Dough, it's so easy to get caught up in the fun of the ride. As I will detail below, the MS Society puts together a very well supported two day affair that gives cyclists of all abilities the chance to take a swing against MS. Leg shavers may turn up their nose at this charity affair. If you are in that camp, lighten up Francis. The ride is secondary to the expression of support for those battling a mysterious, debilitating malady. It's an unpredictable affliction. It can take you tomorrow, or just sit there, hovering over your life for years. An ever present shadow threatening to tint your daily existence.
It takes courage to fight. So kudos to all those battling MS, and to their loved ones for supporting them, and all the medical professionals treating patients and/or frantically searching for a way to beat it.
It also takes courage to get on your hybrid and ride 175 miles in a weekend. More courage than I possess. So kudos to all the non-cyclists that ponied up for this weekend's ride.
Except for the guys that almost hit me. You guys need to keep right when the pain train is rolling through town. I am joking, of course. But seriously, when someone says on your left, it means DO NOT GO TO YOUR LEFT. Quite the opposite.
HERE ARE THE WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS:
Pre-Ride (friday)
The Badger picked up ME, Hoodie and Ullrich, shepherding us in his F150 Palace to Chipotle. There we met Mauricio and Veej (aka "Where's VJ?) for our now-iconic pre-rdie lunch. As instructed by Hoodie, we all wore our 337 T's. Which are so pro. While sitting there, a fellow patron asked if we were part of a cycling team. To wit, Hoodie replied, "well, kinda." An appropriate response, in light of the Patron's next comment "My daughter works for Radio Shack Nissan Trek." Yeah, we know those guys....
On the way out, we had to wait for VJ, who had to squeeze the lemon one more time. [Recurring theme for the weekend!]
Bus ride was pretty uneventful. Dykes (aka Goldfinger) and Stanton (stay tuned for his newly christened nickname) joined us. Panozz spent the entire ride outfitting Hoodie's new steed, and passing out tips to save $$ on cycling gear. Look for a new feature on the website that incorporates some pearls of wisdom from "THE FRUGAL CYCLIST." For the 3rd consecutive year it rained all the way down to Houston.
In Houston, we checked into the supremely mediocre Omni Hotel (which also describes our cycling skills), and wandered the halls. St. David's rolled out the hospitality, with some excellent pre-ride carb loading-beer and pretzels. There we met some of the guys down from Tulsa. More on them later.
At Carabba's for dinner we partook of some fine wine, heavy carbs and light conversation. Reunited with Dentite Greg from last year's MS150, and his lovely lady friend Vanessa. Those two plus all the guys mentioned above worked our way through our meals with single minded dedication.
After the meal, we cabbed it over to Tully to retrieve our bikes. Shining moment of the day. Veej, of course. As the last guy to get his bike, Veej is asked to produce his claim check. Classic response of the weekend. "I have a claim check?" Thank you Veej, for all that you do.
Post-bike, we all checked in early.
Saturday
4:30 Breakfast. I ordered the organic farmer's breakfast. Apparently, the organic farmer is a tomato hater. Lamest tomato I have ever eaten. Oh yeah, I ate it. Stanton showed up with a double venti Starbucks, lamenting his intricate pre-ride routine. That guy has a very fine-tuned engine, and I am not talking about his bike. Which is awesome. I hereby posit that Stanton out-rivals even Ullrich in his fastidious dedication to the pre-ride plop stop. You know what I am talking about. Let me mention here that we have been agonizing over a nickname for Stanton for years. At this point in the morning, I was subconsciously digesting the inputs for a name that had substance. One that would stick. Onward.
6am Rogue Roll from the Parking Lot. We rocked the HCD red kits. So pro. Paceline? ME, Hoodie, Mauricio, Ullrich, Stanton, Goldfinger, Where's VJ? and the Badger. Plus a host of guys from Tulsa. I think they were six in total. I only recall the names of Wayne (mega-beast), Kevin (world's nicest Okie), and Colnago Dan. To the rest I can only issue:
1. an apology for not remembering your name
2. a heartfelt thanks for the yeoman's work you did in the paceline
3. and most importantly a HOOK 'EM HORNS. Look me up 10/13 in Dallas. I will buy you a beer after the Horns put a whoopin' on Landry Jones!
I digress. Our rogue roll was a stroke of genius. Can't say enough good things about the guys we rode with. Both the Tulsa Toughs and the HCD contingent. wind in our face ALL Day at 20mph. Still managed nearly 19mph on the day. Of course, we stopped about 6 times, as we are all getting too old to pass up two things. One is a bathroom, and the other is not meant for this blog.
Awesome work in the paceline from everyone made for as pleasant a day in the saddle as you will ever get while heading into 20mph gales. Plus, the rogue start absolutely eliminated the population. We were passed by exactly NO ONE. It was somewhere on this ride that I was struck with the solution to the Problem of Stanton. Triggered by his now-iconic throat clearing.
Everyone, welcome the Growler to the HCD!
Saturday POST-RIDE
Beer. Sweet Beer. Thanks to Mickey, Becky and Mike and the rest of the St. David's support crew. What a sweet setup. bags all there, gumbo cooking on the pot, cold Shiners, water, etc waiting for us. My massage was lower quartile, but the day wasn't so demanding that I needed a lifesaving soigneur.
In the shower line, I was struck by a conversation happening in front of me. Two younger guys talking about the cancelled ride through the park. One says "the last hill in the park is so steep, and so long. It's the biggest climb in Texas!" Not so my friend. Not so. I would wager Fort Davis is about five times longer. and there are only thirty or so climbs in Austin alone that make the bump in the park look like a bump in the park.
Two meals later, plus some lemonade and vodka (thanks to the Growler and Goldfinger
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgN50uAp4pg !) we were sated and ready for some inspiration. So we headed to the finish line. Talk about courage. People still rolling in en masse at 5pm. That's a long day in the saddle ladies. Best sight of the day? A dude on a hybrid. 3 bills. and wearing an aero helmet. You can't make that stuff up.
Saturday Night/Sunday Morning - this is the timeframe where I annually conclude that I will never do this ride again. This year was no exception.
Sunday Ride
POSITIVE - winds died to nothing
NEGATIVE - NO rogue start. leading to a lot of Stranger Danger. Plus, no Tulsa Toughs.
Equaled out to a very very slow start. Teeth chattering, praying for the sun, we headed out of La Grange, snails on wheels. The ride was relatively uneventful. Highlights:
1. Chasing back to the group when Jimmy (TacoDelian) punctured
2. Nice pacelines lead by Jimmy, Panozz, and....Ullrich!
3. Tommy Boy lookalike at rest stop with a small jersey and a large belly. And sunscreen slathered all over his exposed midriff. pretty sight? No. Eventful sight? YES.
4. Near accident while ME and Hoodie pulled the paceline. Maybe my fault. I don't know, but seriously, when someone says on your left, it means DO NOT GO TO YOUR LEFT. Quite the opposite.
5. Great work from Veej and Vanessa, who finished in tandem.
6. Hoodie and Ullrich showed off the fruits of the PedalHard Labor. Well Done Fellas!
7. Panozz is at such different level that comparisons do not apply. OK, maybe we could compare him to Jimmy.
8. St David's kits? so pro.
Post-ride summary-
1. God is great, beer is good and people are crazy.Thanks again to the support team. Such a great time!! Team St David's has raised $59,000 thus far. Take that MS!
