axdntprone

This would be mine, and my girlfriends first MS150.

We will be with a group (company sponsored), which will be giving us a jersey.

My question is. We wanted to create our own custom jerseys. We can stick the company logo on the shirt somewhere, but we want it customized. Has anyone ever done this before.. and is it allowed?

Also, if you do customize the top, will you be able to get into the company tent? or do you have to wear the company supplied jersy?

Thanks!

d2create

You'd probably have to talk to your company about that.

GarrettM

For general information about the MS150 ride, you can go to www.ms150.org. But for information about your specific team's requirements, you'll have to talk to your team leader.

axdntprone

Okay, well the original team we were going to try and get with was forced to reduce riders to employees only... and I am not an employee..

Does anyone have photos or can describe to me what it looks like at the end of the first day as far as eating and sleeping arrangements go? I want to make sure and get all of this stuff squared away so my gf and I wont have to pioneer it to much, considering the 2nd day is supposed to be harder...

Thanks!

bmafg

Last year was my first year riding the MS150. Eventhough there were something like 12,000 riders, I'd guess well under 10K in the camp grounds. Still, that's a lot of people. I rode with a team and slept in the team tent.

There is a large area where you can set up your own tent. Showers are available - try to get to them early. Bring your own towels, soap etc. Plenty of good food available. If you get there and can't figure out which way to go, just ask anybody. I found everybody helpful. Remember, everybody that's there got there because they rode there just like you or else they volunteered to help those of us riding. Also remember, they've been doing this for more than 20 years - they're getting pretty good at making it easy for the crowds of new riders.

Day two - get up early! Food line for pancake breakfast is long and you'll need the fuel. Day two is a little harder, but it is shorter. There are rest stops every 12-15 miles with snacks, bike repair, body repair (medical), toilets, water, etc.

Finally, remember to have fun.

Good riding,

BMAFG (Balding Middle-aged Fat Guy)

Bontrager

You might be able to ride with your significant other as a spouse if her company has a tent. I also wrote in the other thread - you can always get on Bike Barn or Sun and Ski Sports' teams.

zonatandem

To customize a jersey on the cheap:

Buy some jerseys in plain white. Have an artists that does airbrushing on T-shirts do your design on as many jerseys as you need.
Usually custom jerseys are way to $$$$$$$$$$ and you have to order a minimum amount, like 50 or a 100 of them.
Enjoy the ride!

TxH

My wife and I did the hou-austin ms150 for the first time last yr as a major newby (total road miles in past two decades prior to MS was about 300)......my thoughts are:

As far as accomodations, it all depends on the team........and IMHO they range from "ok" to "poor". However, if you don't have a team, the options I saw were VERY bad, unless you brought your own tent, etc. One of the main "common" areas for sleeping for those without a team that I saw was the area that serves as the animal (livestock?) pens.......cleaned prior to the race, but still a pretty rought place to camp out.

I would almost certainly not do the ride as a newby without a team, since you don't have to......last year we did the ride with Team GE/BikeBarn, and the lunch was good, dinner good, except that the beer was gone by the time we made it to the tent (wife not the fastest rider ever). Luckily the St Arnold Beer team tent was next door, so over there we went (and got served St A beer, poured by the brewery owner, no less). That seemed like a fun group.

If I were to do the ride again (unlikely since I live 1500 miles away now), I would definitely do it with one of the larger teams (lunch and dinner, safe place to leave bike overnight, preferred starting group, etc), but would arrange for a hotel room (or friend's farm house) nearby La Grange as opposed to camping out......but I'm just a bit high maintenance......not having a comfy bed, a hot shower without waiting in line, or pre-bed Sportcenter are not I feel like I HAVE to do at this point in my life......I could, but if there is a better alternative, why not? (puts on nomex suite anticipating flames)

Bottom line is that the the ride is a blast, and I would absolutely be doing it again this yr if I still lived in Houston. Finding a team should not be too bad, especially if you are in Houston, as many companies have teams that will allow friends of employeees to join (BP, Devon, Dynegy, Pentasafe, etc). So talk to your friends and see whose company has a team you can latch on to.....most places are happy to have you join since bigger team = more exposure and more attention from the MS150 organizers,

I have done a few other charity rides up here where I live now, and I have to say the Hou-Austin MS is amazingly well done considering the huge # of riders. Good luck, it'll be fun.....just avoid the nails on the road on day 2 (some d~ckhead's idea of a joke/protest last yr.

Trekaholic

I've done the Houston-Austin MS150 the past 5 years. I'd find it hard to believe your own company wouldn't let you into their tent. Most corporate tents are rented by the company, so you can even fart if you like. Just do it downwind of my team's tent. Most riders will be getting rid of their stinky jerseys to slip into something clean once they hit the tents anyway.

You will have a blast! I've been riding organized rides since 1985, and this is my favorite one. The past five years the weather has been perfect, and the support is outstanding. Riding into LaGrange and Austin feels like you're riding a gauntlet, through hundreds of screaming supporters. This year's registration gets capped at 13,000, so if you're not signed up, don't wait too long.

GarrettM

My girlfriend works for the Texas Chapter of the MS Society here in Houston. She said thay already have over 8,500 riders registered and they expect the MS150 to be full around mid-February. So, if anyone is considering riding, you may only have about a month left to register. Just FYI.

