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We had a blast on the 2010 MS150 as usual.
We biked with the Schlumberger Team for the second year in a row. The start point was behind the main start line, so we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes until we actually got on the road.
We encountered a little bit of drizzle on the way out of Houston, but the rest of Day 1 was awesome. We had a great tailwind taking us all the way into LaGrange. We rode our first century (100 miles) on day 1. I was very excited to make it to LaGrange and find that I had trained well this year. I had no pain or really any discomfort. I think my training on the San Antonio rolling hills helped a lot this year. Also, all that training into the headwind, in the rain, and in cold weather helped us become quite tough. =)
We felt like there were less cyclists on the road than usual this year. I do not know the actual numbers that biked, but perhaps the prediction of heavy rains scared some away.
The second day of the MS150 started out rather cold and wet. All night it stormed and poured, but when we left the tent at 5:30am, it wasn't raining. Once we got in line, however, it poured on us. So, we got a wet start. Luckily we had no rain on the actual ride and no rain for the rest of the day. Mark and I took the Challenge Route through Bastrop Park again this year. The park route is very challenging with many hills and technical turns. We made it through and only fell behind Erik by about an hour for the rest of the ride. After lunch the headwinds picked up, but they were fairly light and we'd trained so much in the wind this year that we could keep a good pace even in the wind.
Arriving in Austin is always an amazing rush. All the volunteers and spectators make me feel like a hero. I always get a little choked up biking into the finish amidst all the cheers. We found out that the ride ended exactly at the parking garage where my car was! So, we went ahead and put our bikes away. Once they were packed up we realized we couldn't take the customary bike-over-our-head photo in front of the Capitol. Oh well, we've got plenty of those photos.
At the Schlumberger tent we caught up with Erik and his family and had yummy burgers for our after-ride meal. We had a great time on the ride. I can't wait for next year, but I'm sad that Mark will have to miss it. He's schedule to be in Algeria for next years MS150.
See all our photos here:
http://www.photobooksolutions.com/personal/2010/MS150_2010/
See three videos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gumchain/sets/72157623782392081/
