I'm pretty pumped I made the cutoff for entries. 13k riders! I'm rolling with a college group so I'll have some good support. Anyone got any tips about this ride? I've never done a 2-day event so it should be fun.

I'm pretty pumped I made the cutoff for entries. 13k riders! I'm rolling with a college group so I'll have some good support. Anyone got any tips about this ride? I've never done a 2-day event so it should be fun.

Congratulations! As you might see in my avatar, I've ridden it every year since 1990, so I've seen practically everything. I'm sure I'll think of more, and I'll keep adding them to this thread, but here are my initial thoughts:


Train like heck! If you're in Austin, you've got an advantage because you get to ride on hills. In Houston, you're stuck with places like the Fred Hartman bridge, Kemah bridge, Westpark overpass, etc. You need to ride laps up and down these hills until your mind goes numb. With a reasonable amount of training, you can finish both days in under six hours (clock time), and spend the rest of the day relaxing and cheering on the riders who suffer in the afternoon heat.
Pack for practically any weather. I've seen it anywhere from 45 to 90 degrees, from blazing sun to downpour (luckily, that's only been twice in 16 years). There's nothing sadder looking than a lady who didn't pack anything warmer than a sports bra taking off into a 50-degree, 15 mph headwind.
Have fun!

Thanks for the info. I was hoping to knock down the first day in sub 5 hours. Is this possible? I can usually solo flat/level/calm between 20-24 and did the HHH last year in basically 5 hours if you account for the time it took me to get across the line and a chain drop :mad: .

I live in Dallas and can get on some hills. I wish there was a topo map of this as I can pretty much set up any combo of hills in my hood.

Thanks for the info. I was hoping to knock down the first day in sub 5 hours. Is this possible?

It depends on two major factors: the need to deal with (pass) novice riders, and how much time you have to spend off the bike. I usually anticipate adding about 1 hour to my ride time. During the first 20 miles, it's so crowded that you'll be lucky to get going faster than 15 mph. The rest stops are another adventure. With 13,000 people, you can imagine how the porta-potty lines look.

So, if you could do a flat century in 4.5 hours, add half an hour for hills, and one hour for the above. Hence, my 6-hour estimate.

This is on the Bike Barn website. Sorry the columns don't line up very well.


April 22 & 23, 2006 Depart 7:00am


SATURDAY, APRIL 22. Estimated start 7:00am
Tulley Stadium to LaGrange: 99 miles
Avg MPH 12 14 16 18 20 22
Ride time 8hr 18min 7hr 6min 6hr 12min 5hr 30min 5hr 4hr 30min
Rest stops 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 30min
Arrival Time 4:45pm 3:45pm 2:45pm 1:30pm 12:30pm 12:00pm


Rhodes Stadium to LaGrange: 82 miles
Avg MPH 12 14 16 18 20 22
Ride time 6hr 48min 5hr 54 min 5hr 6 min 4hr 36min 4hr 6min 3 hr 42min
Rest stops 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 30min
Arrival Time 3:30pm 2:30pm 1:45pm 12:45pm 11:30pm 11:15pm




SUNDAY, APRIL 23. Estimated Start 7:00am
LaGrange to Austin: 80 miles
Avg MPH 12 14 16 18 20 22
Ride time 6hr 42min 5hr min 5hr 4hr 24min 4hr 3hr 36min
Rest stops 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 30min
Arrival Time 3:15pm 2:15pm 1:30pm 12:30pm 11:30am 11:15am


LaGrange to Austin - "Express": 69 miles
Avg MPH 12 14 16 18 20 22
Ride time 5hr 48min 4hr 54min 4hr 18min 3hr 48min 3hr 30min 3hr 6min
Rest stops 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 1hr 30min 30min
Arrival Time 2:30pm 1:30pm 12:45pm 11:45am 11:00am 10:30am

What is the mininum pledge to ride this event? i couldn't find it on the site.

400 in addition to signup. Signups are full.

Yeah, I fully expect to get held up as my group/team starts together and then sort of breaks up.

I try to train where I don't get off the bike for 50 miles. This helps drop thousands of riders that stop at each and every stop.

400 in addition to signup. Signups are full.

Yeah, I fully expect to get held up as my group/team starts together and then sort of breaks up.

I try to train where I don't get off the bike for 50 miles. This helps drop thousands of riders that stop at each and every stop.

Yeah, you gotta try to make it to lunch in Bellville without stopping to get past the masses. It's flat until about 6 miles outside of Bellville, so make hay while you can. If you don't feel like 50 miles without stopping you could start from Rhodes stadium in Katy (about 35 miles) if you don't have to ride with a team leaving from Tully.

