and set out for the LaGrange, still another 45 miles ahead of us. After battling the wind for the next several hours we crossed our midway point in LaGrange at 5:30pm. We stumbled into the team tent were we organized our gear and ate dinner around 7pm. Later that evening I took a bus to a local middle school where showers were available for use, and after a quick hose down it was back to base camp for a 10pm lights out cat-nap.
Day 2 Reveille was 4:30am to the sound of multiple generators firing up for lighting and cooking. It was a brisk 38deg and I wasn’t much for getting out of the sleeping bag, although the hard ground wasn’t doing me any favors either. We gathered up for breakfast and packed our gear so it could be sent to the finish line for us to retrieve later that day. Many riders started lining up at 5:30 to get ready for the 7am start. I decided to rest longer and wait until the actual start time. By 7am we were outside the team tent and waiting for the start. Because every rider was now starting from this location it took over 45-minutes to reach the starting point because we were now ~14,000 in numbers. The morning was cold and calm, and I had put on an extra layer of clothing for the morning’s ride. As we set out I quickly noticed my muscles were a little more tight than normal and I don’t want to even tell you how my backside felt. Nevertheless, we set out down Hwy 71 towards Austin. The winds started up again around 8:30 and were even stronger than the day before. This section of the journey was to consist mostly of hills and some open straight-aways through rural parts of the county. We stopped for lunch in Bastrop and everyone was excited about finishing. After a quick bite to eat I set out for Austin. The last 20-miles seemed like it took forever. We entered into Austin’s city limits around 1pm and I made one more rest stop before the final push. I kept in contact with Jay Kay at each rest stop with an estimated finish time so her and my parents could see me cross the line. As I left the rest stop we were 10 miles from finishing. We went up and down several large hills until we made a large sweeping left turn onto UT’s campus.
As I go closer I could hear and see the crowds forming ahead of me in the last 1,000yds of the ride. I made one more left hand turn and the finish line was 100yds directly in front of me. Everyone was waving and young children were reaching out their hands as to “high-five” me as I crossed the line. Although several thousand people had crossed before me and several more were to cross behind me, I felt as though I was the only rider on the road. It was amazing. My parents snapped this photo just as I crossed the line. It was an adventure I’ll never forget.
I would like to take this time to sincerely thank you for supporting me on this ride. Money raised by all the riders and sponsors is close to $14 million dollars and the MS Society is very appreciative for your donations. Please remember your donations are tax deductible as well. Thank you again, and I look forward to future adventures on the road!
By the Numbers: 15,000 - Registered Riders 14,000 - Riders that rode 155.0 - Miles ridden 15 - hours in the saddle $970.00 Raised by family and friends
THANK YOU!
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