MS 150 in 2007 -
The National Multiple Sclerosis
(MS) society has regional chapters in every state which organize many
fund-raising activities, among others an annual weekend ride over 150 miles,
the socalled MS 150. After participating 2004 in the North Dakota MS
150 and last year 2006 in the Florida MS 150,
I had signed up again as member of Team Citrix for the challenge of riding from
Miami down to Key Largo and back – as well as the fund-raising. My goal was to
raise at least $500. Team Citrix was 10 riders strong with captain
Most
people start preparations for a ride like this way ahead of the event. This
year Jill and I wanted to participate on a tandem bicycle. Jon had borrowed us
the tandem a couple of weeks early to prepare specifically for this event. As a
result, we had at least two weekends with 100 training miles each. One of those
rides took us up North to
So
we did already get used somewhat to the tandem – we’re likely going to buy our
own, as riding on the tandem is lots of fun.
As
if timed that way, I also got a perfect weather pattern for a long tailwind
ride the weekend prior to the MS150, which allowed me to implement a long
planned tailwind ride from
I
registered with the MS Society, which provided a template for my
personal fund-raising website and that of Team
Citrix, email to friends and, most importantly, an electronic way to submit
pledges. Then I put the word out to my coworkers and many bike-riding friends. It
would be a 150 mile course in two days.
Saturday, April
21, 2007
The alarm clock rings at
5:30am. We need to get down to the
Once at the campus, we
re-assemble the tandem and put on the bike cloth, getting ready for the
adventure. The morning sun comes up and gives everything an extra sparkle.
We meet up with 4 other
riders from Team Citrix, the rest isn’t here yet. Our overnight bags go with
the UPS trucks and we advance to the start line. We’re actually among the last
group of riders for the 8:15am start window.
An hour ago there were
several hundred riders rolling through this start gate. In some ways, this is
very similar to last year’s ride: Same start and finish, same route, same
weather pattern, same tandem, same Team Citrix captain etc. So there is an
eerie familiarity about this, something like a Déjà vu experience.
Other than our chain
falling off which requires us to stop briefly there are no incidents and
everything is smooth. The temperature is good and the wind is gently from our
back left. Jill and I get used to the tandem rhythm and enjoy the first rest
stop at the Monkey Jungle.
The route zig-zags East
and West between progressing further South towards
Next to me and Jill we
have Jon, his wife Karen and her friend Jeniva. We are even wearing the same
jerseys as last year!
So we continue for a
couple of miles, with not much discernible progress through lots of fields,
nurseries, construction sites, and a huge concrete building which makes us
guess whether it was a jail or a school (The signs say it’s a school – some
might consider it a bit of both…)
At the next rest stop
there is an interesting tree with odd-shaped roots, which brings out the monkey
in the man.
Soon thereafter we get to
The scenery changes from
open fields and nurseries to sawgrass and swamp. Quite lovely actually to get
away from the city traffic and busy roads. We stop at the next rest stop. Some
clouds build up and temporarily darken the sky a bit, but as it turns out there
is no rain, not even a sprinkle in the cards today.
Soon after the stop we get
to the toll booth and then the tall Card Sound bridge.
After some brief but
intense uphill pedaling we reach the crest of the bridge and stop to take in
the view.
Today, as it happens,
there is a regatta with dozens of sailboats just getting ready to sail under
the bridge.
The boats are all flying
their big spinnaker sail, which makes for an interesting perspective on the
down-wind side of the bridge. The mast of this yacht misses touching the bridge
by less than 5 feet. It feels like you can reach out and touch the sails.
Of course we need to have
the tandem-train-on-top-of-the-bridge picture taken again very similar to last
year J
One more rest stop
provides relief from sitting in the saddle for now about 4 hours or so. Here we
see Fernando chatting with Jon after some refreshing Gatorade.
Shortly thereafter we
reach the Junction with Hwy US-1. From there it’s another 5 miles, somewhat
less pleasant and quite busy with traffic.
It feels good to finally
reach the entrance of the
We sit together with the
rest of Team Citrix under a big tent and have lunch. Not that anyone is really
hungry after having stopped at so many rest stops for snacks, fruit, and
drinks, but it just feels good to sit and rest. As you can see, there are many
who just sit and nap…
After this late lunch we
pick up our bags and hop on the shuttle for the short drive back to the
Marriott Key Largo hotel. Thanks to Jill’s foresight we have a reservation
there for a lovely room. After a refreshing shower and some nap time we go over
to the Gus Grille restaurant. We have coffee and Key Lime pie to this lovely
view:
You may remember this view
from my trip reports of the Harley Davidson rides down to
We walk back to the State
Park for dinner and the beach party, even though we are utterly unimpressed
with both food and music. As Jill puts it: Standing around and watching other
people get drunk isn’t our thing. But at least we have the company of Team
Citrix and can reflect on the first day of this year’s MS150 ride.