If you leave from Rhodes in Katy you can cut thru traffic pretty quickly without risking life and limb. Get close to the front of the line, find a team with a paceline at your speed and ask if you can join, just be sure you are skilled enough to ride with them.
Last year, we left at about 7:05, skipped lunch in Bellville( just white bread, sometimes wheat, and lunchmeat sandwiches) and ate on the bike, team time trialed and hooked up with a racer group and arrived in La grange at 10:50 without being totally wasted. It was the fastest group ride I had done since I stopped racing 15 years ago.
For the second day, unless you get in line at 5AM, take it easy and enjoy the ride with a buddy. There are too many riders of all abilities all over the place. A fast paceline has to weave in and out of traffic and ends up cutting off people when they swerve.

Just thought I'd pipe in and say that my girlfriend & myself made the cutoff and as I'm a contractor for Chevron we will be riding with their team, which I hear is full of benefits. :D

It will be my first major road cycling event (well except for any of the rides I enter leading up to it) on my '06 Roubaix Elite Triple that I am picking up from my LBS tomorrow! I am also a MTB veterean trying the road thing for the first time so it should be a good experience, especially on that bike!

If you leave from Rhodes in Katy you can cut thru traffic pretty quickly without risking life and limb. Get close to the front of the line, find a team with a paceline at your speed and ask if you can join, just be sure you are skilled enough to ride with them.
Last year, we left at about 7:05, skipped lunch in Bellville( just white bread, sometimes wheat, and lunchmeat sandwiches) and ate on the bike, team time trialed and hooked up with a racer group and arrived in La grange at 10:50 without being totally wasted. It was the fastest group ride I had done since I stopped racing 15 years ago.
For the second day, unless you get in line at 5AM, take it easy and enjoy the ride with a buddy. There are too many riders of all abilities all over the place. A fast paceline has to weave in and out of traffic and ends up cutting off people when they swerve.

What means "get in line at 5AM"? You mean for the start of the second day or am I missing something?

Riding in the hotter than hell I didn't have much trouble negotiating the slow traffic. Alot of it comes from riding at white rock where I'm constantly passing people going all different speeds and even passing the occasional car (no lectures please I know it's stupid). I don't get alot of paceline skills, but I've learned to be able to second guess people quite well.

On day 2 if you don't line up early, at least 5:30-6:00, you will not leave until 7:45 or later if further back in line. Once under way it will take at least until the 1st rest stop to get any safe speed and pace lines going. I am not comfortable second guessing several thousand novice riders, many that have too little experience riding in groups. The 2nd day is the easiest day, with the exception of the state parks which you can bypass. Last year some evil prankster spread tacks on the roads through the parks. There were dozens of folks on the side of the road changing tubes.
Just have fun, it's not a race. But the more rest stops you skip and/or the faster you can
ride will keep you out of the large crowds.

Hey, checking in. I think I'm in decent shape for this event. I'd like to hear more about the options for the 2nd day if someone has comments on them. I'd also like to hear the differences in the start locations in Houston. My group of about 50 (2-3 of which are intense rec.) are starting about 2 miles up the road from Tully so we can get some PR shots of a huge peleton of people in our kit.

Also, what sort of food options are there in La Grange?

I'm also interested to see why you think the second day is easier. More hills + fatigue from day 1 and not much sleep would = tough day in my book.

Hey, checking in. I think I'm in decent shape for this event. I'd like to hear more about the options for the 2nd day if someone has comments on them. I'd also like to hear the differences in the start locations in Houston. My group of about 50 (2-3 of which are intense rec.) are starting about 2 miles up the road from Tully so we can get some PR shots of a huge peleton of people in our kit.

Also, what sort of food options are there in La Grange?

I'm also interested to see why you think the second day is easier. More hills + fatigue from day 1 and not much sleep would = tough day in my book.

Starting just downstream from Tully is a great option, and I've been doing it for a while. I understand the the MS society has to show their appreciation for the name sponsor by letting their team go first, but BP (and Enron and Anadarko before them) have HUNDREDS of riders who don't have a clue on riding in big groups. So, not only are you behind a team of 500 riders, but at least half of them are going to be barely-moving road hazards. Unfortunately, it's impossible to avoid more of the same when the group from Katy merges in later, so be prepared.

Not sure who said the second day is easier, but I rate tham as about equal. Last year, sunday was *mentally* tough, because the route went right past the Travis county Expo Center. That was the finish line about 5 years ago, and now it's still 10 miles from the end!

La Grange has several options. You can buy burgers, ice cream and beer from booths. The MS Society's BBQ Chicken is always great. And if you're on a big team, they'll probably set you up with some food. If you don't get what you want, bring some cash along when you hop on the shower bus. There's a supermarket right across the street from the school where the showers are located, and you can pick up anything you still need.

