BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

woo yeah!

Got my name in a couple months ago and got some friends to join. Stoked to blow out my knee again.

I am definitely in - and hoping Team Google Pittsburgh has a stronger showing than last year.

Just signed up, but their website is impossible to navigate. Anyone know how i get back to the 'participant center' page? there is no link anywhere and when i log in it just goes to a page that basically says welcome to your account, but theres nothing there.

I rode with US Steel three times, but I no longer work for them. I have the jersey and could ride with them again, but should I move to team Thick? I have the socks already.

And what's this? There's an option to pay $5 more for camping. Why?

Rick: http://bikepax.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_PAX_homepage

Sorry to post a third time, but I couldn't get the Edit button to work. I might not bike this year. I already planned to run a marathon in Kentucky that weekend. http://www.hatfieldmccoymarathon.com/

No more excuses for me anymore. I bought a proper road bike so I will sign up this year.

Joe: Marathons are for people who cant ride a bike. Ride with Thick.

Rob: Thats where it keeps sending me. There was another page that I've completely lost. The one where you can view your personal page and stuff from.

after taking a break i am going to come back for this one.

I've sat here for 10 minutes, trying to decide if I'm in or not. And I think I'm not.

It's not that I can't (I probably can), or that I don't have any interest in the charity (I do), but rather that this isn't what I want to do with cycling. (Why am I telling you this? I think more so that I stop thinking about it myself and trying to change my own mind.)

To me, cycling is less a sport and more a means of basic transportation. It's a political tool, a means for me to make a point, to set an example. It's a social tool, to get out among friends. I have nothing to prove physically, i.e. I don't need to show myself that I can bike 150K, especially since I have no interest in pushing my physical limits.

So, Tweed Rides, Bridesmaid Dress Rides, Super Bowl Rides, Ride To Swimming Pools In Sub-Zero Wind Chill Rides, Flocking In General Rides, sure, I'm there.

I will take a lane of McKnight Road outbound for three full miles at 4pm. I'll ride up Babcock Blvd in the middle of the night. I'll tow a bike 12 miles in the snow. And, if we ever have a WNBR in town, I'll be there. Hell, I'll lead it!

But I think I'll pass on this one.

I’ll be riding in the MS150 again this year. I have MS and you would not know this if I did not tell you. I don’t have anything to prove physically and I don’t do anything special to bring attention to myself during the event. I’m just another cyclist that loves to ride.

This is a very big fund raiser for the local chapter of the National MS Society and the money that it raises does a lot of good for people who are less fortunate. I hope everyone that is capable of riding will do so…And that’s all I have to say about that.

I hope to actually get to know more of the team this year! Joe, join us - I'm going to do the century option this year and need someone to heckle some motivation into me! Biking is much more fun...and there are other marathons...

I went last year for the first time and rode with Thick. It was tons of fun with the exception of some riders that treat it like its a race and rode up my ass because I ride slow or just follow really close in till they are able to pass. Aside from that there was a lot of cool people, good food and lots of support. The older fellows that rode the support motorcycles where great to chat with also. I will be signing up with Thick again this year.

I imagine they were just drafting you, not riding up your ass or tailgating. It is pretty common on a ride like that.

I wouldn't take offense to those guys riding your ass. They were probably just using you for drafting. Last year I was riding a tandem and just about everybody drafted us at one point or another. No big deal.

Does drafting usually involve grumbling about someone going slow?

While trying to draft some really fast guys, I've grumbled to myself about how I am too slow to maintain my position behind them!

Telling a perfect stranger to pick up the pace on a random group ride would never even occur to me. Sorry you had such an experience.

Its ok still had a great time. Personally i just find it rude to ride close to someone. Never know when they could hit something and fall. More or less I wont do it to others so I would hope they would give me that respect also. If your out with your group of riders that you ride with all the time draft away, but to get with in six inches of a stranger that may or may not have good riding ability just seems like a good way to get into a crash.

I wouldn't draft anyone unless I got the ok from them to do it. I think I might be interested in trying it out this year to maintain efficiency on the century.

