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.

Rides Start in Two Weeks!

I've got to get into the storage shed in the backyard, peel through some cobwebs and hopefully find my bike and a bottle of WD-40. The chain is probably pretty sticky. After wiping off the thick layer of dust and greasing the drivetrain, the bike should be in pretty good shape. I'll be breaking in my new wheelset, which I obtained in part with the gift certificate reward I received last year from the MS Society.

Frost Bike 50 is on January 27! It ought to be fun seeing Amanda's first foray into long distance riding. Hopefully all that gear I got her for Hanukkah will last more than one ride...

My first email should be comign out soon...

The 300 Club

I found out recently that I was part of the 300 Club, which, as the MS Scoiety calls it, "is an elite group of the top 300 fundraisers for the MS-150." This year's 300 Club raised nearly $3.3 million in donations, an increase of $598,788.27 from the amount the previous 300 Club raised.

Of the 13,000 plus riders from last year's ride, I was the 294 highest donations earner. This is truly an honor, as well as a tribute to all who donated to this special cause.

Thank you to all of you who donated!!!

Just Starting Out

Ok. So in an effort to share my training, progress, thoughts, feelings, and reactions on the MS-150 Bike Ride and the training season leading up to the Big Ride, I am starting this here little blog. For those of you who don't know what the MS 150 is, it is a 2-day bike ride form Houston to Austin with about 13,000 participant riders. This year will be my third year f participation in the MS 150. Last year I was fortunate enough to ride with my sister-in-law, Sarah Morgan, and friend, Jesse Dickerman. We proved to be a pretty good trio, as we all rode the same pace throughout the rides. This year, my wife, Amanda, is getting involved. I guess she got tired of sleeping in and spending all of those Sunday mornings between January and April alone. Most of you probably remember her from the infamous email as the "swollen pudding cup." Also, our friend and riding aficionado, Chris Tracy, is back from dominating the velodromes in Boston to join us on our rides.

With this blog, you will, hopefully, get to see what happens on those 4-hour long training rides and how we all manage to keep ourselves entertained while ignoring the sometimes cold weather, the rain, the wind and especially that dull pain you feel in your crotch after sitting on a bike for 4 hours.

Of course, the ultimate purpose of this blog and of all of the MS 150 riders is to raise money for and awareness of MS. Here is a link to my donor page for the MS 150:

MS-150 Online Donation Page

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Adventure...