MS 150 Bike Ride

Event: MS150 Charity Ride
Date: June 7-8, 2014
Location: western Pennsylvania

MS 150 (Day#1)

This was a charity ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  I received sponsorship from 9 people totaling $390. When this is added to my rides in 2012 and 2013, my total fundraising for charity is $1,360. Of course, I didn’t do this ride by myself. My friend Dan and I were with more than a thousand other riders when we left Zelienople, Pa. and traveled to Meadville, Pa. on the first day (86 miles). We stayed overnight on the Allegheny College campus and then traveled to Conneaut, Ohio to complete the trip on the second day (another 64 miles). Total distance was 150 miles in 9.4 hours of riding over two days.

There seemed to be fewer riders this year compared to last, so it seemed quieter on the road. There were actually a couple times when the riders in front of us disappeared and Dan and I felt like we were the only ones on the road. With fewer riders, we also had fewer people to observe and remark about. For instance, in previous years there have been people who adorned their bikes or cycling clothes with unusual objects that were fun to joke about or at least watch out for. But other than a couple guys with red Mohawks (and these were covered by cycling helmets, so we never saw them on the road), a couple men with very long beards, one person on a hand-crank bike (I assume his legs were disabled), and a scattering of couples on tandem bikes, there were not many cyclists that stood out from the crowd. Except, maybe us!

We maintained a good pace this year. Rest stops were placed on the route about every 14 or 15 miles. It seems like we would pass a lot of people on the route and then stop for a longer-than-average period of time at the rest stops, so we would end up passing the same people over and over again. Our average pace was similar to last year:

2012: 14.4 mph on Day#1 and 15.5 mph on Day#2

2013: 15.3 mph on Day#1 and 16.8mph on Day#2

2014: 15.4 mph on Day#1 and 16.7mph on Day#2

Why the differences from Day#1 to Day#2? Well, it all has to do with the hills! On Day #1 the ride had a total ascent of 4,758 feet with three hills steep enough to be given a “Cat 4” or “Cat 5” rating by MapYourRide.com (see http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/380078413). To put things in context, these hills were not terribly steep or long, since “Cat 1” grades are more challenging than what we had to do. Nevertheless, they slowed us down. On Day#2 there was a total ascent of 1,1880 feet with only two Cat 5 hills to climb (see http://www.mapmyride.com/us/conneaut-lakeshore-pa/2014-escape-to-the-lake-day-2-route-179324514).

By the Miles:

Mile 2: It is cold again. Last year it was 60 degrees and I was not dressed for it. This year it is 54 degrees at the 7am start and I am wearing an UnderArmour shirt underneath my jersey. This kept me sufficiently warm.

Mile 16: Rest stop at Moraine State Park. This brought back recent memories because I just completed a triathlon on some of these same roads a few weeks ago. Time to apply sunscreen! 

Mile 17: While ascending a steep hill, I intend to shift down to a lower gear but the front derailleur fails to move the chain to the smaller chainring. I have to stop and walk the bike up the hill because it is too difficult to pedal in the higher gear. I am angry because just a day ago I had gotten my bike back from the repair shop where I asked them to service the front derailleur. [Fortunately, I did not have any more trouble with the derailleur on the rest of my trip]

Mile 33: Rest stop at Beloved Disciple Church.

Mile 44: Lunch time at the town square in Mercer, Pa. Our route last year did not include this location. I liked how the food tent, bike repair tents, first aid station, volunteer station, and port-a-johns were spread out around the perimeter of the courthouse. It seemed more festive, somehow. Dan and I got food (including grilled chicken sandwiches) and sat on the courthouse steps in the shade. It was not the most comfortable of sitting spots, but we had few other options in the shade.

Mile 45: The course leaving the town square began to descend a slight hill and we picked up some speed. But then we had to stop. A woman had fallen off her bike after hitting a pothole. I am sighing heavily even as I write this, because this weekend was supposed to be a fun outing for everyone, and here was someone who’s happy experience was taken away. The woman was sitting in the middle of the road, crying out in despair. She was bleeding significantly from her face, and Dan said later he had seen blood on the pavement about 20 feet ahead of where the woman was now sitting; she must have had some momentum when she fell. About 6 fellow cyclists surrounded her and were attempting to help her to her feet to move her out of the road. One person was on his phone, having called 911, and was asking people what street we were on. Dan and I were in a group of 9 others who stopped and watched for a minute, not knowing what to do. There were enough people already helping the woman, but it didn’t seem appropriate to just ignore the situation and ride on past. But eventually we did carry on. But all the cyclists were quiet and riding a little slower for a mile or two, as seems to happen to me when I am in my car and pass a bad crash on the highway.

