I woke up to the sound of pouring rain. It was pitch dark outside. Today was the day of bike ride of my life.
It was 5AM on September 23, 2000. I felt unsure that I should undertake the 106 mile bike ride that day with the weather conditions like they were. But then I thought about the other riders who must have signed up to participate in this MS150 event. Every year, more than 1000 bicycle riders participate in this grueling two-day event. In these two days, they pedal approximately 150 miles to the beach.
Having done this ride several times in the past, this time I had signed up for the specially challenging “Century Loop” on the first day. Which meant logging 100 miles, 106 to be exact this year.
I decided to take the “plunge”. I put my “hybrid” bicycle into the Subaru station wagon and drove to Weddington Elementary School, the starting point of “Century Loop”. I have been riding a “hybrid” or “cross-training” bike because its tires are thicker than a racing bike and have less chance of going flat. But of course, it makes for a ride not so fast as on a racing bike.
As if the heavens were listening, the rain tapered off and by 7 AM, the official start time of the bike ride, it had stopped raining but was still overcast. And dark. So the officials delayed us by about 30 more minutes. At 7:30, we started pedaling our way to the Myrtle Beach.
Every 6 to 10 miles, there was a rest stop. One could stop for a few minutes, take a snack, fill up water bottle, and use the Porta-Potty. It turned out to be a beautiful day for the bike ride. Some drizzle on the way was actually welcome as it cooled us off.
In this ride, everybody goes at their own pace. There is no race. The object of the MS150 event is to raise money for the charity of fighting the disease of multiple sclerosis.
I consider myself a middle of the road rider. By 2 PM, I had made it to the lunch stop, which was about 70 miles from the start. At 5 PM, I reached Florence. This is where all the participants stay overnight. I was exhausted after the 9 and a half hour ride, but still happy with myself because I have not ridden that much in one day in the last 30 years.
MS150 organizers make excellent arrangements for the participants. Hundreds of volunteers put in amazing amount of work to make the ride a success.
On the next day, we were right on top of our bikes at 7 AM sharp. Today, there was only 81 miles to ride. I made it to North Myrtle Beach High School by 1 PM. A pretty young student handed me my medal for completing the ride.
While I have done many outdoor activities, I shall remember this particular event for a long time because it was a really long ride in two days. I hope to entice other enthusiasts of bicycle riding into this event.