MS 150: Mission Accomplished

Saturday morning started out ominously. When my alarm woke me at 5:40am I could hear the sound of rain pounding on the roof. I was dreading another MS 150 in the rain, which would have been a carbon copy of 2 years ago in Delaware. Fortunately, it was a passing shower and the skies were only lightly misting by the time I hit the road to head towards the start line in Cherry Hill.

The drive through Center City was rather uneventful except for a car that had spun out on the entrance ramp from 76 to 676. I didn't actually stop since police were already on scene. There were apparently no injuries and just a slight gaper delay. The Ben Franklin Bridge was practically desolate at 7am, and my transit to 295 was easy.

I made it to the corner of Burnt Mill Road and Woodcrest Road at around 7:20. There were plenty of other people in the lot, which was apparently not the EDS lot mentioned in the MS 150 flyer, but worked nonetheless. The rain was light and steady and the temperature was in the high 60's as I got my bike out of the car and loaded up with everything I might need on the ride including an extra pair of dry socks (in a ziplock baggie), lots of tissues (I had been sniffling the entire night before), and some snacks. Satisfied that I had everything I might need, I set off towards the tour course, which was on the far side of the parking lot.

I didn't realize that I was already past the start line and already on the course. After riding about 1.5 miles through residential neighborhoods, I realized that I wouldn't be meeting Paul and Steve at the start line for pictures. Instead, I pulled off the course and called Paul to let him know what was going on.

About 10 minutes later Paul and Steve caught up to me and we continued as a team for the next 77 miles. The weather got nicer as the ride continued. The 19 miles until the first rest stop were misty and dreary. The roads were wet and we saw two riders wipe out due to the conditions.

By the end of the ride the conditions were much more ideal. The temperature had risen to the low 80's and there was more sun than clouds. The sun helped dry the roads, and we didn't see any more wipe outs for the rest of the ride.

The total ride was nearly 80 miles. It took the team and I 6 hours and 15 minutes of riding at an average speed of 12.9 mph. I managed a top speed of 34.5 mph coming down the back side of the second bridge in Ocean City.

By the time we got to the finish line in Ocean City at around 5pm the crowds had thinned out compared to what we experienced last year. But that also meant that most of the food was gone and the shirts smaller than XL were also gone. We left our name and address with the t-shirt table and they should be mailing them to us.

Unlike my first ride in Delaware in 2004, I am having no problems walking after this ride. I felt a little sore on Sunday, but it wasn't anything major. Thankfully my training paid off and my knees cooperated. I am toying with the idea of doing the century ride next year, but I probably won't push my luck. 80 miles in one day is enough.

I'd like to especially thank all of my friends, family, and colleagues who donated more than $1200 towards MS research for this ride.