"Trust Me, I've Gone This Way Before..."

And so it was, with that line, we followed Sarah ona small adventure along one of the busiest highways in Texas.

I-10 Is the East-West highway that spans the entire state of Texas, not to mention, it connects the east shore of Florida, by Jacksonville, and the West coast of California. On Sunday, Sarah, Amanda and I ventured on what was to be a 65 mile ride though West Houston. About ten miles in, we hit a wall of wind that I had not ridden in for over two years. As we trudged through this headwind, the best we could ask for was a brief respite vis a vis a cross wind. about 35 miles in, we hit the rest stop that sits just north of I-10. When we talked to the people working at the rest stop, they told us that the best we could expect was a tailwind for the last 7 miles. That meant another 30 more miles of 30 mph winds in our face. It was at this junction that we had been through enough.

Sarah suggested we just take the feed road home. She claimed it was only 15 miles of uninterrupted roadway ( lie--she didn't really know, it turned out to be 20 miles, but she was close). Amanda was scared about the high speed traffic that would be sharing the road with us, but that fear was not as bad as dealing with the wind for another 30 miles. Sarah assured us that she had done it before (another lie) and that it wasn't a problem since we could stay on the feeder the entire time(another lie).

Well, about 5 miles down the road, after we bid adieu to the suckers who continued along the route, we hit the dead end. The only solution, riding or walking on the shoulder of I-10 until the next exit. That was the last time we trust Sarah to tell us a new route.

Gator Raslin'

As you all know, the MS 150 season starts in January and runs through the Spring right up to the MS 150. The MS Society puts out a lsit of Recommended Rides, whcih are pretty well organized and supported rides. Each of these rides has a $20-$30 entry fee. All of the have a day of registration fee that is $5-$10 more than the early rgistration. This has been aptly called the "Sleeping In Option Fee"

This past Saturday, with Amanda at work, Sarah and I decided to head out to Baytown for the ride known as the Gator Bike. Because we decided late Friday to do the ride, the sleeping in option was still in play. Well, I woke up about 15 minutes late. apparently, someone, maybe a ghost, maybe the dog, turned off my alarm. No, it wasn't just turned down, the alarm was off. Fortunately, I got dressed pretty quickly and beat Sarah's desire to go back to bed and dragged her out to he ride, which worked out.

The weather was great. very little wind and lots of sun without too much heat. And since we started late, all we ahd to do was just pass people. No getting caught in big crowds. The only thing we had to battle was refinery fumes, which are delicious.
I highly recommend that....almost as much as westling with alligators.

MS News Update!

For those of you who enjoy medical research. You might like this article...

Stanford Researchers Find Protein Targets For Potential Treatment Of Multiple Sclerosis

Basically, this study found that blocking certain brain tissue proteins dramatically improved the condition of the test mice.

This finding will allow for personalized treatment and therapy for MS patients who present with increased levels of the two proteins studied in this experiment.

Researchers like those invovled in this study are pioneering the path to a world free of MS, and they need our help. Researchers like Dr. Han and Dr. Steinman benefit greatly from the funds that the MS Society provides to them, which are raised through events like the MS 150.

Please, if you have not donated to my MS 150 cause, I strongly urge you to do so.

Here is a link to my donor page for the MS 150:

MS-150 Online Donation Page

Happy President's Day

Ok, I couldn't take looking at Crazy Jack's mug anymore everytime I opened explorer, so Happy President's Day Everyone! In honor of George Washington's Birthday (and because I'm helping Amanda throw an engagement party this weekend), no official rides are scheduled, but some laps around Houston may be in order.

There...much more pleaseing on the eyes...



And since I haven't talekd donations in a while...

Here is a link to my donor page for the MS 150:

MS-150 Online Donation Page

Have We All Gone Crazy?

The answer to this question is probably "no." But...

