Ride Like the Wind

This year's MS 150, our third, was full of new experiences - some good, some not so.  The good - awesome new jerseys.  Great riding.  Great friends.  Great family.  No rain.  Good food.  Massages. The not so - Stayed in La Grange with EVERYONE (13000 some riders) who rides. Showered in La Grange with EVERYONE else who rides.  More head wind on the second day.

The shower situation may permanently scar Justin and my brother, TJ.  Justin said he hasn't had a shower like that since the Academy Basic Training days.  Yikes!!!  I didn't want to know the rest of the details...  The female shower situation involved a line that was over an hour long and a bus ride to the local junior high.  It was interesting and the feeling when you were done was not necessarily a clean feeling, but it still was a good feeling after riding all day.

We stayed in tent city this year at the halfway point of La Grange, this is the point where companies have group tents set up for riders and individuals bring tents.  Its a unique experience to say the least.  Our dear neighbors (in the next group tent over) had an interesting taste in music - which was live - bonus!  Some of them decided to party till the wee hours and had our whole tent awake with some pretty loud, vulgar language and bottom line, NO RESPECT.  He was downright belligerent when asked to calm and quiet down.  Some people.  You can imagine the start from La Grange on Sundayb morning was very interesting as all the riders pack up and hit the road at nearly the same time.  It was quite crowded and took awhile to get going.

Overall, we loved it and will do it again.  There is a rough part the second day when you ride the last 40 or so miles to Austin... Justin lead us through in true cycling style where we all hunker down behind Justin and he blocks the wind so we can draft off him.  There are so many reasons I love him, and the fact that he made that portion of the ride so much easier is just one of them!

Here's some pics...

Before the BIG ride

During the ride - Day 1

Sleeping arrangements - you can see Jess sound asleep

Justin and TJ are behind her and I am tucked in between Jess and Justin

At a rest stop along the way - I think we had 6 miles left to go.

FINISHERS!!!