The MS 150 Bike Ride Houston to Austin, April 2008 Every year in April, 13,500 bicycle enthusiasts pedal from Houston to Austin to raise money to help the fight against Multiple Sclerosis and to just have a good time.  Here are some of my memories of the ride.
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Our day begins pre-dawn at the hotel.  I opt to stay at the Omni but several other hotels in the area are geared up to accomodate MS150 riders.  School busses line up and take riders and their gear to Tully Stadium in Katy, the starting point for our ride.  The bikes are lined up and waiting.  18 wheelers take our luggage.  It will be waiting in LaGrange at the end of the day.  We join the festivities at the starting area anticipating the ride to come.  The large teams are the first out of the chute with smaller teams and individuals to follow.	The first 40 miles are absolutely flat and usually have a tail wind.....this year it's head wind!  Starting from three different locations gives riders the option of 70, 90, or 100 miles for the first day.  Those of us who start at Tully go the full 100 miles.  The road is packed with bicycles.  Rest stops are approx. every 10-12 miles and have plenty of food and drink.  (avoid rest stop #2)  After lunch for 13,000, the terrain is rolling and open fields of wild flowers make the afternoon memorable.  According to ride monitors, by afternoon the line of riders pictured above spans 40 miles.	The afternoon ride becomes festive as we pass through small towns along the way.  Every year, Fayetteville is the most active.  The whole town turns out to watch the riders.  With cow bells ringing and bubble machines going, riders remember this town.  The last 20 miles are hilly and usually quite warm.  High school cheerleaders at the last rest stop are sun baked and dehydrated, but full of spirit.  This year, the wind takes it's toll and the sag wagons start to fill.  Even so, no complaints are heard.	You never know who you are going to meet along the way.  I've passed the unicycles two years in a row at about the 60-70 mile point.  Superman was a surprise.   Also, there are numerous characters on the side of the road every year to encourage the riders.  Everything from bib overalls and a fiddle to a bagpipper in full Scottish array.  Also along the way are hundreds of MS victims cheering us on as we ride to raise money to cure MS.
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Overnight in LaGrange.....the fair ground is teeming with tents.  I'm fortunate to be on the best team...Saint Arnold's Brewery.....best shirts, fun crowd, and a beer wagon.  Ann, our team captain does an incredible job feeding the team, arranging massages and making the overnight fun.   Portable showers are available at the fair ground or busses take riders to the high school gym to clean up.   As we refresh with cool beer, every rider has a story to tell.  In the morning it's a pancake breakfast for 13,000 and then back on the road to Austin.	Sunday morning is the most challenging and the most beautiful part of the ride.  We leave the fair ground heading East.   At about 25 miles, we enter the state park.  The next 10 miles are in the park.....heavily wooded....and nothing flat.   Some hills are long and gradual, others are short and steep and it's constant gear shifting all the way through the park.  For those not wanting the hills (or the beauty) there is an alternate route which is 10 miles shorter, milder hills, and is on the shoulder of a state highway.  The two routes come back together for lunch in Bastrop.	Leaving the park, it's only a few miles to our lunch stop in Bastrop.  Once finished eating, we start the last leg of our journey to Austin.  The afternoon ride is through farm land.  The beauty of the morning is gone and now it's just a matter of cranking a few miles and getting to Austin.  The last rest stop of day two is my favorite of the entire course....wet bandanas to refresh the face and watermellon to eat!   Once we leave the last rest stop we start to enter the outer edges of Austin.  From there, the traffic picks up as does the size of the pack of riders.  Finally...under the interstate....through the campus.....and across the finish line with a great view of the Capital straight ahead!  The crowd is large and festive.   180 miles completed.	Memories of the ride and why we ride.   This is Karin Sperger.  Karin has MS and is at the event every year to support the riders who are supporting her.  For the past 3 years, I have carried a bandana with her name on it during my journey from Houston to Austin.  Looking forward to the MS150 gives her encouragement every year just as she gives encouragement to the riders.  Thanks Karin.    Send her an email of encouragement: ksperger@comcast.net
The Houston to Austin MS 150 is advertised as the largest two day fund-raising bicycle event in the United States.   The ride is over 20 years old and they know how to do it right.   I live north of Austin so I am riding home when I do the event.  On Friday, I drive to the finish line in Austin and unload the bicycle from my car.  Attendents are waiting to wrap my bike in a packing blanket and load it on an 18 wheeler headed for Houston.  I take my overnight bag, hop on a waiting bus, and head out.   The bus unloads at the Houston Omni hotel and the bike expo.    Packet pick-up is well organized and I have the evening to walk through the expo and relax.  In the morning, school busses are waiting at the door to transport riders to the starting area.  The bicycles are waiting there, easy to find, and under secruity guard all night.  I throw my overnight bag on an 18 wheeler and it is waiting for me in LaGrange, our overnight destination.   See the pictures and comments above to get a feel for the first day of riding.    Once at the LaGrange fairground, the team tents are set up and ready to go, complete with dinner and massage.  Shower facilities are available both at the fair ground and at the high school with transportation provided.   Sunday morning is always a slow start but well worth the wait.  From LaGrange to the lunch stop via the state park is the most beautiful part of the ride.   Entering Austin is memorable.  The traffic picks up and the line of bikers thickens.  Crossing the finish line with the State Capital straight ahead causes an adrenaline rush.  The goal is achieved but I'm not ready to stop riding yet.  This was my 5th MS 150......all were well organized and leave the rider wanting to come back for more.   Many riders are looking ahead to the 2009 event.   Plan ahead because they cut off registration at 13,500 and the ride fills quickly.

