The MS 150 - Day 2 and the Pain Comes

Day 2

It's 4AM, and I am hearing alarms going off throughout the camp. I am hoping I can sneak in another 1/2 hour of sleep, but I know that will be hopeless. I am both too tired and too keyed up.

Last night the snoring in the tent was simply poetic - creative even. Stanza after stanza or poetry and aria after aria of opera were composed and performed. Fortunately, I anticipated this and brought a CD player and noise cancelling headphones.

It's 0430. My alarm and a dozen others have gone off. The sounds of sliding sleeping bag fabric, yawning and stretching. Before I open my eyes I dimly remember - "line up early for the pancake breakfast". My thoughts are now with my kids, they would have looooved the pancakes. I open my eyes to the weird scene. The tent is pitch black, yet illuminated by the ghostly glow of a dozen PDAs and cell phones making blue-white light. Hard to describe what that looks like. Not what I remember from boy scout days either.

I dress quickly and head for the chow line across the camp. Wow! They have at least a dozen griddles manned by the local volunteers, absolutely cranking out the pancakes. There is a guy making pancake mix with a drill with a beater attached (!) He's making mix as fast as he can in a 10 gallon bucket. A very short wait later and I have a stack of 4 hot, fresh pancakes, a bowl of toasted oats cereal and an orange juice. Pancakes....mmmmmmm. Life is good, except for the aches and pains, and oh yeah, it's 5AM and still dark.

It's now 5:30AM, chaos in the tent. Everyone is trying to pack their stuff and prepare their bikes and water as fast as possible to get in line for the start. The rumor is that if you don't get in line soon enough, it may take as long as an hour and a half to get on the road.

One cute note, I think one of the children of either a volunteer or another rider has managed to sleep all the way through the morning chaos. He is the object of a lot of "awwwww's" when folks would see him peacefully sleeping through our stress. Reminded *some* of us to take it easy and everything would be cool.

It's 6:30AM, and we have just lined up at the back on a huge line to get out the gate. Oh well, time to make friends on the line and chat.

0732 and we are off! It's day 2 and we are on our way!

The first decision, take the high road, or the low road. The starting gate is divided two ways. The old, traditional route for the MS 150 takes one through the extremely hilly Buescher and Bastrop State Parks. This is now renamed "The Bechtel Challenge" (after one of the sponsors, of course). The other choice is to follow along Highway 71, which is supposed to be quite a bit easier. Scott and I have talked about this some, but in the end, on the line, we decide for the traditional route. I would regret this later, but at this early morning moment, it seems the thing to do.

Well, I am worried about the hills that are supposed to be ahead of us, but with a nice full tummy and good feelings, we head off. Things even seem to be heading downhill a bit. So this can't be too bad?

The roads are becoming more interesting, a bit windier and things are getting more hilly, but all very do able, if I wasn't already tired. I am beginning to feel a funny tinge in the back of my knees, especially as I go on the hills. Hmmmm...it's nothing I figure.

Ok, it's coming up to another decision time, there is one more chance to avoid the hills of the state parks. There is a road around the parks. Nope, I've come to this point, and I still feel pretty good. Scott has dropped me by this time, I can't keep his pace up through these hills. My knees just aren't allowing it. What is this pain in the back of my knees?

Well, I am committed now, and certainly, the roads are narrower and rougher than I thought. Of course, it's a forest, so there are lots of trees around as well. One thing I don't remember right now, but wish I had noticed then....I bet the wind was way down because of the trees.

In any case, rest stop one is just inside the park, so this can't be too bad. I talk with some of the supporters, and they give me some idea of the big hills ahead. It sounds a bit ominous. They aren't even close to the truth.

Reminder to self: "what goes up, must come down". For every one of these brutal, twisiting uphills, there are some pretty hairy downhills. One of these is manned by volunteers, who have put up orange cones and a sign reading "Killer Hill Ahead - SLOW DOWN!!!". They are right. If any of us had taken this hill at speed, we would have been toast. It is a super steep downhill, then a hard right turn. I've heard of this hill from others. It is scary.

