I am proud of my hubby! Long account of MS 150

Now, I've mentioned that perhaps Nick's training plan wasn't exactly conventional for the MS 150 this summer. Then he had planned to take it easy this week, but had to level off a silo (lots of shovelling) on Thursday. On Friday the silo unloader broke, and since it was full he climbed up and down it several times.

I, however, was a lazy bum.

Nick and I got to the start and got on the road with everyone else and felt good. We made sure to eat well the night before and that morning. Still, when we turned South, into the wind the challenge increased for everyone.

By Lennox, Nick's legs didn't have so much smoke, which was crazy. We knew that the Trek hybrid would be more work since it was heavier and just didn't roll the same as my roadbike. But we were going SLOW and it was very difficult and his legs had pain. He stopped and tweaked the seat position several times and that seemed to help.

The whole trip was just picking away at the miles and achieving small goals. It was a frustrating day for Nick. We felt better that there were generally people around us the whole way. Though others talked about and eventually did grab the aid of a SAG wagon to cover a few miles. That's just what people had to do to get down the road.

Saturday was an emotionally challenging day. Nick did give me clearance to head down the road. I waved the bull crap flag and said I wouldn't. That wouldn't have been cool of me. Plus, I am well aware of how cruel miles can be when you're already in less than ideal conditions. Cycling is SUCH a mind game. You can work through a lot of stress and issues, but you can also work yourself into quite the funk if given the opportunity. We were both cranky for a few moments here and there. It happens. But if I had left then we both would've been cranky on our own.

We decided that if we could just get to 306th St. and have those few miles with a tailwind, we could manage the last 14 on University. At the pitstop on University several people were catching rides into town to miss the hills.

One man with a Gary Fisher bike said that I could have it if I wanted it. I asked if he was upgrading to a roadbike. He said, "No. I'm done biking." I believe that his wife had talked him into riding the MS150 after a signifcant break from biking (like 20 years... I think.).

The official cut off time on the course was 4:30. We were on the S curves then. We had decided together that if we were asked to leave the course, we would politely decline. I ride that road all of the time and we could do it. Nobody asked us to leave, but the SAG wagons were circling like vultures. It was nice to know that they were hanging out in case anything was needed.

Nick and I have been married nearly one year. There's a good chance that we'll have to endure some fairly crappy things together and we won't get to pick and choose. So, as long as we have the priviledge to decide the challenges that we'll tackle together, I figured that we may as well finish them together too. It was tough, but we had a good time along the way.

So yay. We got in at a quarter to five after a very long day on the road. I felt pretty good, though I don't think that my butt has been on the saddle that long, ever.

We both enjoyed the banquet. If a person ever loses sight of why we do this, they do a great job of reminding riders. I'm glad that they share statistics so that we can share the info when we talk about the ride with others. I just can't believe the number of MS patients in the region. There's something like 4,000 in the US and approximately 1200 just in the midwest. It hits close to home.

After the banquet we slept like rocks. That was nice, I hadn't slept much the night before.

Nick wasn't exactly certain of how far he'd ride Sunday. The wind was gracious and allowed us to cover miles easily. However, when we'd go down hills I beat him, no problem. He'd have to pedal his bum off even then, the bike didn't coast much. THEN, a 90 pound kid on a mountain bike with wide, knobby, tires beat Nick downhill. Something was clearly wrong with the bike. I was kicking myself for having not cleaned the bike and relubing it. We didn't do a thorough check of either bike. We flagged down Two Wheeler Dealer to ask them for assistance.

As soon as we'd stopped, I saw the problem. The rear brake was slightly off kilter and rubbing on the rim. Bollocks. He'd been riding with some significant drag. The rim was warm. At least we caught it before the first rest stop on Sunday. Though Saturday could've been less miserable.

The heat was my kryptonite. There were times that I could've maintained a decent clip of speed, though over the day the temperature wore me down. oof. But, we still made decent time compared to the day before.

Cathy Logue met us along the route as she was driving out of Sioux Falls. We were less than 2 miles out, she was honking like a crazy person. That was fun. Holly and Cindy were right behind her offering water. We happened to be good, but thanks!!! Friendly faces were appreciated.

We got in at about 3p.m. The icy, wet towel was awesome. But, the mudslide at Nutty's was the best!

We're both home and fairly well spent. I don't think that Nick will do an epic ride of this sort for awhile. It just doesn't work in his schedule. I would be very much happy if we could get out and ride to Volin or Spink for breakfast occasionally. We shall see. Plus, I am very hopeful that when we do have a family, our future kids will enjoy getting out for events like this too. We were very impressed with how well all of the kids this weekend seemed to be doing.

AND, I got to meet TEZ and saw a couple that I'd met on the Tour de Kota.

We both enjoyed the atmosphere, it's too bad that Nick hates talking with people. I keep encouraging him to work on his conversation skills. People just laugh and say he's weird. Or funny. I did hear someone say he's funny. I contend that they were polite and left off the funny looking part. That's what will keep him coming back. It's not the biking, it's harassing people along the way that appeals to him.

Whatever it takes to get butts on the saddle, right?

Congratulations to every member of Team Roadkill for a job well done!!! And thanks to all of the volunteers for the event. You guys rock! Combined with all riders, it was a great effort for an excellent cause!