I rode a line with (mostly) Team Fatheads last year. We had a few randoms joining the line, but everyone asked to join first.

i have taken my time on this ride, and come up nearly last all the time, and as long as i get a freaking ice cream bar at the end, i dont care.

***note: honestly the time we came up nearly last was becuse me, my roommate, and our ride all slept in and nearly missed registration. oops. we were last on the field.

last year i fell asleep for almost two hours at lunch on day one. talk about finishing at the very end of the ride!

rick, orange links at top of left nav "my account" then click on the ride on the next page. that is your new progress page for the ride. link to your personal page to edit is in the third column (far right)

also, chris and i are planning to have new jerseys this year!

If you don't want people to draft, ride a tall bike. Everyone steered pretty clear away from me last year.

People sometime do odd things with drafting.

There was guy that psoted here that drafted on strangers on the jail trail without asking, then was puzzled that someone deliberate shook him off and then did it again after he strted drafting them again.

He was genuinely puzzled when folks here suggested that he ask before drafting. "Why? If they ride like that, they have to know what drafting is."

That, and a whole lot of otherwise reasonable people get a bit inarticulate about mile 60 or so.

@ caitlyn come up nearly last all the time, and as long as i get a freaking ice cream bar at the end, i dont care.

I'm guessing I'd be slower than you.

And ... um...

Are you gonna finish that ice cream bar? Just askin'.

If you don't want people to draft, ride away from them.

Seriously, unless you have experience riding pacelines with people you trust, the MS150 is a lousy place to learn how.

Bike-MS discourages pacelining, particularly very large pacelines, and I support that. There are two problems:

1. Inexperienced riders get spooked when being passed by a paceline. The issue here varies with the ride; the Escape to the Lake draws more newbs than some of the other rides. If they get frightened, it ruins their ride, and they stop coming back and raising money for the NMSS, and the NMSS doesn't like that.

2. The real problem is crossing the yellow line. This is what gets people killed. (which, besides being a generally bad thing, is seriously bad publicity). But if you're at the head of a paceline clipping along at 24-25 mph and you come up on some two abreast / three abreast group clogging up the lane at 12mph, you really only have two choices. One, cross the yellow line. Two, jam on the brakes and cause a pileup behind you.

In any case, I think I'm going to do the Keystone Country Ride again; the E2L is awfully big.

I drafted a team of five dudes for a short while last year after I screwed up one of my knees and was having trouble keeping pace in the rain. Made my life a million times easier and less painful.

I did some drafting with a few guys years ago but i agree- ms150 is not the place to learn. I also do not like random people coming up and drafting behind me unknowingly and then riding off

How does the team break up or stay together during the ride?

we get pretty spread out, but there are almost always a couple of people from the team nearby no matter where you are. its a big team.

I want to do it this year but I still owe money from last year's ride (which I totally missed because of a scheduling mix up). Maybe NMS will let me slide on the money I still owe from last year since I never even made it to the ride, maybe I'll be able to afford to make up for last years donation shortcomings and be able to come up with the loot for this years ride too. Not sure. If I can afford it I'll be there.

last time i rode i kept looking for roadside ice cream shacks and getting really disappointed. i hope this new route boasts ice cream shacks! can anyone confirm?

Chefjohn, I don’t think they keep a list of people who owe them a pledged donation but you could call them to find out 412-261-6347. They may accept some time volunteering in exchange for last year’s pledge. They have an office on the Norhtside by CCAC

Anyone doing the century this year, too?

I signed up for the century, and I know Nick did, too.

What did everyone sign up for? there is a lot of different options for shuttles and housing and stuff. I am flexible and just want to sign up for whatever everyone else is doing.

Nick and I both registered for camping, with a shuttle. Tent camping, though I don't remember if that was specified or not, and I can't really find what all the options were.

The way I read it was that the shuttle was for a shuttle at the university, not a shuttle home. I signed up the same way I did last year - camping, no shuttle. That whole options page is just stupidly complicated.

Also, they stress that this isn't a race, so teams aren't expected to stay together. Team Thick encompasses such a wide variety of people that you'll end up around someone with the same pace as you at some point. The only time that entire teams stick together is when they're training teams doing the ride, so they're just used to riding together. Even so, the rules dictate no more than two abreast.