Starting just downstream from Tully is a great option, and I've been doing it for a while. I understand the the MS society has to show their appreciation for the name sponsor by letting their team go first, but BP (and Enron and Anadarko before them) have HUNDREDS of riders who don't have a clue on riding in big groups. So, not only are you behind a team of 500 riders, but at least half of them are going to be barely-moving road hazards. Unfortunately, it's impossible to avoid more of the same when the group from Katy merges in later, so be prepared.

Not sure who said the second day is easier, but I rate tham as about equal. Last year, sunday was *mentally* tough, because the route went right past the Travis county Expo Center. That was the finish line about 5 years ago, and now it's still 10 miles from the end!

La Grange has several options. You can buy burgers, ice cream and beer from booths. The MS Society's BBQ Chicken is always great. And if you're on a big team, they'll probably set you up with some food. If you don't get what you want, bring some cash along when you hop on the shower bus. There's a supermarket right across the street from the school where the showers are located, and you can pick up anything you still need.

Not sure when you usually make it into town, but I'm really concerned with lunchish items at 1pm or so. I know they set it up to have lunch at 50 miles, but that's the last thing I want to do. Having a supermarket nearby sounds like the plan for me I guess.

What team are you with? Would be good to meet you. I'm with the TAMU team which is probably too large to navigate through.

What team are you with? Would be good to meet you. I'm with the TAMU team which is probably too large to navigate through.
Check your PM inbox...

La Grange refueling/lunch options are slim at the fairgrounds. Unless your team is providing food. There are a couple fund-raising concession stands selling burgers, fries, ice cream and such. The BBQ dinner is good, but too light on carbs and will not be serving at 1:00. The shower bus to the high school and grabbing something from HEB is a good plan if your team isn't serving . We ate at HEB on day two last year when the Subway sandwiches were not there at the high school and they were making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There are also a couple fast food joints on Hwy 71 south of the school.
I am the one that felt day one is tougher. I have found day two to be tough during the first few miles but once warmed up I feel great. The mental part and lack of sleep is tough, but physically I have always felt as strong or stronger on day two. Even my first year when I had not trained in any hills and I finished after 5 pm on day one I finished around 1 on day two, I did bypass the park though. The last couple miles into Austin can be tough but the adrenaline level is higher and helps dull the pain.
We are also planning on a slightly downstream 6:45 start on day one to avoid the masses. This is our 1st year to do that. Hopefully that gets us out of the danger zone of the mass start. We are staying off the fairgrounds this year so maybe we can do the same on day two.
Good luck to everyone and please be safe.

What's the main difference between the hill route and the non hill route on day two other than length (and of course topography). Is it that much different scenery wise? It's tough to get a feel for just how hilly it might be as the topo doesn't cover that route AFAIK.

The "non-hill" route runs entirely along a state highway. It has pretty much what you would expect to see along any other highway, but vehicle traffic will probably be even higher than a normal Sunday because that's the road that everyone driving form La Grange to Austin will be taking. The shoulder is wide, and I'd bet that the Ride Marshals will be "encouraging" everyone to use it.

The "hill route" follows country farm-to-market roads, but when you enter Buescher State Park, all of the rules you've ever known about road grades are thrown out the window. The hills are wonderfully steep, because no commercial trucks are allowed. I like to think of it as a human-powered roller coaster. Oh yeah, and you get a bagpipe serenade that the other route doesn't get to hear.

So who does the challenge ride? Is it pretty much hardcores only? I figured out the topo map finally as I realized you have to look at the overall map to figure it out.

So it looks like the map BP2a-Lunch is the park you talk about. 600feet of climbing over 5 miles. Not too bad. To me it looks like.

Lunch express = 2073 ft climbing
Challenge = 1245 ft climbing

The main difference is 50% of the total climbing comes in roughly 5 miles on the challenge. From there it looks like 25 miles of utter flatness then the trip into town.

Then again I probably dont' know what I'm talking of. I've done an enormous amount of hillwork this year and I'd like to do whatever is tougher. Of course I'd have to talk my buddy into it, but he's more of the mindset of you only live once #### it.

culdeus, if you're on the TAMU team (Ol' Army), I know a fair amount of us plan on going through the state park on Sunday. Well, at least the ones I've talked to in CS.

If you see a guy on a black/red Orbea (http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=38557), say hi. This will be my first time riding the MS-150. Should be lots of fun.

Yeah I'm riding with TAMU. Are you clued into how the start will work? We basically turn due north and meet up with the Tully group somehow about 2 miles into the route.

Hopefully there won't be many delays. Lots of other groups are doing the same thing (starting somewhere else) The first bit should be a cluster. There are several 90 degree turns on the Tully route. This makes me a bit nervous.

100% doing the "challenge" ride. Talked to others and say it's a must do.

See you there. I'll look for a Dave at Freebirds perhaps?

