This evening, I caught myself staring blankly at the computer screen, paying no mind to what I was doing. I realized that I had been daydreaming — my mind off somewhere in the sunny future, watching myself ride and ride in a “must-do” event.
Actually, I wasn’t that far off in the distance. I was thinking about the MS 150 coming up in April. It’s got to be one of the premier biking events for me. I’m looking forward to it, and am already getting apprehensive that I haven’t been putting in the miles I need to to get ready for it.
The MS 150 runs from Houston to Austin over two days. It’s really 180 miles — 100 the first day and 80 the second. The organization of the ride is super-efficient.
Thinking about the ride takes me back to a recent letter from reader Bill Wood of Ft. Collins, Colorado. “I’m going to ride in Italy some day,” said Bill, who, after pounding the pavement as a runner in the ’90s and the Oh-ohs, is rediscovering the joys of road biking. Bill wants to know what big cycling events we’d like to do — if not this year, then sometime.
Having lived many years in Minnesota, I’m well aware of RAGBRAI — The Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, one of the grandaddies of cross-state tours. I would love to take a stab at that sometime, complete with the ritual dipping of the front tire in the Mississippi River when the ride is done. That’s a ride I first thought of doing 25 years ago, when I just rode my bike casually around the neighborhood. I never acted on my thought, though — maybe it’s time to put RAGBRAI on my Bucket List.
If things work out right, I’ll even have a chance to meet Bill this summer. He’s coming to Texas for the Hotter ‘n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls, and I’m planning on riding in that one, too. It’s a flattish century ride, but temperatures in late summer can be over 100°F (38°C). However, it’s also a Happening, if you’ll forgive the ’60s expression, with around 11-12,000 cyclists at the event.
So, what better way to spend a chilly, dark winter night than thinking about rides you’d like to do? What’s a “must-do” event for you? What tour, event, or location would you ride if nothing stood in your way? Go ahead and comment here, or shoot me an email, and I’ll compile everyone’s thoughts.
A dream ride gives us a goal to shoot for, and it’s still early enough in the year to be setting goals.
Meet you in Whiskey Falls for the HHH. This year will make 19 for me. I work from home and I have the wall my computer faces covered with all the posters since 1992 on it, i often drift off and find myself looking at 2006 the only year I DNF and crashed out.
I do wish I could ride the last 10 feet of that one again, and miss the wheel in front of me, so I could have done the last 53 miles.
I’ll be up front and tell you I’m biased; I’m the Chair of the 3rd Annual LBJ 100 Bicycle Tour starting/ending on the air strip of the LBJ Ranch March 27, and we have some outstanding routes (distances 10, 30, 44, and 65-miles). Something for everyone, and a post-ride meal, rest stops at rural, historic Gillespie County schools, and an afternoon tour (included in registration)of the historic landmarks on the Ranch, narrated by Luci Johnson. Also great training for the upcomng MS 150. For more info, go to http://www.LBJ100BicycleTour.org.
Hope to see you there!
Regards…Nolan Kuehn
I registered for it last year, then woke up sick the morning of the ride, and couldn’t do it. Maybe this year.
Signed up for my annual Trek Across Maine. 3 days, 170 miles, the mountains to the sea in June. It’s awesome!
Then there is The Dempsey Challenge with Patrick Dempsey, George Hincapie, Steven Roche and Teddy King in October.
I totally agree….having the goal of a big ride sure does inspire a whole lot of motivation. Good job for getting people to start thinking about it now so that they have something to shoot for.
I was actually just daydreaming myself the other day about spending a summer doing a mega tour across the States doing big event rides. That would be awesome. There are so many big popular rides and I want the opportunity to do them all.
On top of that, I have cycling Italy on my wish list as well. Okay, let’s go ahead and add France to that too. I’ll leave there for now, but I know there are so many other places I’d love to ride.