Basically we start as a team and we camp as a team, but what happens in the middle is up to you.

Did the registration price go up this year? I just paid $55 for camping with a shuttle, and last year I think I paid $35 for the same thing.

Rick, I didn't do it last year but I think up to January 4th it was $40 and then the price went up.

TALL BIKE CENTURY!

I'm doing a "normal bike" century, with the tent camping and shuttle.

for a moment i thought you were doing an ordinary bike century, and in that moment you were my hero.

I'm definitely planning on doing this again. I also have to figure out a better fund-raising strategy for this and the Tour De Cure century. Plus I have lots of work to do to fit that awesome jersey.

I loved doing the tour de cure century but i ran into the fund raising problem and kinda stopped doing it. Believe it or not, i get little donations at the hospital i work at.

I signed up with Thick this year. I have yet to ride this new route that starts at Moraine and am looking forward to it. Last year the one I rode was in Ohio and it was almost like cheating it was so flat (but hot)- and I do not draft. I signed up for the Century. If anyone wants to get out and ride, just let me know. You can text me at 412-596-3566. I cannot keep up with email and PM most of the time.

I am camping and signed up for the shuttle - which I understood as my ride back to the starting point after it is over.

I don't own a car, so will hope to link up and carpool from Thick on the AM it starts. I'm sure that will be discussed as it gets closer. Until then I am riding short rides with some hills until it warms up more.

Greasefoot,

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll ride over to N'side and see what they have to say.

I signed up with Thick, outdoor camping option with shuttle back to Coopers Lake in Butler. I hope that is correct. They have way too many choices with no explanation of any of them. It also seems you have to un-sign-yourself up for the spam stuff, twice. Once during registration and again afterwards.

Finished my minimum fundraising today too. Looking forward to the ride!

I talked to Lauren re: the shuttle and this is what she told me:

Last year we had to add this charge because in past years we were able to secure trucking companies to transport the bikes back to the start locations and starting last year (because of the economy I can only assume) this has been harder to secure. Our national office is pushing us to transform this ride into a loop event to save many costs, but we are concerned that this ride will lose what makes it special if we do not keep it as a destination event. We surveyed all of our cyclists in 2008 asking them if they would rather pay the $15 to have their bikes/luggage and themselves transported back to the finish line or if they would rather have the ride be a loop. We had an overwhelming response that cyclist were willing to pay the extra fee or arrange their own transportation. Our other option was to charge every rider an extra $5-10 registration fees but this didn’t seem fair as many riders do not use the shuttles. So yes, if you pay the shuttle fee you are able to be transported to the hotels on day one and back to your start location with your bike and luggage after day two. You only have to pay this fee once.

We will be posting a form online within the next month or so that will allow you to add the shuttle or a dorm option to your registration – or you can call in now with a credit card and we can add it now. You could also send in a check with a note stating that you need to add the shuttle option onto your escape registration.

Yeah I have done the cook forest ride, which is only one day, but it doesn't seem like the same atmosphere as riding up to the lake.

Wow, I went to the MS society website and I am totally confused about this event now. So there are three routes that start from different places and they don't even know where the "Escape to the Lake" ride goes? Lotta changes since I rode this in the 90s.

Probably a lot more people riding it since the 90s too :p

IIRC the "1500 cyclists" number they quote today is the same as 1995. whether that reflects the actual number of riders, i don't know, but the myth about how no-one rode bicycles in the 90's isn't really true.

ErinK - it's not really all that different. They changed the starting line from Cranberry to Cooper's lake and the overnight from Allegheny to Edinboro. They also added an option to start at Edinboro and do a loop on day 1, but coming from Pittsburgh that doesn't really make sense. The other two rides are completely separate events.

If I had to guess, I think the reason the route isn't published yet is they want to get information about road construction plans. Lauren told me last year they had to re-route around bad roads fairly late in the process and as a result it became the MS 140.

The registration is definitely a lot more confusing though - there are a lot more options and have to pay an entry fee plus extra depending on what options you select... but, I can understand that - now 100% of the fundraising goes to the charity instead of some of it going to overhead.

