MS 1.5 Kid's Bike Challenge - Flower Mound

On March 8th, the Wheeler Dealers MS 150 Team hosted the first ever MS 1.5 Kid's Bike Challenge in Flower Mound.

Despite frigid temperatures in the low 30s, 35 kids and their parents came to participate. (Apparently, adults weather the cold better than adults.) The event was designed to mimic the actual event, teach them bike safety and give kids an understanding about the effects multiple sclerosis.

Held near the home of one of our team members, the route wound through the neighborhood streets bringing them back to a balloon-adorned finish line. Finishers were given ribbons to commemorate the event, followed with drinks and snacks.

Businesses who supported us included the Lone Star MS Society, VMC Landscaping, Dick's Sporting Goods, Bicycles Plus and Kroger. To commemorate the event, one of our team members put together this video.

Because the event was so well-received, we're doing it again on April 6th in Allen. Come join in the fun! We're anticipating 100 - 200 riders and their families. We'll be having entertainment, a raffle, food and lots of fun. See you there!

Well, blow me down!

Earlier this week, I received an e-mail from Steve telling me how the previous weekend's randonneuring activities had triggered one of his chronic IT Band flare-ups. He went on to say that Peggy was really wanting to get in a ride this weekend and begged me to go out and ride with her.

[Okay, I can't go through with this, partly because I can't actually picture Steve begging, but mostly because Peggy's such a joy to ride with that he wouldn't have to.]

So Peggy and I arranged to meet up with our fellow recumbent biking buddy, “Corsa Ken”, this morning on Celina's quaint town square. The temperature was a mild 63°, but there was a stiff southerly wind that pushed the leaden clouds along at an ominous rate. I thought about suggesting that we just go somewhere for breakfast and plan another ride another day. The last time we'd done this ride, it had been so windy that the cross winds had us riding down the road, leaning at a 3° angle. I hadn't enjoyed it much, but I remembered Peggy riding (leaning) down the road, giggling at our lopsided riding style – so I didn't suggest a postponement.

We headed out, and although we had to fight the wind a bit, it wasn't too bad. At first. By the time we'd reached one of our usual rest stops at about 19 miles, the wind was picking up. After a brief discussion, we all agreed that we didn't want to do the full 50-mile route in the wind. Never mind the additional energy required to pedal into a headwind somewhere in the 20-30 mph range; we were concerned for our safety. As the morning progressed, the motorists along our route had become increasingly aggressive and weren't leaving a lot of room when passing. Our fear was that one of us might get pushed out in front of a car or truck by a sudden, strong gust of wind.

We headed back the way we came, often battling up hills against the combined effects of gravity and wind at speeds of no more than 8 or 9 mph. When we finally arrived back at our cars, I was tempted to kiss the paving bricks of Celina's square – but I still had a little pride left.

We finished 38.39 miles with an average pace of 13.7 mph and were impressed that it was that high. I took a vote to see if my partners considered the day's ride an “epic”, but as Ken rightly observed, you have to have at least one mechanical problem in addition to dubious riding conditions to qualify for epic status. Whatever else it was or wasn't, this was was my first pair of back-to-back rides of any distance. The 2008 MS 150 training season is now officially on.