Sunday, April
22, 2007
In the morning we are
lucky with the Shuttle – unlike last year, where we waited for 45 mins and then
filed into private cars with no shuttle ever showing up – this year, we step
out of the hotel room and see the Shuttle pull up at the Marriott. Within 10
mins we are on site at the
We have some breakfast and
slowly prepare to get ready for the ride back. After all, this is not a race –
certainly not for us – completing the ride is all that counts, not beating your
personal best time or someone else’s time.
Every 5 mins or so they
let a block of riders start. It’s about 7:30 am when we leave the Start area.
We ride for a while along
US-1 until we get to the quieter Card Sound road. Today the East wind is not in
our favor, at times from the side, at times a head wind. That’s to be expected
when you ride back the same way you came from, except if you are so lucky that
the wind shifts and you ride with tailwind both on Saturday and Sunday (like I
did in July 2003 in South
Dakota between Fargo and Watertown for 555km on one weekend J).
We follow the group and
get into a good rhythm. At one point a sporty tandem passes us and we consider
jumping on it’s wheel. As we hesitate for a bit it’s hard work to close the gap
of about 100 yards at speeds of 25 mph (40 km/h) or more. But once we’re
drafting behind the tandem it is better and we sustain that speed for a while.
Turns out they wanted to catch up with their group that had started at an
earlier 5 min window. Once we reach the next rest-stop the group they needed to
catch is resting there! So they relax and cruise at a more leisure speed. There
is time to chat and for Jill to take a picture of the other tandem.
Turns out it is Matt
Miller, founder of www.CDifferent.org
as guide for visually impaired athlete Charles Plaskon (left). I am inspired by
the fact that through Matt as the guide this practically blind athlete Charles
can participate in this ride and enjoy the experience. They apparently already
completed Ironman triathlon races, so by comparison the MS 150 is a piece of
cake for them, but nonetheless quite inspirational! Check out Matt’s
organization’s website for more photos and details.
Soon their group swallows
us from the back.
We rest just before the
bridge and after seeing Jon and the other tandem with Karen and Jeniva pass, we
continue up to the top of the bridge.
The view isn’t quite as
exciting as yesterday due to some cloud cover, but it’s still very scenic. Just
like last year, the downhill part gives us the top-speed of the day (33 mph, 53
km/h).
We reunite with the other
tandem in Team Citrix; they have another pair of fresh, matching jerseys J
We stop again at the rest
stop in the middle of the long straight-away for some refreshing snacks and
drinks. Nobody is in a big rush, especially not when the weather turns nicer
and there is so much good food prepared by so many volunteers J
It seems as if there is
even a separate parking area for tandems!
After 15-20 mins of
refreshments we are ready for the next leg of this journey.
Not long after this stop
we reach
Now we need to turn East
and pedal straight into the wind for a couple of miles. That’s no fun. At least
with the tandem you are a bit faster than single riders as you have less “drag
per engine” with two riders sitting right behind each other.
After a hard 5 miles or so
into this wind we finally reach the Miami Speedway again for a round and then
some stops.
The speedway oval is again
a highlight of this MS 150 ride – of course it’s not quite the same as the
first time for me, but still quite exciting. We rest again and drink plenty of
fluid, interrupted by sitting in the shade and applying more sunscreen for the
remainder of the day.
We continue along
beautiful alleys of palm trees…
…past the Homestead Air
Force base and another rest stop at a park where the route slightly differs
from last year and we zigzag across the park instead of following the busy main
roads.
One challenging part is the
local garbage dump - the only “hills” in
We get some drinks at the
rest stop immediately thereafter and later, after another 10 miles or so, we
reach the Deering Estate park with its picturesque coral walls and beautiful
gardens.
Even the volunteers are
now in a good mood, as seen here with trumpet and leis dancing and singing for
the arriving riders.
There are only a few more
miles and one Highway overpass for us in order to reach the Miami Dade college
campus again. After many hours of riding and lots of sweat we roll over a sign
“U did it” painted on the road. Jill is naturally all smiles J
The odometer reads 149
miles when we pull into the lineup to the Finish line. 30 hours after we
started here the day before we enter the campus area again. We are greeted to
applause and get medals for finishing.
Jill’s slightly cynical
comment after the ride to her colleagues: “I paid $300 to torture myself over
the weekend.” But see for yourself: Doesn’t she look happy and very content
about completing this ride and raising funds for a good cause?
At the beginning of May it
looks like with Citrix matching donations we have surpassed the $4,500 mark.
That’s something to be proud of. We helped the MS society in their quest to
“Start to Finish” this disease.
You can get involved, too:
Give a donation – or better yet - Join a team for next year!