MS Ride, Day 1...the recap

So yeah, the MS Ride. Almost 2 weeks ago. Seems like 2 years. Something about the not-working stage I'm in leads to a whole lot of not-doing.

They used to call the MS Ride the MS150, because everyone did 75 miles both Saturday and Sunday. They wisely realized that more people might participate if there were greater flexibility, so now you can do 25, 50, 75 or 100 either day. Here's how my MS150 became the MS125, and then the MS100. Many thanks to everyone who donated – together we raised almost $1,000 for MS!

On Friday my mom and I left home and drove to Charlottesville (45 minute drive). I was having a massive migraine, so my mom drove. We stopped and “checked in” at the site, which meant getting a t-shirt and a packet (which contained some paper crap, but no actual map of the routes). After so many years of doing tris it always surprises me how low-key any other event is. Check-in took all of 5 minutes, and most of that was parking and walking to-from the car.

Next we headed to Carmelo’s for an early dinner, and Ryan and her daughter met us there. My mom has been to this place several times before and likes it. All I can say is….wow. It was in a (seemed like) mobile home in an Econo Lodge parking lot. It was only 5:30 pm, so there were only two other parties inside, and the wait staff hovered like nothing I’ve ever seen (when they weren’t serving they lined the walls, which again was awkward, given that there were only three parties in the place. And the food? Also not so good. Ryan commented she hadn’t been there since about 1987 (seemed as though the décor and the accolades had also not been updated since then). I would’ve been much happier with a bagel and some turkey, but mom was paying, so that’s what we got.

After dinner we headed out to Crozet, where we stayed in Ryan’s sweet in-law suite. Thanks, RyRy! We put together our food for the next day, stretched, and headed to bed really early.

Before the ride (below)

On Saturday, we got up at 5 am (!!). Painful. We quickly dressed and ate our breakfast and packed our shirts for the day and headed out of the house at 6. It was already pretty warm. The ride began at 7 and both my mom and I planned to do the 75. Over 500 people set off from UVa. There wasn't really any traffic around, so it was a fun beginning. I quickly remembered how much I hate riding in big stupid charity rides where half the cyclists forget basic common courtesy and do things like ride 3-4 abreast, or ride over the yellow line. Seriously, riding in this group I could see why so many motorists want to run cyclists off the road. There were several I would have targeted! I am all about SHARE the road, but it's give and take, and motorists need room to get by.

I skipped the first rest stop, recalling from all the Tour de Tahoe rides that this is a good place to flee the pack (and also: at mile 12 I didn't need a stop!). I kept riding, and was overjoyed to be away from the idiots. I soon found myself riding alone. At the second rest stop (my first) I was already bored with my perpetuem, and hoping for something good to eat. Every single item had peanuts in it! I remembered why I was supposed to bring wheat thins with me. :) After a few minutes, I hit the road again.

I spent most of the day riding with a group of 5-6 people. A large portion of Saturday's ride was in Greene County, and very hilly. My mom and I did the "Tour de Greene" over Memorial Day weekend, so at least the roads were familiar. Unfortunately, around mile 40 my left knee started to hurt. A lot. It felt like my IT band, but it hurt with every pedal stroke. I made a point of stopping at every rest stop (every 10 or so miles) so I could stretch my quads, which seemed to help. I think I've ridden so many hills in May (esp since coming back to VA) that the quads were getting over-developed (see: My He-Man Thighs).

I could tell the temp was climbing, and since I'd pointedly not worn a watch, I had no idea what time of day it was. At the last rest stop, around mile 68, I finally asked a volunteer, and was happy to hear it wasn't even noon (this also made me sad because I was near the front, so I could only imagine how hot it would get for my mom and the other riders behind me). The last stop also had neon orange cheddar bacon crackers - with no peanuts! Woo! Ordinarily these things would scare the crap out of me, but I was so sweaty and so sick of Perpetuem that I gobbled them right up.

I rolled back into UVa just after noon, having averaged 16.2 mph for the 75 miles. I was happy with that. It was 97 degrees (seriously, WTF) when I finished. I didn't bother to stretch, and instead headed straight for the shower truck - and literally stood in the cold water in my clothes to cool down. It was wonderful.

I knew my mom would probably be in around 2, so I took my time taking a real shower, changing, and then getting a massage. I said something to the massage guy about chiropractic, and he asked what my chiropractor did. To which I replied, "I don't know...fixes me?" This guy they proceeded to adjust me, which I thought was a little strange. When he had me turn on my side I finally stopped him and said -- "wait a minute - are you a chiropractor?" (Nice how I ask this AFTER I've already been adjusted once). Well Hallelujah - he was a chiropractor - one who thought it was hilarious I'd assumed he was a masseuse adjusting people. He worked on my incredibly painful IT and sent me off with a bag of ice.

At 230 my mom still hadn't arrived, and I wondered when I should start to worry. A few minutes later she rolled up in a SAG truck, having been taken out by the heat and a flat tire (she rode almost the full 75!). Based on our conversations I am pretty sure she was delirious. I tended to her and made her eat and drink, and we sped off for Frappuccinos (despite working as a Starbucks barista from '97-'98, I never had a Frappuccino until mid-May of this year. That shit is good!) as it began pouring.

The rest of the day was a blur. The MS Society had a great dinner for us, and a program where someone with MS spoke to us and then recognized top Fundraisers. I am only $50 away from the $1000 mark -- if I'd known I needed $1000 to get recognized I would have worked a little harder! My mom is always one of the top fundraisers (she's at $1600+) so we got to hang in the VIP tent and drink wine.

We left UVa at 6 pm, and after a stop at Harris Teeter for snacks and ice, headed back to Chez Ryan, where I made my mom take her first ice bath. I followed, with a 20# ice bath, hoping it would help my knee. We stretched, watched some trashy tv and went to bed, hoping to get as much rest as we could before Day 2.

PS - Why all the painful tie-dye? My mom is part of a team called The Grateful Tread. Since I rode with them as well, I also wore the shirt! There were over 40 GT riders, and we are the #1 top fundraising team for the Blue Ridge Chapter of the Society. Almost 15% of their $350k from this ride comes from GT riders -- that's over $50,000!

After the ride (above)