WE RIDE FOR ANN SPENCER!
Bike MS Utah knows how to put on a bike ride! Camping opened in Logan UT, Thursday night for the 3000 expected bikers for Saturday’s ride. Tim and I arrived late Thursday night and on Friday explored the town for a place to work and found the quirky Caffe Ibis – highly recommended for visitors to town looking for a caffeine break.
It was 4:30 Friday afternoon when finally I decided that I needed to find an alternative form of transportation for Saturday’s 100 miles than my mountain bike. I started calling around to town bike shops for a road bike. Of course, they were all rented…except for one…a fire engine red Raleigh tandem. “SOLD!” I said.
The first challenge was getting it back to the campground. Tim rode his bike and I rode the tandem solo, rolling through the streets with a very extended backside. I barely managed to avoid knocking down any pedestrians. Tim then spent the next hour getting the “9 Cloud Team Builder” ready for the race, raising the seats, swapping pedals and making sure we were stocked. “Do you want to take it for a practice ride?” he asked. “Nope”, I told him. We were committed and I knew we’d have plenty of time to figure it out on the road Saturday morning.
While we were getting ready, the BIKE MS Team Village was lit up with activity. The bikers had arrived and it was like a carnival. Specialized held sprint racing for free gear, live music jammed, bikers and families were everywhere while a 50 foot blow up dinosaur supervised the scene. Tim and I attended the orientation session for etiquette on how to ride public streets with 3000 other people.
The Essential Route Map
3,000 Riders
9 Cloud Cycling!
Morning comes early on a BIKEMS event. Breakfast at 6:00 am and the first wave of riders leave at 7:00 am sharp. Highway patrolman line the route while small towns along the way transform church greens and schools with themed aid stations for tired riders.
Morning in Team Village
Before we rode we took some pictures in front of the first wave. It’s a scene that will choke you up. Hundreds of riders line up, decked out in colorful jerseys designed for the day. Many have raised $1000 or more towards a cure for MS. There was Tim, the 12 year old, who wore the same T-shirt day in and day out until he got all his donations and 80 year old Frank who has ridden in all 25 BIKE MS Utah rides and donated his 25 ride jerseys to decorate the starting line. Frank plans to ride in at least 5 more rides before he “retires”.
The First Wave!
After our pictures, we lined up for our turn through the starting gate. It took a block or two but Tim and I adjusted to pedaling the big red bike and got our communication signals down. When Tim hunched down and pedaled frantically, this meant I had to pedal a little harder. The shout “STOP PEDALING NOW”, meant to tone it down a bit. We were a good team and we cranked the bike up to a good rate. We flew down the road, much much faster than we could on our mountain bikes.
My View from the Stoker's Seat
Rolling Tandem Style
All along the way the team sponsors set up rest areas in different themes. The effort that went into these biker oases was awesome. We had iced coffee, nutrition bars, fresh fruit, kids with water misters, fake tattoos, someone cleaning sunglasses, and of course a bevy of beverages. Everyone thanks you for riding and everyone takes care of everyone else.
Kicking back with 50 miles done
5 hours later and 100 miles behind us, we were beat, but the activities at the BIKE MS Village were just getting started. A local bank set up a Money Grab (a big inflatable box full of blowing $1 bills – you spent 30 seconds stuffing your pocket with as many as you could). There was a dunk tank, massages (Tim got his first massage…he may be addicted), food, music and raffles. The night wrapped up with a huge pool party for riders and their families.
But with all the festivities, you never forgot the great cause that motivated everyone. 87% of dollars raised during BIKE MS goes to research for a cure. The National MS Society estimates that this single ride in Logan will raise $1.4 million. THANK YOU to all our supporters who have made this possible. It is YOU who will eventually bring an end to MS.