Training with the Alamo

180 miles.  17 water bottles.  9 Gatorades.  Countless bananas.  2 shots of Bulleit Bourbon. 

Jody and I rode in the MS150 this weekend with our friends from Team Alamo Drafthouse.  We met Friday afternoon to load bikes, hopped in the van, and made our way first to LaGrange to stake out our camping area for Saturday night. 

Then we traveled on to Houston and had a great team party at one of our rider's homes. 

It was early to bed, as we planned to roll out the next morning at 6:30 for 100 miles.  13,000 people ride in the MS150, each raising at least $400 to help with research and treatment for those living with multiple sclerosis.  It is incredible to be a part of something so huge.  But we hoped to not be right in the middle of that huge something, as you can feel like herded cattle if you're stuck with the masses on the days of the ride.  Our 6:30 roll-out was an effort to get and stay at the front of the pack.  Unfortunately, due to some bad karma on my part, we had to make a bike shop stop Saturday morning before riding, so Jody and I didn't get on the road until closer to 8.  This meant starting behind most of the 13,000 riders.  It was a lesson in patience but also incredibly entertaining.  A lot of people that do this ride don't regularly cycle.  We saw a couple guys in jeans (ouch! - talk about chaffing), a number of women wearing tutus and enormous headpieces, and one of the St. Arnold Brewery riders dressed up as St. Arnold himself, complete with the cone hat and robe.  Here is a pic of the most obnoxious bike shorts of the day:

These folks were clearly having a great time and didn't care one bit about how long it took them to get to LaGrange.  It was a good reminder of what this ride is all about - people taking on a personal challenge in support of a great cause and having fun while doing it.   Unfortunately, the crowds in the middle of the group also created a more dangerous situation than I experienced last year.  Last year, I never saw a crash or a rider down on the pavement.  This year, we were stopped three times on Saturday to clear the roads in order for ambulances to get through.  I saw two people unconscious on stretchers and at least five others down on the road with some serious scrapes and bruises.  I guess this is inevitable when you have that many folks on bikes in one area, but it made me wary.

Jody and I rolled into LaGrange about 1:30 Saturday and were greeted by the awesome Alamo Drafthouse staffers with cold beer, burgers, and a massage therapist ready to dig deep into our tired muscles. 

Tim League, owner of the Alamo Drafthouse, organizes this whole thing, and he does it right!  We relaxed the afternoon away, eating enormous amounts of food, and shooting a little Bourbon in honor of one of sponsors, Bulleit Bourbon.  Nice stuff.

  

Sunday morning we were up early again and, this time, were successful in our efforts to beat the crowds.  Six of us ended up riding the whole morning together, forming pacelines and drafting off of one another to make it home (and off the saddle) as quickly as possible.

Tim, Glenn, Nosh, Jody, Jennie, RF

About halfway through the morning, we latched on to a group of speedy ConoccoPhillips riders, and they pulled us along for 20 miles at over 25 mph.  Trying to keep up with their pace was the hardest I've ever worked on a bike, but it was awesome.  I've spent so much time riding alone while training for the IM, and this reminded me both of how much more fun it is to ride in a group and how it makes me a stronger rider.  We rolled into Austin at 11:15 and toasted with Schlitz, our other beverage sponsor, to a great weekend and some fantastic riding!

(Post-ride lounging at Tim's)