I'm aware of the different start location. I'm sure it'll be quite crowded, but not as bad as one of the main starts.

My wife and I are coming down to Mustang Engineering Saturday morning. Bright and early!

I have gone to Buesher/Bastrop just to ride the hilly route- I made a loop out of the two routes - pertty nice. The hilly route is a real wake-up workout. Of course, there are a lot of unprepared people giving it a try, just like the whole ms150. Toward the end, people are going uphill pretty slow. It is two lanes with trees and brush right off the shoulder.

The easy route is a modest incline overall, but boring. If you did HHH in 5hrs, and have been training, I would do the hilly part of day2. It is way more scenic, plus a real adventure feel to it.

ALSO like others have said: on day 2, have a plan for your own breakfast, and get to the start line early like before 5:45 am. If you do hit their breakfast, be one of the first.

Two years ago, we were camped near the breakfast, so the activity woke us up. We hit the breakfast right at the beginning and still were not early enuff for a good starting position.

I had a great ride. In summary:

Pre-ride:

Took the bus from Austin to Houston. Was there right around 11 for the first buses, they didn't make it till 12:45 and then got lost on the way to Houston. So instead of having a little time in Houston to get our stuff together we were there at 4:15 or so. Did dinner in Houston and then sacked out at the Omni.

Day 1

Started at Mustang with 3 or 4 other groups. Probably didn't really get going till close to 7am with some delays. Started slow as people were just getting rolling and we weren't on the main course yet. When we hit the main course we dropped the hammer down hard. By the time we hit lunch my rolling average was 26.1. We were doing in excess of 28 on many stretches. A big downwind and catching the sweetspot of the Tully start group helped. Negotiating the Rhodes group was not that bad as I found out later they got a later start anyway.

From lunch I didn't want to wait too long. Probably still killed 20 minutes there as it was the first rest stop we did. I left out with three people from my team and we did low to mid 20s in the hills thru about mile 70. The heat started to kick in and I really started to slow. Stopped at two stops between lunch and the end to regroup and drink.

The last few rollers weren't too bad and I got across just after noon. 22.1 rolling average which was way ahead of where I wanted to be (targeted 1pm finish realistically)

I had a chance to go back and grab my camera to get shots of dave99ag coming across the line I'll post them later maybe.

Night:

Played in the poker thing and pretty much washed out after milking a small stack for awhile. Slept ok considering how humid it was. Then at 4:15am I was pretty disoriented. I had earplugs in and it was dark. I sort of forgot where I was and rattled a huge fart right off my cot. Pretty sure it raised the flaps on the tent. Got lots of laughter and I was up.

Day 2

Got to the line around 5:30. Was in the second group. No big deal there. Did the challenge route and loved it. Resembled the ewok forest moves as we darted in and out of the loopy turns and fast downhills. We got there fast enough that there wasn't much traffic for us. Still I'm not sure how some of these guys on mountain bikes with boom boxes mounted to their handlebars could get to mile 25 before us? Are there some illegal starts?

When we got to lunch the 6 of us riding together took a pretty sizable break. By the time we left lunch it was close to 10. Those hills took alot out of us and our pace was pretty brisk. We skipped all the reststops between lunch and the very last one and did 22-25 most of the way.

My big moment of self-doubt came about 3 miles out from RS9. I was pretty sure I was bonked. No, I was certian of it. I let the line go without me and I got in a minute or so after them. I downed a gu, the last of the accelerade that I had to mix up some oreos, trail mix, gatorade, and dunked water on my head. I decided to leave the rest stop as fast as I could to get out in front of my group so I could finish with them without holding them up. I waited at 2 miles to go for them and finished together with the crew.

Easily the most challenging thing I've done on my bike so far. Well worth the effort and the lead up. Thanks for the advice here and when I get a chance I'll throw some pics up.

Good deal! sorry that I didn't catch up with you. I actually left the Space City tent right before the Hold'Em started. It was a pretty good year for me, except for electronics. My Polar CS200 died a screeching, flashing death about a mile out of La Grange, so I lost all my data for Saturday and had no idea of my speed, cadence or heartrate on Sunday. Worse yet, it means I don't know what the top speed of my spankin' new bike was on the awesome downhill right before the parks.

So what is the best way to try to make the cutoff? I am new to this.

So what is the best way to try to make the cutoff? I am new to this.

Signup when registration is allowed. Just keep checking the MS-150 website. I don't think registration starts until September, if not later.

Signup when registration is allowed. Just keep checking the MS-150 website. I don't think registration starts until September, if not later.

Thank You! :thumbsup:

Yep. I got an e-mail that it's opening early (September). Used to be around Halloween. This year, it filled up by mid-February, but with the early opening, I'd guess that you'll be good any time before Christmas. I'm sure the eagle-eyes here will post some kind of note.