Bike Portland Oregon
Our day starts and ends at Waterfront Bicycles  downtown on the west side of the river.  Rental bikes were better than average and Karen Stiles and Jeff Hadley provided excellent service.	We work our way south from the downtown area and cross the Willamette river on the Sellwood bridge.  From the bridge, there is a nice view of the Portland downtown area as well as a neighborhood of floating homes.	Leaving the river, we head east on the Springwater trail.  This is a "rails to trails" route going through the historic town of Sellwood and on toward the mountains.  New bridges such as the one in the picture and a smooth, paved trail make this a nice ride.	Returning to the Willamette river, we head back toward town on the east side esplanade along the river.  This area has a rail line to the right and the river to the left.  We see an osprey in a tree overhanging the river.  The weather is perfect and the trail is busy with people out for the day.	When highways and industry leave no room for a bike trail, what do you do?  Simple, just float the trail on pontoons.  This area is a highlight of the ride as you literally ride on the river.  Looking to the left, you are directly across from the downtown area.  Looking ahead is the drawbridge where we will cross back to the other side of the Willamette River.
Our recent getaway weekend included a 30 mile bike ride on Saturday.  With a reputation for rain, we lucked into perfect sunny weather in Portland Oregon.  Calling Waterfront Bicycle ahead of time was a pleasant surprise.  They fit us with much better than average rental bikes and tweaked them to our satisfaction.  After providing maps and advice, we were on our way.  Going south on the downtown side of the river was crowded but once we crossed to the east side, riding was easier.  We did only a short distance on the Springwater trail and will go farther up the trail on our next visit to Portland. The beautiful scenery and the active people in this "green" city made the day memorable.

Bike Oahu When you think of biking Hawaii, do you think of coasting down a mountain on a rental bike?   For a memorable experience, forget the tourist trap and take a day to pedal the perimeter of the island of Oahu.
Our day begins and ends on Waikiki.  Start with a ride following the beautiful beach going toward Diamond Head.   An easy climb takes you to the lookout, a great place to watch surfers and whales.   From there, we follow the coast counter clockwise.	Our second hill of the day is at about the 13 mile point leaving Hawaii Kai and going toward Hanauma Bay.  Koko Head is on the horizon and the windward side is just over the hill.	The descent from Hanauma Bay is one of the two dangerous areas on the ride, however, if you can relax, it's also one of the most fun. A fairly steep, winding downhill on a narrow road, traffic is mostly tourists enjoying the magnificent scenery.  On the way down the is found one of the most famous "blowholes" and, finally, at sea level again, Sandy beach, strictly for the experienced surfer and boogie-boarder.	Rest stop.    Without question, the best bakery on the island of Oahu is Agnes' Portugese Bakery in Kailua.  We stop.   Kailua is also known for Lanakai beach.......travel channel's #1 most beautiful beach in the world.
Riding up the windward side of the island is a series of beaches 2-5 miles apart....each beautiful.   The "chinaman's hat" is a famous landmark on the windward side.   The road is a two lane highway with a shoulder.  The max speed limit is 45 so the traffic is not threatening.	A great day to ride.  On all my trips around the island, this is the least windy day ever.   From Kailua up the windward side, around the top, and down the North shore to Hale Ewa, it is about 80% just like the picture above.  A great ride with mountains on the left and beach on the right.	North shore:   This is where the professional surfers ride the big waves (click on the picture to get a glimpse of the surfers).    The famous Bonzai Pipeline is on the North Shore just south of Sunset Beach.  Don't get so excited about the big waves that you miss Turtle Cove.....where the giant Honu beach themselves to enjoy the sun.	Leave the coast at Hale Ewa and start the 6 mile climb to the top.  Don't forget to look over your shoulder....the view is nice as the ocean falls away behing you.   At the top, you'll find the Dole pineapple plantation (tourist trap)....nice to look at but not worth a stop.   From here it's a series of up's and down's as you cross the top of the mountain.  The descent on the other side is into Pearl Harbor.  Once back at sea level, you have about 12 miles of city riding to get back to Waikiki.
There you have it.   My third trip arond the islsnd and memories for a lifetime.  On this trip, I met Bob Barker from Sacramento CA at a bike rack in Waikiki.  We got talking and he joined me on the ride.....nice company.  We had conversation and enjoyed the scenery.   When I do this ride, I prefer to go at an easy pace and stop every time I want to enjoy the view.   The locals will tell you that it's 112 miles.....but that depends upon how you cross the top of the mountain and how you find your way back through Honolulu en route to Waikiki.   On this trip, I had 114 miles on my odometer and got back home at 4:30 pm.   Be sure to lather up with sun tan lotion and take water.   Finding food and water is not a problem.  There are convenience stores all the way around the island.   I plan to do the ride again in July 2008 and February 2009.  If you care to join me or have questions about biking in Oahu, use the feedback box on this web site and I'll get back to you.

Bike the Katy Trail The Katy trail crosses central Missouri following an old railroad line.  See America by bike!
Old train tunnel near Rochport	Bicyce stop in Rochport, Missouri	Fall color in Booneville, Missouri