Mile 59: Rest stop at Goddard State Park marina. Again, this was a new venue for a rest stop. It was a great spot with a big reservoir and boats. My upper back is starting to get really stiff. I spend many minutes at this rest stop moving my neck up and down and from side to side to loosen things up. Dan and I enjoyed watching a male and female Tree Swallow perch on a nest box very close by. We even saw them copulate on a tree branch just over our heads. I am currently supervising a student research project on Tree Swallows back home, so I was particularly interested in this.

Mile 61: More hill climbing. Dan said he is tired. He lags behind me as we climb but I keep him in my sights. It’s not fun to be left behind, but I can tell he doesn’t want me to slow down on his account.

Mile 73: Rest stop at Cochranton Park. Everyone is always talking about “heart attack hill” coming up, but Dan and I have never found this hill to be too much of a challenge in the past. No problem this time, either. Dan is hanging in there. I text Shannan, saying “Only 11 more miles to go. We will be ready to stop then.” My mileage estimate was off, but what I was saying was I was now getting tired, too.

Mile 77: Rest stop at St. Peter and Paul Chapel.  The hill slowed us down, but we probably didn’t need to stop. We did anyway.

Mile 86: Finish at Allegheny College.

After this first day of riding, we got our dorm room key, dropped off our bike in the gym, picked up our luggage, took a shower, and changed clothes. This whole process took a little longer this year because we were in a more distant dorm. Our room was on the third floor (was there even an elevator?), and the shower only had three stalls so we had to wait. We headed to dinner around 5:30pm. Around 7:00pm we went back to the dorm room and got our swimming gear. We walked around some booths set up near the “beer garden” where a band was supposed to be playing (but they weren’t). One of the booths was promoting electric-assisted bicycles and I rode one. It was delightful! With each pedal stroke, the bike pushed ahead effortlessly. Not having $3,000 to buy one, Dan and I then went to the campus pool and put in a reluctant 650 yards. I think this was good for loosening muscles and getting refreshed. In fact, I was less tired after the swim than before. Nevertheless, we walked back to the dorm room and dozed from 8:00 to 9:00 when we started getting ready for sleep. And we slept like logs.

MS150 Day #2

This is part 2 of 2 about a charity ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  Having already ridden 86 miles on June 7, my friend Dan and I and more than a thousand other riders began the next day at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pa., to travel to Conneaut, Ohio.  We arrived at the starting line at 7:19am and were released soon thereafter. I had slept really well and felt good. Dan said he felt good, too. So let’s see how we fared over the next 64 miles…

Mile 2: Given that this was supposed to be a warmer day, I did not wear anything under my jersey. I am regretting that now. It is 62 degrees. The irony is that I easily could have worn more clothes. I had extra capacity in my jersey pockets to stash them after I warmed up.

Mile 3: Word has gotten around about the woman who hit a pothole yesterday. As we ride in a large peloton through Meadville, there are numerous potholes and riders are pointing them out to one another. On the one hand, I appreciate their care and caution. On the other hand, this behavior seems hypocritical (or at least inconsistent); there have been potholes throughout the course that no one has felt the need to point out. As I expect, the hyper vigilance about potholes disappears after a few miles.

Mile 14: Rest stop at Summit Volunteer Ambulance Service. I’m feeling good. I probably didn’t need to stop, but it’s always good to stretch the neck, which by the way, isn’t bothering me one bit today.

Mile 20: There is a dead fox in the road. I make Dan and a few others laugh when I recite a few words to the song “What Does the Fox Say?”

Mile 27: rest stop at Lord Mason Park.

Mile 35: A long straightaway with vast fields on either side of the road. We encounter at least three Amish buggies going the other way. Everybody waves. When I lived in Lancaster, I saw Amish kids on bikes. Still, I wonder what they think of us on our $1000+ shiny metal racehorses.

