rickyk76

Hope Bike for Mike went well for all who participated.

I rode THP and GBP today and was only able to get about 32 miles in before hitting the wall. I even saw Tommy1955 there. I was dehydrated, though, and didn't want to push too hard past my limits. I'll most likely be back that way tomorrow. I've got a long way to go to be ready for the Flatland.

the sci guy 

Bike For Mike was fabulous as always. Couldn't ask for better weather. The wind was fairly calm, it wasn't too hot. Attendance was considerably down this year though.
I rode my single speed commute bike and after catching a few pacelines I was able to crush out an 18mph average for the 35 miles. I'm pretty happy with that. I made it back before the food was even ready. So I had a beer and chatted with some folks. Had to leave early though for a cat vet appointment but I did grab a few foods before I left.
I took a few good pics I'll post them later.

Tommy1955

Rick, I did the same route as you did. Took me 2.5 hrs with about 15 minutes in stops. I'll probably ride tomorrow too starting around 9:00am but I might just do 24 miles. Depends on how I feel. Haven't been on the bike much this last week due from being too busy with work so it was a little harder today. Good thing the wind was down. I'll have to see how my legs feel. It's always better for my legs if I get out and ride after being sore the day before. My legs usually feel better after a nights sleep.

the sci guy 

There are drinking fountains with potable water at the cop shop / skate park on the north side of GBP, and at the soccer fields complex, and on the side of the path toward Fry Rd (before you get to the houses). Stay hydrated!!

the sci guy 

Some pics from Bike for Mike today

rickyk76

I might see you out there again, Tommy.


I had plenty of water with me. Just started off dehydrated from being on planes all day yesterday and never got caught up. Plus it had been a couple weeks since riding.

bkj

I would have done Bike for Mike this year but I had an opportunity to do Shiner GASP so I did that instead. It was a beautiful day to be outside. There was no wind to speak of until the last few miles. The Shiner beer at the end was great as always.

the sci guy 

Haven't seen you in a while. Hope things are well, buddy. Might do that Gasp one of these years.

Scott P

I second the advice to train for this ride. I did it two years ago. I trained for and rode in the MS150 (MS75 since it was day two only that year), but probably only put 100-150 miles in total of riding between that and the KFC. I had planned on the metric century with a teammate I knew I cold keep up with, but the night before, she decided to do the full century with the other two team members who had ridden two centuries that year already. I din't want to ride alone, so I hopped on board. I tried to get her to turn off at the 66 mile route (it is relatively early in the route where it breaks off), but she insisted on the full century. Well, she hit the wall at fifty something miles and had to SAG back at the 63 mile rest stop (after limping along at 8-9 mph the last few miles). That left me to finish the ride with the two folks who actually trained.

I finished the ride, but I didn't do it well. I dropped a water bottle at the Igloo plant and "sprinted" to 18 mph to catch up after retrieving it. I think I finished the last several miles at a 14 mph pace. This year, I really want to do it faster, so I get in before it gets stupid hot.

Put in the miles. Get some rides in during the afternoon to get used to the heat too. It gets brutal later in the ride and you can feel the heat radiate off the roads when you look down while riding.

B Chris

Sound advice from Scott P. I did the same thing ~ 6 years ago. I had done some 50-60 mile rides so I why not try the full century? At 70 miles I realized what a terrible mistake it was. Thankfully I knew that area well and took the shortest route I could back to Rhodes. I ended up with 86 miles. But man did I suffer. I think I stopped every 3 or 4 miles. And since I was off course there was no support and I had to nurse my water. The heat is no joke on this ride! I felt sapped for days afterwards.

In 2015 I wisely did the Metric. Missed it last year, but will do the metric again this year. I like the new start and finish at Tompkins High. KFC is such a well run ride, and it's tradition. It's gotta be one of the longest held Century's in Texas. Good luck all.

the sci guy 

I'll echo what Scott P said about feeling the heat radiate off the blacktop as you're riding. I did the metric 2 years ago (didn't ride last year), and while I wasn't as strong a rider as I am now, I really struggled the last 15 miles or so. Coming down that long straightaway and its just nothing but beating sun and hot pavement. It's killer.