Stretch

Ooooh, thanks for the tip. Keep us updated! I'm not sure if I will be able to ride or not (work commitments). Please let us know when it gets close to 13,000

Bontrager

Well there is a MA-150 party coming up and apparently you can sign-up then which would lead me to believe that there will still be less than 13,000. But you never know. I've never done it but I'm sure as the date gets nearer people all of a sudden try to register for it. They could also put a cap on it just to get people to register and then all of a sudden say that demand was so high that they opened it up to 5000 more or something...

Speedybird

I signed up for the MS150 but live in Portland, OR. I would like to fly into Houston (direct flight) and out of Austin.
It brings up an interesting point of how do I get my bike hard travel case to Austin? The folks I'm riding with are from Texas and don't have my problem. They've also stated that the baggage transportation consists mainly of overnight 'duffel-type' bags. I've sent an email to the MS150 organizers but haven't heard anything back. Do they check their email?

I can't imagine I'm the only one in this situation. Any suggestions?

Stretch

Just fly roundtrip out of Houston. Bike to Austin and ride the bus to Houston. Unless you know someone in Austin that you can ship the case to and have them hold it for you.

TxH

I would think the organizers could take your hard case from Hou to Aus. If not, I would think that if you find a team to join, someone on that team would have a car going to austin that could hook you up.

Bontrager

Round trip is probably your cheapest bet...

Trekaholic

Count on it. When you depart from Houston, you can put two pieces of luggage on a truck that's delivered to Lagrange, the overnight stop. You can either camp in Lagrange or take busses to several local (small) hotels. There are many options but you have to act fast to get a room within a one hr bus ride. That's why I always camp there. More time to sleep, plenty to eat and do at the campground. There are probably 5000 people camping there overnight. Check the www.ms150.org site for more details or send me a note.

I suppose you could put other (softsided) luggage inside your hard case to get it to LaGrange. They have several tractor trailers loaded with luggage that go from Houston to Lagrange. You pick your stuff up at the Day One finish line there, use it, then load it back onto the truck so it's waiting for you in Austin. This is a VERY ORGANIZED ride. People from Austin can get rides for their bikes, luggage, and teams on Friday. People from Houston can do likewise to get home after they get to Austin.

And there's food, drink, festivities everywhere along the way.

Stretch

So the trucks will take a large hard-sided bike case for him? I thought it was just one soft-sided bag that was allowed.

Grendel

I wouldn't think that's the case -- the cap is a new thing for this coming year and is likely a result of the record crowd they had this past year for the 20th anniversary ride. They're not capping it because they're trying to get riders to sign up early; the ride numbers have gone up dramatically the past few years and they don't need to do stuff like that to get riders. I'm pretty sure the reason for the cap is that they've reached the limit of how many riders they can safely put on the road and accomodate in La Grange and Austin.

Speedybird

This is what I found on the MS150 website:

Pack Smart - Packing for the BP MS 150 Bike Tour should be easy. The National MS Society will carry two pieces of luggage for you, up to 75 pounds, from Houston to La Grange and La Grange to Austin. While packing smart may consist of clothes, smart items to carry with you while riding are your driver's license, medical insurance card and emergency contact information.

Although still an option, my preference is not to do a roundtrip to Houston or Austin.
If I go the route of "assuming" (high risk?) that MS150 will take my case, I will be royally screwed if they don't. I would appreciate positive confirmation from the MS150 organizers but haven't heard anything. I need to do something soon otherwise I won't get my flight choices.

Stretch

Not sure if this has already been suggested:

Fly into Austin, ride the bus to Houston, bike to Austin, fly home. No worries about the case being trucked for you.

Buzzi

Kind of off topic. I have already signed up for this coming MS150. I just have a question. What happen if I can't meet the $300 sponsership money? I know I have one month to turn in the checks after the event, but what if I'm only able to rise fund for part of the $300 requirement? Thanks.

Buzzi

Stretch

They impound your bike when you get to Austin.

(Only kidding)

Grendel

Hmmm... not sure. It is after all a charitable donation, so in that sense I guess they take whatever you can give. Your bike transport and bus fare and whatever else are covered by your registration fees that are paid in advance so you're square as far as services rendered by the MS150 org. I can tell you though that raising the 300 isn't as difficult as you might think. I've done this for two years now and even with the crappy economy and people generally not being in a charitable mood I was still able to raise the minimum and then some, and I'm a lousy salesman (hate hitting people up for donations!).

Don't be afraid to ask people for a donation -- one thing I always do is see my doctor for my annual checkup before the ride (a good idea regardless), tell him about the ride and hit him up for a pledge while I'm there. Same goes for my dentist appointment in a couple of weeks. Print out multiple copies of the pledge sheet and give them to family members to take to work or whatever (with their pledge at the top to start things off, of course ). Some employers offer matching funds for charitable donations, so look into that. Tell your coworkers that their donation will ensure that you get on a bike to torture yourself for two days and that's gotta be worth something! If all else fails you can still pay some of the pledge yourself -- it really is a nice ride and while I wouldn't say it's worth paying $300 out of pocket to go, I wouldn't have a problem paying the last $50 or $100 bucks myself if I was still short of donations.

robncindi

They don't allow you to sign up for or ride in the next event from what I understand. $300 should be pretty easy to raise though, I raised $250 in one day just sending an email out to a few folks at work.

Good luck