Mile 42: Rest stop at Connie Lance Memorial Park. I remember in previous years there were sandwiches and wraps being served here—more food than a normal rest stop. However, this year there is nothing special. It’s just bananas, oranges, cheetos, chips, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, granola bars, blueberry protein bars, and fruit snacks. That’s plenty of food, but it’s the same food as was available at all the previous stops. Actually, the oranges are unique, I think. With the orange slices and cheetos, I am in need of a napkin. I look around and see none. I ask a worker about it and she finally finds a package after digging through several boxes of supplies. I was perfectly polite about this, but I was impatient inside. This rest stop was not operated by volunteers. Instead, it appeared to be operated by 20-year old kids working for Dick’s Sporting Goods. I am pretty sure they were getting paid. And yet, they didn’t seem to be working as hard as the volunteers at the other stops.  

Mile 43: We keep passing this couple on a tandem bike with a small dog in the front basket. It’s a great photo opportunity so I take my camera from my jersey pocket and loop the strap around my wrist. This takes some concentration to do, so I guess I slowed down enough for this couple to pass me on my left. I then had to speed up to try and pass them again with my camera ready. However, we are coming to an intersection with volunteer flaggers. The flaggers are indicating that we should be making a left turn at the intersection, but I am not paying attention to them. I have the tandem bike in my sights! So when the tandem bike mistakenly goes straight instead of left, I follow them without question. The pavement ends and we are on a dirt road. It is at that point when I realize we made a mistake. The tandem bike turns around, I turn around, I snap their picture, and then, embarrassingly, I take the correct route and try to catch up with Dan.

Mile 49: “I think I just got hit by a raindrop,” says Dan. Yes, it’s true. This will be our first ride in the rain during an MS150. It’s just sprinkles at this point. Dan and I talk about how this will affect our bike riding: we have to be more careful on curves, reduce speed, watch the road surface for slick spots, and stay closer to other cyclists so motorists have a better chance of seeing us.

Mile 52: It is raining harder now. We are soaked through. My cycling glasses are fogging up and huge droplets of water are obscuring my view.  Dan now stays a couple bike-lengths behind me so that water thrown up from my rear tire doesn’t squirt him in the face.

Mile 54: Rest stop at Thorton Industries. Fortunately, there are fewer cyclists at this rest stop than some of the others. We gather under the tent and get offered “butt cream” by one of the volunteers. If we weren’t cold, wet, and tired, I am sure I would have joked around more with her. I’m not entirely sure what butt cream is for, but that’s ok. What I do know is that I don’t want any. Dan checks the radar picture from his phone. A large band of heavy rain is just to our west. We had a decision to make. With just 10 miles to go, should we try to beat this storm or wait it out here? I want to go on. It seems inevitable that we will be riding in rain, even if we wait for the heaviest of the showers to pass on. I said, “let’s go now and take advantage of the light rain for as long as we can before the heavy rain starts.” Dan agrees and we go. And then it thunders overhead.

Mile 56: No thunder in a while, it is still raining but the sky is brightening. Dan and I seem to be alone on the road, and we are going fast. What happened to all the other cyclists? My feet are squishing around in wet cycling shoes. I can feel cold drops of water spraying my back from the rear tire. Cars pass us by on a somewhat busy road. I wonder what they must be thinking of us. Crazy, maybe. But in my mind, I am calling myself “bold.”

Mile 64: Finish at Conneaut Township Park, Ohio!

Dan and I ride straight to the truck that will take our bikes back to Zelienople. It is still raining, but the oranges and reds on the radar picture that we thought we would encounter must have passed on to our north. It has cooled to 62 degrees and I am shivering to the point where I have to breathe hard to fuel the muscle movements. We get our suitcases, find the men’s changing tent, and get into dry clothes as soon as we can. Then we head down the hill to the food tents and enjoy pizza, pulled pork, fried chicken, and ice cream. I almost forgot to get my finisher’s medal. It’s importance was fairly low compared to getting warm, dry, and fed.

We eventually get on the bus with our luggage and head back to Zelienople. When we get there, we see the woman who fell of her bike yesterday. She has two black and swollen eyes and her arm is in a sling. But at least she is going to be ok.