I am riding in the MS150...

...on June 26-27.

My wife was diagnosed in Sept. of '09, so I'm getting my posterior out on my road bike to do this marathon of a ride in order to help raise money for further research.

(link fixed) http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/RIRBikeEvents?px=7773859&pg=personal&fr_id=13992

I've been training fairly consistently, but I have to ramp it up a bit more, since my day-after recovery isn't all that hot.

Anyway, no donation is too small--it's all greatly appreciated. If you donate, please include your screenname so I know who is who.

thanks, folks

Link just takes me to the generic front page. Let me know how I can donate directly for you and I'm all over it.

Best of luck with the ride and all my thoughts and prayers for you and your wife.

theres another one? are there several of these across the country?

a friend of mine rode in the houston-austin BP MS150 a couple weeks ago

In reply to JThw8:

Gamby's MS Contribution Page

AngryCorvair wrote: In reply to JThw8: Gamby's MS Contribution Page

Bueno, thanks AC!

In reply to gamby:

done!

i'm hoping to do the july Bike MS 200 here in MI, but haven't got any road miles since leaving SC two months ago. my base is strong enough that i could make it, but i still like to have a few hundred miles under my wheels before heading out for back to back centuries.

learn from my mistake in '08: don't ride on too hard a saddle, and even though it feels creepy at first, go ahead and butter up on the first day.

Thanks for your efforts. My dad has had MS for about 20 years, bed-ridden for 10 of them. I did an MS100 years back. Maybe I should get my arse back into shape and do my part.

Sincerely, thank you.

Strizzo wrote: theres another one? are there several of these across the country? a friend of mine rode in the houston-austin BP MS150 a couple weeks ago

Yes, there are. I rode in the Cleveland-Sandusky-Cleveland MS150 on several occasions. I think I wore my '94 shirt to work yesterday.

One of the guys I work with also did that for 17 straight years, up to and including last year. (It's in August)

We have, ah, different riding strategies. His is to do the optional first-day century and still make it to the end point (Cedar Point) by noon, not stopping except for water replenishment and a quick snack at the halfway mark.. Mine, however, is to plod along at a lower average speed, pig out on fruit and bagels at every rest stop, and draw a 75 mile ride out to eight hours.

ah, i just figured since it was such a huge deal down here that it was the only one. good to know there are others. this one drew 13,000 riders this year, with everything from very serious riders on top dollar bikes to folks on beach cruisers.

One year I went with a friend on a vintage, unrestored single-speed Schwinn tandem. The thing weighed about 70 pounds. Fresh tires and grease in the hubs and we were rollin'.

We got very good at timing coasting or braking events (coaster brake, no rim brakes) and developed a "Gravity Is Our Friend" strategy for the downhill sections. My friend, as captain, would put his elbows on the grips, his hands on the stem, and duck his head down close to his hands. I, on the other hand, would rest my chest on the saddle and tuck my head so far down that I was looking backwards. We blew past one couple as the husband excitedly shouted that they were going 50.

Some things are fun as long as you don't realize how incredibly stupid they are.

Knurled wrote: Mine, however, is to plod along at a lower average speed, pig out on fruit and bagels at every rest stop, and draw a 75 mile ride out to eight hours.

This is probably how mine will turn out--I'm hoping to average 14-15mph, depending on how hilly it gets. I can spin at 17-18 mph in the flat w/ no headwind forever.

AngryCorvair wrote: learn from my mistake in '08: don't ride on too hard a saddle, and even though it feels creepy at first, go ahead and butter up on the first day.

One step ahead of you. I got a higher-rise stem (easier on the back) and a memory foam sport-touring saddle. My ego w/ this stuff is nonexistent. I just need a bike setup that won't kill me.

DrBoost wrote: Thanks for your efforts. My dad has had MS for about 20 years, bed-ridden for 10 of them. I did an MS100 years back. Maybe I should get my arse back into shape and do my part. Sincerely, thank you.

It ain't nothin'. I truly believe in paying karma forward. In this case, it seems like the only thing I can do that will make an impact (aside from being a good husband to my wife).

Thanks for the participation, folks. You guys are great.

In reply to Knurled:

That's an alarming tale. I'm not crazy enough to do that and I skate(board) bowls.

bump

Which one are you riding in? My father has ridden in them for the past 2 years, in southern jersey if I remember correctly. His first one he said sucked a$$ and the 2nd year wasn't much better. and that was after he would go riding everyday for 50-70 miles up and down hills mostly.

Andrew

It's in RI. The route goes from Narragansett, RI to Connecticut College. Ride back on day 2. This year's course is allegedly not terribly hilly.

A friend of mine whom I'm riding it with said it's really well-run--they have the logistics down. I guess it depends on the chapter you ride with.