One hill after the other is going by and the effort is intense. Early on, I notice a few people walking up the hills with their bikes. As more time and hills go by, more and more riders are walking. I am now into something like the 4th major hill. I am in the lowest gear, cranking as hard as I can - breathing as hard as I can. Yet I am at a maintainable pace, I am not falling behind the hill. But my knees - man, the pain!

Uh oh, volunteers are waving at us to slow down, and I see an ambulance up ahead. Wow, it looks like this downhill and turn were too much on someone's bike. Has the whole front fork been sheared off that bike? I don't see the rider though. I hope they are all right.

Now almost everyone are walking up the hills. But something terrifying happens. A girl in front of me is truly struggling up the hill, and suddenly she gives out a squeal of pain. Her legs have given out and she is going to go down. Reflexively, she starts to turns her bike around and head straight back down the hill!!! But I am about to pass her, so I put on a huge burst of speed and get out of her way just in time. Whoever is behind me is not so fortunate, and I hear roars and screams coming from back over the hill from other riders. I am afraid things have not turned out well. But I couldn't stop. The burst forward carried me on over the top. But that burst cost me, and now my knees are on fire.

These hills are too much. I don't know if I can stay mounted on the bike.

Another brutal hill conquered, and hey, there's a patrol car directing traffic. Looks like we turn to the left - and hey! They are announcing "you're out of the park!!! well done!!!" Woo hoo!!! Man, what a relief!

Looks like we are coming back together with the other riders on 71. We have to stop at an intersection and wait for traffic control. Oops, a rider goes down while waiting at the light, clipped in to her pedals. Got some good scrapes on her, but she is ok. Several people are helping her up.

On to Highway 71!

So the ride now is much smoother, although traffic is much heavier, with cars running at highway speed beside us. A little nerve wracking compared to the park, but there are lots of riders, so the drivers know we are here.

Wow, we are traveling down a huge hill, this should be really fast. Uh oh. Hmmm...everyone is slowing down. Why? Oh no, I hope no one has.....yup...someone has gone down on this hill. That's not going to be good. I visualize a rider tearing down the hill at high speed and hitting a crossing car. The idea is not pleasant.

Eventually we are dismounted, as thousands of riders wait to pass by the accident scene. I don't see anyone, as the ambulance has already left, but the scene does not look good. I am afraid there may have been bad injuries, but I hope for the best.

We finish the hill, and we are very close to Bastrop and lunch. A right turn, and - what?!? Another ambulance? Another rider has gone down and they are putting him in a stretcher. What a bummer, so close to the lunch stop. Through another traffic light and finally...LUNCH!

This lunch is more chaotic than Belleville. Not too many team tents here. I heard we would have Subway sandwiches. This time I vow not to eat too much food. Ah, the lines are short. Just get one of each of something from some boxes it looks like. So I choose the turkey sub.

I put my bike down next to a shrub and take most of the vegetables off my subway (it's a bit soggy unfortunately). Hey, a guy I know has seen me and stops by, Kelly. I only met Kelly recently at a training ride - his chain had broken and I stopped by to see if I could help. We chat a bit. Remarkably, he is riding with a couple of young teenagers. Kelly says one is only 13 years old. That is amazing. But then he points him out, the poor kid is just dead asleep on the grass in the full noon sun. Awwwww. What a trooper!

Hey, I finally see Scott and we hook up again. He is ready to head out, so we part company and promise to meet at the finish at the HP tent. I take it easy for a little while. I am worried about why the backs of my knees hurt this way. I am afraid that my ligaments are in danger, perhaps from a poor riding posture or mis fit of the bike. Well, nothing to do about it yet. I am finding that if I ride "normally", without doing "perfect circles" I can keep the pain off. Well, this is not a good thing, because now I am really taxing my quads, and I have no relief muscles to call on.

Coming out of Bastrop, there have been a few ups and downs, but now we are swinging off highway 71 and into the countryside again. This is the best part of this ride. It is relatively flat, and I make good time. Very nice country side. I can see the riders in a long line, zia zagging down the roads for quite some distance. It's very nice.

