Team McCrea: MS 150 Recap!

I know it’s been almost two weeks, so let me try and recall all of the fun.

A different start:

Last year we started at Conoco Phillips, which was one of the official race starts. As great as the experience was, it was very crowded and we started a bit later than we wanted. We decided to start at 6:45 at Bear Creek Park on our own. It was a great decision! The three of us started together and ended up freezing together. The cold cut right through you, to the point that when we finally stopped for the first time we were all shaking from it. We’ve all ridden in colder weather before, but this cold was vicious.

La Grange:

Ahhhh, sleeping in a tent! Team HP (who we ride for) had a very large tent this year. The first thing we did when we made it in was stuff our faces with dinner from Lupe Tortilla, yum! After that we all stood in line at the shower trucks. Well, Mac and Hugh stood in line for about an hour and I got to stand there a while longer. I’ll never understand why some women feel compelled to shower and put on makeup to SPEND THE NIGHT IN A TENT ON THE GROUND. Makes no sense to me. When I made it back to the tent Hugh and Mac had our sleeping area staked out. We each have a sleeping bag, all side by side on top of a tarp. We “slept”, and I use quotation marks because there’s no real sleeping happening on the ground, and woke up at 5 a.m. to get dressed and line up to start the second day ride.

Austin-bound!

I had some complications with my asthma on the first day, so I decided that it wouldn’t be in my best interest to take the challenge route. I know that it was one of my goals for the year, but it will just have to be something that I continue to work towards. Mac and I took the Lunch Express route and we were FLYING! We set a very fast pace and were able to keep it up until we met up with Hugh at lunch. The lunch rest stop was packed, so we decided to get our lunch at a nearby Carl’s Jr. I think we were all just excited to use REAL bathrooms! We caught a great tailwind after lunch and were in Austin at 2:30.

The ride is great personal physical challenge, but it’s about so much more. I really enjoy being a part of something that is much greater than me. We’re helping people that need it, and there’s no greater feeling than crossing the finish line knowing that you’ve helped.