The point of today's post is really a recap of our first training ride in earnest. All signs pointed towards a great ride. The weather was perfect, Amanda had her new bike that fit, and well, the weather was nice. I figured that 50 miles was a good start since we would have done 40 at the Frost Bike had it not been freezing here. Amanda seemed excited about getting out and really riding, and she took to it with gusto. For a first long ride, she kept a decent pace. We also saw a familiar face in hockey teammate, fellow avid bike rider and beer connoisseur/home-brew-meister, Chris Gerty. Chris always has tons of information on the science of biking and brewing beer, which are usually mutally exclusive. One thing that I've learned about these long bike rides, is that although you're going fast, they are still very long rides, take a long time and lots of energy and can try your patience. Around mile 30, things started to get really hairy for us.

For most of the ride, Amanda and I had been riding together or I would be a little bit ahead of Amanda, slowing down for her to catch up every so often. After the Mile 30 rest stop, I pulled ahead of Amanda then slowed down for her. As she pulled up, I heard the unmistakable sniffle of someone who had hit the wall. The next 20 miles were, well, let's just say little Gabby doubled as a psychiatrist's couch, and the country roads of Brazoria County might as well have been a doctor's office. For anyone who thinks the rides are easy, Amanda can now tell you they're not. I just happen to remember the easy times more than the sucky times (when the wind is in your face for the last 10+ miles of a 60 mile ride, or your going uphill for the entire ride). Anyway, she hadn't gotten much sleep the night before and was exhausted, but she was a trooper and finished the ride in better spirits.

Of course, I was not permitted to take post ride photos of her and Gabby. I guess well just have to wait until the next ride in tww weeks.

As for fundraising, I am very VERY happy to report that we've already raised close to $3,500! Tht is very impressive and overwhelming to have gotten such a response in such a short amount of time, and I think much of the response speaks to not only everyone's genrosity and the worthiness of the cause, but to Howie's memory. I think that many of the people who have thus far opened their heart and wallets knew Howie and the kind of person he was. And I think that his family should be proud (try not to cry, Andrea.).

There won't be any post next week, as Amanda and I will be in Nashville visiting her firend Sarah Lowe. I've never been to Nashville, so I'm looking forward to the trip.

New Member of the Roslyn Family

Ok, no we're not, nor have we been, pregnant, but there is a new addition to the family. Amanda finally got her bike this week and quickly named it Gabby, which, as Amanda said, "sounds like a girl who would I would want to hang out with for long periods of time." Of course, she sheepishly admitted that she came oup with that name from Dolce and Gabbana--the bike model is a "Dolce"--which I had already figured out and for which I was laughing at her on the inside. Is it sick that I figured out the whole Dolce and Gabbana thing almost immediately?

I got her clipless pedals--we'll see how that goes--at her request. She says she's going to watch Jackass Two again to help her get over the fear of falling. I'm still amazed that she actually finds parts of that movie funny since it's definitely one of those stupid moves that appeals to my 4th grade sense of humor and for which I usually get scoffs and eyerolls from Amanda.

West U Warmup is this weekend, so I'll report back on Amanda's first time on the clipless pedals.

Frost Bike 50 Too Frosty!

Last Sunday marked the unofficial start to the biking season with the Frost Bike 50. Frosty it was. We were registered for the 45 mile ride--not too short, not too far for the first ride of the season--but when we got to the start, plans quickly changed.

Sarah, suffering from a cold, and the near 30 degree temps pushed us to go easy and only do 17 miles, which was easy enough. Amanda did well for her first ride, although preparing for the cold with appropriate gear and dress--bike gear or just plain old clothes--still seems to be her weakness.

So how leisurely was our 17 mile jaunt? Afterwards, Amanda bemoaned the fact that she probably had not burned off the lean pocket she ate for breakfast, and that was probably true.

But the day was not a total waste. Amanda managed to score a brand new bike out of it courtesy of, well me. Borrowing Jeff Barnes bike for the interim proved to be unworkable, as the big was a tad too long for Amanda's shorter torso. So now she gets to ride a women specific Specialized in yellow and white (her choice of colors).

No rides this coming weekend as well, they are all too far away, and Amanda's father is here to come look at the new house that we are buying. A trip to the Memrioal PArk picnic loop may be in order for Sunday though to learn the proper use of the gears and shifting.