Finished the MS bicycle ride at 110 miles

I finished the MS bicycle event! I rode 58 miles today and 52 yesterday for a total of 110 miles :) There were 415 bicycle riders there - a new record for this MS event.

Met a lot of wonderful people there and I really enjoyed the whole event. They had everything taken care of wonderfully well. Lots of great volunteers. Good food too.

Saturdaywas interesting - started with LOTS of bicycles and after the second rest stop - I hardly saw anyone. There was a big hill Saturday that I had heard about... But it wasn't so bad - I ride up a similar hill everyday as I commute home from work.

Sunday - got up early today (read that as 5AM - I still don't think the world exists at that time) and got breakfast and got riding by a bit after 6AM. Rode with a friend for about 18miles or so and he went to the left (75 mile course) and I went right (for the 50 mile course). We happened to meet a group at the rest stop a bit before that - very nice folks. They were all going 50 miles too... So I tagged along with them for the rest of the ride - had a great time talking with all of them. Got to the end and said bye - took a shower and got packed up and poof - driving time to get back home - made it home just a little bit ago. Time for a nap.

Hugs

Saturday ride for MS

I rode for 52.54 miles today - yahoo! Wonderful day - hot but nice. Got back - ate, took a shower and had a massage - now it's nap time till 5:30 - which is when the lobster cookout starts - yum!

It should be a fun night and getting ready for 50 more miles tomorrow!

Na

Almost time for the bicycle event...

Hi!

I've reached the end of training yesterday. Today I'm packing up and getting ready to drive to Standish, Maine for the MS bicycle event. I'm getting very excited - should be a lot of fun - and a good challenge.

So far we've raised $630 (like real money) and it will go up a bit more after the event. Yahoo! Thank you everyone who contributed and are supporting me! I really do appreciate all of your support.

More details once I get there...

Oh - in case you would like to see information about me or the event: Fleur's MS Bicycle event page

One week more to go...

I rode 20 miles today on my bicycle. The Maine MS event is about a week away: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR/Bike/MAMBikeEvents?pg=entry&fr_id=17754 I'm beginning to understand some aspects of competition... Last week I happened to be riding home and met another bicyclist at a stop light. Nice person - had a slick looking bicycle... The light changed and well... I couldn't help myself. I just zoomed down the road quicker than ever before - like way faster... I kept up a blistering pace (for me) of about 21 miles an hour... Which is peddling pretty quick... Usually I do about 17 miles per hour there. That day - zoom - just had to go extra fast. I'm glad it was only a couple miles... At the end I turned off to another street and the other bicyclist went straight. I clearly wasn't thinking straight at all... Heart rate went way up to like 170 beats per minute and I was breathing hard... Felt like I was about to go pop at the corner... But I made it there ahead of the other bicycle.

Back to training today...

I rode 25 miles today :)

Bicycle maintenance day...

I didn't ride at all today... My bicycle was in the shop getting cleaned up and new wheels and tires. It looks wonder - like new - quite whizzy. I'm hoping to get up early tomorrow and go on a ride with the folks at the bicycle shop (7:30am... It's early...) I'm praying for the families that were affected by the shooting in Aurora.

Back on track training...

Wheeeeee - I feel so much better today... Bicycled for over 20 miles today and dropped off my bicycle to get tuned up... I'll have it back late tomorrow :)

Slacker training days...

I feel like such a slacker... Two days of only 18 miles each. Yesterday I had my hair done and I just ran out of day. Today was rainy - nice day but storms earlier - so I took the short ride home of seven miles. I'm having fun and will be back up to more that 20 miles tomorrow - I hope.

Another wonderful day and new wheels

Joy joy joy! It was a beautiful day! Training details - road a little over 27 miles today - later in the day. It was a wonderful fun ride. I felt just so very joyful during the ride. It even rained a bit about halfway during the ride. I had to take my bicycle in to get an estimate and schedule it's tune up... (bicycles are like cars... They need tender loving care too). The mechanic took a look... Chain needs replacing... All the wires should get replaced - but not quite now as changing them now before the ride in Maine would be traumatic... The rear tire spins nice... But it isn't true. Translation to normal people speed: it kind of wobbles left and right at least a half an inch... maybe more. The mechanic looked at that rear wobble and said that the recommendation would be to get a new wheel (thinking - not worth trying to fix something that is that far bent). It's interesting - half an inch is considered WAY too much in bicycle tire wobble left and right. But half an inch wobble for a LOT of other things is perfectly good. I wobble a good six inches once in a while and sometimes even more... Must be the shoes... They need to be replaced... That left shoe is clearly a danger to me and I just have to get them replaced. Hubby dear? The mechanic said I need new shoes... So... I got the first partial estimate of $220 for the bicycle tune up. The mechanic is calling around tomorrow to find out where the two wheels will be coming from - yes - we're replacing both the front and the back wheels. He said these new wheels will make going uphill easier... They will be stiffer. And we could have replaced just one... But that'd look weird... And weird we are completely trying to avoid. Ok. Stiffer. Easier to go up hill. They will be black or silver... Not pink... I'm not fast enough to have pink wheels (deep sigh) - I did ask. I'm sure they will be wonderful wheels and my bicycle will gleam even more than usual with them on... And going up hill will be so very much easier. Translation - three pairs of excellent shoes from Nordstroms... Instead... I get shiny new wheels. Better uphill. Stiffer. (deep sigh) I am sure they will be just wonderful. I'm looking forward to extra special bicycle tire gleem, aren't you?

Happy Saturday!

Today is beautiful outside - bright, sunny - a wonderful day to be alive and go for a bicycle ride. I rode about 17 miles today - wanted to go for a bit over an hour and that is about as far as I could go in an hour. Oh - I'll be chasing down a foam roller today - bicycling.comhad a good article on self message with a foam roller.

Vacation day!

Today was a vacation day - we went to Maine and had lobster and even brought home a dozen loafs of bread from When Pigs Fly http://sendbread.com/ - I highly recommend heir bread! Lots of wonderful flavors in their store - like chocolate bread. Yum!

Training...

Today was a beautiful day - sunny - just wonderful outside. It was a good day for a long bicycle ride.

In real life - I rode a little bit over thirty one miles today! Yahoo! I'm getting more ready every day...

Time is getting close for the Great Maine Getaway 2012. Please support the event to help stamp out Multiple Sclerosis.

Virtual rider for multiple sclerosis bicycle event...

I've signed up as a virtual rider for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society bicycle event in Maine (Great Maine Getaway 2012). This will be on August 4th and 5th. My real life person will ride 100+ miles (50 miles each day).

I have a site for the event: Great Maine Getaway 2012

I will also be posting progress reports here and on Facebook

So far - I am riding about 20+ miles per day - training... training... training...