7TH ANNUAL MS-150 BIKE TOUR IN

NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA

I made it but ended up cycling only 130 miles instead of 175 I had planned. The MS Society canceled all trips Sunday except for the 30-mile Tuscarora loop because of tropical storm Gabrielle. 

My stats below are pretty close to last year's. I'm still hanging in and finishing at a respectable time ahead of most cyclists, most of whom are thirty-something in age.

Saturday September 8 - 100 miles:

Great weather Saturday except for the wind. I can no longer hang in a fast paceline as long as I used to. Most groups, especially on the 100-mile route, accelerate too fast (over 20 mph) for an old geezer like me.  So instead, I  look for a single rider cruising alone at a comfortable 18 mph speed and draft behind him, or as they say "let him pull me." I offer to swap pulling, of course, but I found that most single riders don't usually like to draft behind someone. Too bad because it's amazing how much easier it is to pedal when you're 12" behind someone, especially a big guy. But dangerous!

I got leg cramps several times around 60-70 miles as did many others so I had to drop off drafting and slow down to around 14 mph until the pain subsided. The tonic water (without gin) that I took beforehand didn't seem to help this year.  

I returned home exhausted as usual, showered and took a nap longer than intended so I missed going to the Convention Center for the nice hi-carb buffet. However, I did  join the Pickin & Grinin Group with my fiddle and banjolin at the Union Point Park gazebo from 7 - 9 PM to entertain cyclists camping in the park. We had three of them join us with their mandolins. Lots of fun.

Sunday September 9 - 30 miles:

With rain early Sunday morning from tropical storm Gabrielle the MS Society decided to cancel the 75 and 100 mile routes and have everybody ride the 30 mile route so they would return before the storm got worse. It was estimated that only about 350 out of 1800 cyclists decided to cycle in the rain. Everybody ended up grimy from all the road spatter but it was cool and I was lucky to find a recumbent to draft behind that had a rear fender that prevented wheel splatter. For returning cyclists the Society had a nice cookout in the convention center but the band in the auditorium was so ear-splitting I had to move into the hallway to eat my lunch. 

Click here for MS-150 photos taken by Dave Wallace

Below is the original web page soliciting sponsors for me to cycle the MS-150

7TH ANNUAL MS-150 BIKE TOUR IN

NEW BERN, NORTH CAROLINA

What is Multiple Sclerosis and what is the Multiple Sclerosis Society doing about it?

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. We have two family members with it. Symptoms may be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but the unpredictable physical and emotional effects can be life-long. 

The MS Society is currently spending  $45 million for over 380 MS investigations and fund more MS research than any other MS organization in the world. They are offering a $1 million cash prize (Ralph I. Straus Award) to any scientist(s) whose research leads to the development of a way to prevent or arrest MS. 

What is the MS-150? 

Besides new 30-mile loops the basic MS-150 tour consists of two 75-mile loops out of New Bern on September 8 and 9. Each day there is an option of adding 25 miles to round out the trip to 100 miles or what cyclists call a Century trip. I always cycle 100 miles the first day and either 75 or 100 the second day depending on how I feel and the weather. Each day's tour starts and ends at Union Point park in New Bern. The Tour is not a race but despite all ages and types of bicycles participating it's still a race for many. I always start with the lead group and try to hang in as long as I can, usually to the first rest stop around 12 miles - which the fast cyclists bypass. 

I need your support

The purpose of the tour is to raise money for research to find a cure (yes , a cure) for the devastating disease of Multiple Sclerosis. What I need are sponsors that will pledge a donation to the MS Society provided I complete the tour, which in my case will be either 175 or 200 miles of cycling in two days. If you go to http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/dave.htm you can see my previous MS-150 web pages, how the tours went and see who my sponsors were who contributed $635, $1449, $1562, $1555, $1640 and $2747 respectively over the years. The goal this year for the Tour in New Bern is to exceed $1,200,000. Overall, MS bike tours held in all states in the U.S. last year generated over $67 million. 

How to pledge via e-mail

To pledge a fixed amount or an amount per mile please send a message to me at davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (remove XXX before sending) with your name, address and the pledge amount. Don't send money to me. I will then post your name (less the amount pledged) on the list of sponsors below and show the cumulative total pledged. 

When and where do I send the money?

When the tour is over in September and I complete 175 or 200 miles I will notify everyone by e-mail and update the web page with a narrative on how the tour went. At that time you may send your pledge check to the following address with a note "Sponsor Dave Wallace" on it. If I don't complete the tour you owe nothing. But don't count on it. 

Hey, you can cycle the MS-150 too!

Check out the MS Society's MS-150 web site and register at http://nct.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?pg=entry&fr_id=5520.          You'll see all ages and about every kind of bike participating in the tour but I must warn you that you're going to have a tough time keeping up on a heavy fat-tire bike because most of the bikes are light weight road bikes with skinny tires. If you have questions about cycling and the tour send them by e-mail and I'll try to answer them. Also take a look at my article in the RIVER BENDER last year titled "Cycling the MS-150 at 77" at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/2006%20ms150%20at%2077.htm

Can't cycle long haul? Then how about volunteering to help run the tour by helping at rest stops, sorting, loading supplies or helping at the convention center, etc. Give Phoebe Coggins a call at 1-800-344-4867. 

 Footnote . . . 

  MY SPONSOR LIST

All addresses are in North Carolina unless shown otherwise

PLEDGE AMOUNT TOTAL    = $2856.50 

RECEIVED BY MS SOCIETY  = $2856.50 (100%)

Webmaster: Dave Wallace davewallace@XXXsuddenlink.net (remove XXX)

Web page originated:  6/22/07

Updated 11/02/07

Join New Bern Century Cyclists (NBCC) at http://pages.suddenlink.net/davew/nbcc.htm