Ok, the hills are starting again. There are only two rest stops to go, but now things are getting serious. My knees are really, really hurting now and I don't know how much worse it's going to get. It can't get too much worse, can it?

Ok, it's worse. The hills into Austin are just awful, one after the other, and I cannot take the pain. I am seriously thinking that it is not worth damaging my knees to make the finish. If I make it to the next rest stop, I am going to call in and quit.

This stop is at a high school in a neighborhood. Very hot in the open sun in a big parking lot. The rider density seems a lot lower than other stops. I guess the hills are really thinning out the riding pack.

I sit on the grass and think about this. Well, maybe it's worth it to ask a medic what is going on, so I head to the medical tent. I describe my knee pain to one of the volunteers, and she says "oh yeah, lots of people have that same pain". For the moment, I am encouraged, but what can I do about it?

She says she will put some Bio-Freeze on it. Hm??? It turns out to be this green gel I had seen at a couple of the last stops. I saw people rubbing it on their legs, and I guess I thought it was sun tan lotion or something. She rubs into the backs of my knees and I go off to the grass to rest.

Well, I call in to Kim and tell her I am not sure I am going to make it, even though I am at the last rest stop and only 14.8 miles away. I tell her I am going to rest and see what happens. She is at the finish line waiting. I hope she is not disappointed.

Well, after resting a while, I feel much, much better, so I send an SMS to Kim "going for it, see you in about 30 minutes". It was an SMS she would not get until 45 minutes later :(

So I mount up and start riding, and the pain is much reduced, but still there. Now it's just a test of will against the in bound hills. But we are clearly in territory I recognize. I can see some street names I know, even if I have never traveled on them. So I am very encouraged.

I figure it can't be far now. But still more hill climbing, and the pain is coming back now, very strong.

Finally we reach what looks like the UT campus. Lots of twisty turning riding through the campus. Oh, and here are some silly people. It turns out some groups and teams are stopping at landmarks to gather so they can cross the finish line together. Nice idea, but get...out...of...the...road to do it!!! Jeeeez.

Ok, I can hear the music and ruckus now and I feel a wave of exhaustion, pain and relief all at once. I actually think a photographer caught a picture of me right at that moment. I knew I had made it, but oh my aching body.

There it is, and suddenly I am across the finish line !!!!!! YESSSS!!!!!!!!! Lots of yelling combined with enormous relief.

But hey, where was Kim? I find out later she never saw me come by, and I never saw her in the line of faces on the fences, because she stood off the road on a slight hillside to see better. Very disappointed. Oh well. Kim and I finally get together. What a bummer we didn't see each other at the finish! Kim then suddenly looks at her phone - she has just gotten my SMS message to watch for me at the finish line - AARGH! Technology...

Off to the HP tent and some food. It turns out I get a free sandwich from Rudy's Bar-b-q - my favorite!!!! Kim was so kind and got me a sandwich. I really don't even feel like walking. It is so beautiful to just sit down and not pedal.

So Kim and I eat, and the whole thing is just ... all of a sudden ... history. Wow. What a ride.

The next challenge, in less than two hours, I go on stage with the Austin Jazz Band for a concert :)

So that's it. Seven weeks of intense training leading up to these two days. Days I will never forget, especially as I am writing all of this down to remind myself for next year. I think in retrospect that 6 weeks, while enough to get up to a 60 mile level, was not enough to prepare for this. It's just amazing what a long and difficult ride this is. And what an accomplishment it is to finish, especially going through the hills of the parks. No question it would have been a better idea to have ridden Highway 71 and the low road, that was perhaps not a great decision. But how would I have ever known what I didn't do? I guess that's really at the core of my personality, going on the road less traveled in life.

And now I can say "I did the MS 150", and paid my dues for the MS cause, that's what it's all about.

Cheers my sons. This has been one helluva life lesson and I love you more than ever.

Your loving father,

Dixon Chan Dick
Austin, TX
April, 2005


P.S. I fell asleep during the first set of the concert. Lucky for me, I only had one song to do right before the 1st break and someone woke me up :)