My apologies if I'm asking something that's already been answered, but I'm confused about the century option.

1. Is the loop that begins and ends at Edinboro University the century option? In that case, I would assume that the other option for Day 1 (Cooper's Lake to Edinboro) is ~75 miles.

2. Does everybody ride the same route on the second day, ending at Lake Erie? In that case, I would assume that those who ride the century on the first day will ride ~175 miles over two days. Is that correct?

And now for my easy question -- anyone planning to ride this on a tandem?

Thanks!

1) the loop is for people from erie. both the loop and the coopers lake option merge shortly before the lunch stop and the century option is a branch off the main ride that you take shortly after that stop.

2) yes and yes

Mary, I'm not riding a tandem this year but I did last year. Hauling ass on the slight downhill for about 10 miles to the lake on day 2 was amazing on a tandem. At times, though, things got ...interesting...

Our one and only MS150 to date was in 2007 on our old tandem. That's when we discovered that riding a tandem among single bikes is like being an 18-wheeler on the highway. Everyone else passed up as we trudged up the hills, then we effortlessly zoomed past them on the downhills.

Mary, how do you transport the tandem? [just curious...]

I know that question was directed at Mary, but I've got a rather amusing answer for how we transported ours.

Thats a big 2x4, a fork block bolted to it, and an old toe strap holding the back wheel down. It flexed and wobbled a bit, so I ended up adding a vertical piece (the excess 2x4 I cut off) to stabilize it. Not exactly elegant, but next to free. And hey, it never broke until we tried to drive into into a parking garage...

I am considering doing it on a tandem but I have to get new barcons and a disk brake. And a stoker. But otherwise, sure.

We have a tandem-specific roof rack. When the bike is on top of the car, it looks a lot like the photo above.

Our new tandem has couplers, so in theory we can take the frame apart for air travel ... you know, all that travel and bike touring we will do when we are independently wealthy empty nesters with lots of time and money to jet around the world.

I want to do the ms150 on a tandem with cburch but we might have a repeat of when we did the two person kayak on our honeymoon (aka a divorce boat)

How long have you been married?

Seriously, I think it's easier if you've been married a while. I don't think we could have ridden a tandem on our honeymoon.

Ha ha. I was frustrated with my wife in the tandem kayak too.

The most frustrating thing about being the stoker on a tandem is having people yell "Hey! She's not pedaling back there!" as you ride past them.

Funny, the most common comments I hear are either "hey, she's doing all the work!" or "hey, you lost someone!" (when I ride it alone).

The "Hey, she's not pedaling!" comment got me, as a captain, just as frustrated as the stoker. Especially on a ride like this, where you pass someone or someone passes you every minute or so, you end up hearing it about 500 times before the ride is done.

Hahaha now it has been nearly a year and a half but I get accused of doing work in the kayak, but just the wrong kind ("you aren't keeping a steady pace, so I have to work twice as hard to steer", etc.)

thats because you weren't doing it right. i was even counting a cadence for you. still it was better than when we went white water rafting.

Haha, that has to be true since we know from the other thread that stef hates keeping a proper cadence...

I was going to mention my white water rafting experience with my (now) wife - that was pretty bad. I swear the only effort she expended all day was when she knocked me out of the damn boat. And since she doesn't read this board I can happily broadcast it to the world

the only time i left the boat i jumped out to swim. it was stef and i and larry from thick and his girlfriend/fiance/etc/whatever. larry and i were up front actually steering the boat. stef and alisa were in the back ignoring everything we said and randomly paddling in various directions, once in a while it was the right one, but not too frequently.

I don't think I could ever paddle even a flatwater tandem kayak (I have no idea how people run whitewater in tandems!)

The first (and only) time Nick and I rode a tandem bicycle we almost fell over within ten feet. It was completely my fault. We did eventually make it around the block, though.

Congrats to team thick who raised over $25,000 this year!

I feel like an idiot for not splitting up my fundraising $ and doign multiple MS150s this year. Oh wells.

we may do the cook forest ride. it's so beautiful. i have done it in the past.