I LOVE BASEBALL

POST MS150 FEELINGS

The MS 150 was a great ride, if not a long one. The final mileage count added up to just over 160. I had a good energy level for the whole ride, which made it so much better. The first day went real well, the roads were nice, with the exception of the two segments after lunch. That part of the ride was rather bumpy and was the start of the wind. When we got into Beeville we (my team) stayed in a hotel instead of the gymnasium, which apparently had an odor of Bengay so strong all muscle soreness was soothed after passing the door.

The second day started and I was the only rider left in my trio. Most of the ride was on flat road, which would have made it easy if it wasn't so windy. Winds were between 10 and 30 mph for most of the day -- it sucked. One of the other riders was complaining about the heat, but I never really felt it because of the wind. I drafted when I could, but most of the time I ended up getting bored with the pace and forced into the wind. In Corpus, the Harbor Bridge was tough. It felt good to be at the finish. I'll do it again next year.

MUD

Went to Government Canyon today, it was raining, it was muddy...

Look at all that sticky mud -- I couldn't even turn my wheels after a just a little bit of riding.

MS150

I just stopped by the LBS (local bike shop) to get my "all ok" sticker for the ride. There really wasn't much to my inspection: just make sure the pedals turn and the brakes work; no gears == no headaches. Tonight they are having a riders expo where I'm hoping there is some swag to be obtained. The plan is to ride fixed gear the entire 150 miles, but if that turns out to suck really bad I'm going to switch to freewheel. Either way it's going to be in one gear the whole way. It has been pretty gratifing to get the, "you're going to be riding fixed?" from the guys at the bike shop (pretty much a badge of honor). Also got the warning about the bridge at the end. Apparently it is quite steep. The going up doesn't concern me, it's the coming down with riders I don't know. There will probably be a crash -- I plan on avoiding that.