The 2009 MS150 promised a year of change and they came through. With a new route from San Antonio to New Braunfels, the ‘Bike to the Beach’ became the ‘Ride to the River’. But neither a beach, nor a river, could have prepared me for how wet I was going to be by the end of this trip. I’ve never been so wet… not even in a pool.
The night before the race, Marvin, Joe and I took off to the Alamo dome for our packet pickups. Since we were running on “Joe and Marvin Standard Time” (late) we were some of the last ones to pick up the packet. Luckily there were still some vendor and bike shop booths there where we could pick up some of the last minute items we needed… like rain gear. Thanks to ACL and the MS150 ride, ALL rain gear in Austin had been sold out. I was close to figuring out how to strap a tarp to my helmet and riding (something Marvin though was a good idea… more later). Joe and I purchased a rain jacket and we took off for Dad’s house where we were staying for the night.
Back at the house we started setting up the bikes and the rack onto my hitch… however, in true 3 Stooges fashion, we stripped the bolt holding the hitch into place. We wrestled with the bike rack for an hour until we finally gave up and accepted the fact that we were just going to have to live with thousands of dollars of carbon swaying back and forth behind the car like Stevie Wonder behind a microphone, on a rainy day, in traffic… what’s the worst that could happen right?
We should have taken it as an omen…
As we pulled into the Alamo Dome parking lot the next morning, bikes holding on for dear life, the rain began to pick up. Joe and I praised our newly purchased rain jackets, while Marvin had another plan. While our jackets were form fitting and aerodynamic, Marvin thought that the rain tarp he picked up from the Army surplus would act a more efficient means of rain protection. He looked like a woodland bush trying to balance on two wheels.
Wanting to be ahead of the pack that had already formed, we jumped the sidewalk, cut in front of a cop and head down the street on our way past the Alamo. That was a pretty cool sight… hundreds of bikers rolling past the Alamo… nothing could be more Texan. Well… it was a cool sight for the most part. Marvin’s tarp fell victim to the laws of aerodynamics and while the rest of us were flying down the road, Marvin looked like an Army Ranger parachuting horizontally down the street. He had the drag coefficient of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man! With the rain coming down, we left the city limits of San Antonio. We were cold. We were wet. And we still have 93 miles to go! At the first rest stop, Marvin gave up hope of staying dry and abandoned the camo tarp.
I am now an expert on rain. I can now tell you that rain not only falls from the sky, but can blow sides ways. I can tell you that rain can bounce off of concrete high enough to feel like it’s raining up. I can tell you that rain likes to hold on to you back wheel just long enough to be spun and hurled onto your back. I can tell you that rain can penetrate a Ziploc bag, inside another Ziploc bag, inside the tool bag under your seat to find the inner workings of an iPhone. I can also tell you that rain is friendly, and likes to partner with things like dirt, oil, and grim to form a sludge so fine that it can work into your chain making your high performance bike sound like the rusted tricycle we all grew up with. And I can tell you that, no matter what the label says, after being in the rain for 6 hours… NOTHING is water proof.
With a little determination (at one point I think Joe was using a cattle prod on Marvin to get him up a hill) we made it to the 50 mile marker. Keep in mind, this was Marvin’s longest ride by a long shot – and in the rain too – and Joe and I were very proud of our boy for making it. But Marvin made it clear that we could take our pride and stick it where the sun didn’t shine because he was sagging it from lunch on. When we pulled into Texas Lutheran University for lunch, the flood gates opened. Several hundred people tried to run for cover or stand on mile cartons to get our shoes out of the standing water. Marvin and I ate our soggy sandwiches provided by Arby’s and waited while Joe got his bike worked on. Joe eventually made it to the tent, just in time to see the last of the sandwiches get snatched before his eyes. The ride organizers had run out of food! We were wet. We were cold. And now… hungry.
With Marvin tucked away dry and warm in the sag van, Joe and I struck out to finish the last 23 miles. Due to the weather, the 100 mile loop had been closed for safety issues, so we decided to haul the mail on the last 23 miles. We had a nice high pedal cadence and a brisk pace as we started to pass people who had been passing us for the last 30 miles. The roads were smooth, the rain had let up, the wind was not a factor… until………… Joe turned to me and said “Man, if we could keep this pace up for the whole ride it’d be no sweat!”
Joe doesn’t yet know not to tempt the Cycling Gods. He hadn’t even finished saying the word “sweat” when the rain picked back up… and it when it rains… it pours. The road turned from smooth and flat, to farm roads riddle with pot holes and patch work concrete. As we pulled into New Braunfels I was amazed to see the ride has us going down 306, a two lane high way with railroad tracks and ditches. I remember thinking this road was bumpy when I had to ride the middle school bus home… I had NO idea. Whomever sold me on the idea that carbon fiber was supposed to absorb vibration could also sell me some ocean front property in Arizona.
We stopped at the Valero gas station to call for our rides to meet us at the finish line and noticed that many of our motorcycle support vehicles had congregated there. I pulled up and they offered to hold the bike and fill the water bottles etc. However, I made a slight tactical error in where I parked my bike… right between the line of motorcycles. It’s a strange thing to sweat in the rain… because you’re so wet, you don’t know if it’s rain pouring down your face or perspiration… until it hits your eyes. As I took my helmet off, a mix of salt, rain, and road grim flowed into my eyes and began to burn something fierce. I spun around to get my water bottle to splash my face when I felt something warm against my leg. It was the tail pipe of one of the bikes on its kick stand and I hit it hard enough to move the bike. I immediately knew one of two things was about to happen: 1) the bike would rock back into position and I would be allowed to cross the finish line on my own will, or 2) Joe would be carrying me over the finish line with broken legs. And in typical movie fashion, this bike was lined up next to 6 other bikes in a perfect domino effect of epic proportions. The bike rocked, came off the kick stand, and then rocked back into position just one inch from where it sat before I pulled in. I escaped without the ride being renamed the “Willis Ellison Memorial MS150” ride.
Joe and I took off thru the streets of New Braunfels in a mad dash to the finish line. As we rolled into Schliterbahn, we saw Marvin standing on the other side posing like he had been there the whole time. Evidently the sag wagon drops you off on the other side of the finish line and you get to coast across for pictures! J As Joe and I were in the tent getting massages, the storm picked up and the announcer started warning people about the lighting coming shortly. We loaded the bikes into my car and headed to Dad’s house to dry off.
Unfortunately, the rain didn’t let up. Overnight, New Bruanfels received 4.5 inches of rain… and the second day was canceled due to safety issues - which for the three of us, was fine… after we were dry, another 75 miles in the rain sounded miserable! I do want to thank all of you who donated and supported us on the ride. The new route was fun, and still challenging. I have never ridden in the rain, and in a strange way… it was a little fun. Congrats to Marvin for making his longest ride! Below is a link to more pictures from the ride and attached is the three amigos before we set out on the ride.
Thanks and we will see you next year!
http://www.mysanantonio.com/slideshows/Bike_MS_Ride_to_the_River.html?c=y&page=1