Fett2oo5

@Scott P, @B Chris, @the sci guy
Thank you for the advice and sharing your experiences. This Texas group of members is my favorite on this forum. Yall are great.

Sounds as challenging as I thought it would be. I'm going to stick with my goal of the 100. But also, keep my strategy of assessing my condition through-out the ride, and shorten the distance if I need to.

After gathered information, I'm thinking of changing my "training" to add some afternoon rides on weekends. Perhaps start at one of the club rides in the morning and keep going into some of the heat. (being cautious and smart of course)

I'm a solid 18mph rider, so I'm thinking of joining the 20mph group on Saturday club rides to challenge myself, and ride until around noon. I have a history of kinesciology in college so I'm not completely incompetent. =P
However, I'm not 100% certain of my training strategy. As I said, I hope I can be prepared for the 100. But if not, I won't be disappointment, riding it too much fun for that to happen.

Scott P

An early start, coupled with a good group would make the century entirely doable. If I could do it at 43 years old, with little post-MS150 training and only a night's notice, anyone can. Maybe it was my healthy eating. Maybe it was just my ego. Maybe it was sheer stupidity. But, I did finish the thing. It made an interesting photo documentary on Facebook along the way too. I just looked tired and unhappy by the end.

The topper is the ability to shower afterwards. You have access to the showers at the school and it feels really good to take a shower afterwards. But, it is a loooooong walk to get there. I swear that corridor feels like it is a 1/4 mile one way. But, I also met a guy from Niagara Falls Canada, one from Syracuse and I think one from Buffalo all while I was in there. Being from Western NY, it was pretty cool to run into several people from my region of the country in a locker room in Texas after a 100 mile bike ride.

the sci guy 

Ha. Syracuse native here....

I don't know if I could do 100 in the time frame necessary yet. It took me from 6:30am to about 4:30pm on day 1 of the MS150 - though that included longer lunch stops, and hills, but even so I think the max time for weekend t-shirt rides is like 2pm with a 7:30-8am start. So....gotta hustle.

the sci guy 

June 4 - Fayetteville Good Ol' Summertime Classic
Katy Flatland.

Never done the fayetteville ride but i hear good things.

bkj

Event Calendar - Texbiker.net
has everything.

The Fayetteville ride June 4th is great.

rickyk76

Actually, if viewed on a computer, is pretty easy to navigate and see the information. The scrolling sidebar of events on the right hand side makes it even easier to see what events are coming up than just the regular calendar view. It's pretty great that someone took the initiative to make a central place for all Texas bike events. Guess he wasn't just catering to you when he put it together.

texbiker

Thanks for visiting and mentioning my website, Texbiker.net. I try to cover the whole Texas bicycling scene news, events and throw in my riding experiences as well. You can also see upcoming events by location on the Upcoming Events Map in the menu link below the heading. Maybe that helps.

txags92

My wife and I are signed up for the Good Old Summertime Classic out in Fayetteville. It is a fun ride in a beautiful part of the state and the folks on Fayetteville really support cycling, which is quite rare for rural towns near Houston. So I like to show up and thank them for the support. Plus the Chicken Fried Steaks and pie at Joes or Orsaks after the ride really hit the spot.

Scott P

I haven't been on my bike since the MS150. I just haven't found the time to ride. I signed up for the KFC, so I suppose I should get back on soon.

txags92

I haven't either. I have still been spinning, but I have been spending the weekends catching up on all the tasks that I put off while training for the MS150. My wife and I are going out to ride at some point this weekend. We may go out with the NWCC VP Ride on Monday out of La Centerra if the weather looks like it might cooperate. Or we might go out Saturday morning, either with NWCC or on our own somewhere else.

cclements

I am signed up for the KFC. It's the first ride I have done since the half MS-150 two years ago. I am commuting every day around 30 miles and going out with the BB group rides on Saturday. I hope that is enough to get me through the metric century.

the sci guy 

that's what rest stops are for!

memebag

George Bush Park threatening to ban cyclists | khou.com

Y'all slow down in George Bush park.

the sci guy 

It's actually Terry Hershey. Not sure if they put them up in GBP proper - besides there are hardly ever any walkers in GBP.

Will never happen. But lots of people on bikes need to stop being dicks.