MS 150 Part Deux

Getting up at 4:00 in the morning is not fun. I don't care if you went to bed at 4:00 the previous afternoon. It's still not fun. If man was intended to get up at 4:00 then God would have made the sun rise at 4:00. Last time I checked it was still pretty freakin' dark at 4:00. I'm just sayin'.

So I got up really early, caught the shuttle bus back to Texas Motor Speedway and prepared for what I figured to be a very grueling day on the road. We watched the weather ... a lot ... the night before and it all said scattered showers with severe weather likely after 12:00. I was not looking forward to another day of riding in the rain. Especially on weary legs and a sore butt.

The thing about riding this far is you have to always make sure you have fuel in your body. You must make sure you're keeping a proper eating schedule which always begins with a good breakfast. I'm not a breakfast person. Never have been. I just don't have the stomach for it in the mornings. But I knew I had to get something on my stomach so I ate half a power bar and drank a bottle of water. Just fyi ... water is not the best thing to put on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. I never felt like I would throw up but I definitely didn't feel great as we started the ride.

The start time was pushed back about 20 minutes because of an overturned 18 wheeler that all the police officers had to respond to. So after waiting at the start line for almost 45 minutes the cops finally made it back to lead the ride back out on the roads around TMS. 14.2 miles to the first rest stop. We were headed northwest so we had the 15 mph wind at our backs for the morning. It would be that way for the first 30 miles and then it was all over so I knew I needed to enjoy it while it lasted and not waste a lot of energy before the afternoon. Stopped at the first rest stop and I ate an entire bagel. Doesn't sound like much ... except for the fact that I hate bagels. But this one wasn't toasted or tough so it was more like blueberry bread. And that I find to be delicious. Thanks to a little food I was starting to feel much better as we headed on towards the lunch stop in Decatur. We arrived around 9:30 (remember the start time was pushed back over 20 minutes) at the lunch stop. That's right. Lunch at 9:30. Can't get it at McDonald's but you sure can get it that early on the MS 150. My friends Elizabeth and Aimee had already made plans to call it a day at the lunch stop and take the shuttle back to the end. So I was on my own for the remaining 45 miles of the course. I was feeling tired at this point. Partially from getting up so early and partially from all the miles I had already gone. And I knew the rest of the ride would be the toughest part. I had been told the last 45 miles was filled with lots of climbs. Perfect for when your legs already feel like rubber. I took off and headed south straight into the wind. I knew from this point on I just had to be methodical and get it finished. I would stop at all the rest stops, but I knew I shouldn't stay long. Partially because of losing the motivation to keep riding and partially because every time I stopped later in the day my muscles all started to tighten and it usually took several miles to stretch out again. The next stop was 10 miles. The sun was finally coming out (we had seen no rain so far) so it was getting hot. It was another 8 miles to the next stop. As I got ready to leave that stop I heard someone call my name. I turned to find Elizabeth and Aimee. They were having to ride rest stop to rest stop in order to get back so they just decided to get out and ride the rest. It was nice to have the company and encouragement again. The next 15 miles were really tough. Lots of climbs. Lots of wind. After the ride people asked me if there was ever a point where I thought I wouldn't finish. The answer was always "no". There was however a point where I thought I might not be able to finish the entire ride due to mechanical difficulties. I could tell that my bike was not performing at its peak. I was just trying to get it through a few more miles though. I threw a chain at the top of a long climb and got it jammed between the small chain ring and the frame. I tried to free it but couldn't. I got some help from a ride marshall who was not very optomistic about freeing the chain out on the road without tools. After several minutes though he was able to free it and I was okay to ride on towards the finish.

After the final rest stop we had 11 miles until the end. We rode through neighborhoods, across 820 and finally into the old neighborhoods of Fort Worth. And then finally I saw a familiar building in the distance. It was Billy Bob's. We were almost to the stockyards. We turned north and made our way along the last couple of miles on Main St. in Fort Worth. And just when you think the hard part is over, you see the huge hill you must climb up to the courthouse in downtown Fort Worth. It's long. Very long. Once at the top you make several turns and then finally one last right turn back onto Main St. and then you see it. The finish line. People are lining the streets cheering the riders on. I look for my family and friends on the left side of the street. I finally spot them just as they spot me. It was such a great feeling to hear their cheers and see them all there. Almost forgot I'd been on a bike for over 150 miles. And then finally ... it's over.

The next 30 minutes were kind of a blur. After spending so much peaceful time on my bike, I now had a ton of people around. Lots of picture taking. Lots of hugs. Jaime just had to touch my butt in the biker shorts. More picture taking. It was great. All of it.

We all finished off the day with a huge meal on the patio at Joe T. Garcia's down in the stockyards. We had great food. Great drinks. Shared lots of stories between friends and family. It was all wonderful.

I'm still only a little over a week removed, but I still feel like this is one of the best things I've done in my life. I love that it's for a great cause. It's a cause that is close to my heart and close to the hearts of those around me. But it was also a tough personal challenge to finish this ride. I sometimes forget the value in pushing yourself beyond where you've been before and the things you've done before. It felt so great to be a part of this event and you can definitely expect me there next year. I'll probably even drag a few friends along ... as some have already expressed interest.

So thanks to everyone who took part, whether it was financially, coming out to support me in person, or both. I really appreciate it.

I've posted all the pics I have of the ride so if you want to see them go here:

www.flickr.com/photos/craigmcclain