Final Preparation for South Florida MS150
Bike Diva bombing down Card Sound Bridge, on the way to Key Largo. Day 1 of the 2008 S. Florida MS150 ride.
My husband and I, along with approximately 3,300 other cyclists, will be participating in the 2009 Zimmerman MS150 bike ride this weekend. The 2-day ride, which benefits the Multiple Sclerosis Society, starts from the University of Miami in Coral Gables. Riders will travel 75 miles south west, on day one, to John Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. Riders travel the route in reverse, with a slight variation, on day two, for a total of 150 miles in 2 days.
Race Track Lap
The highlight of day two, is the rest stop at Homestead Miami Speedway. The speedway is the half way point of day two. Riders get to do a lap around the banked race track, before heading to pit row for their official SAG stop. I remember riding the race track last year, I only got part way up before I realized how steep the race track was. Then I pointed my front wheel towards the infield and went screaming back down to earth. Adrenaline rush for sure!
I just checked the Homestead Miami Speedway website. The track has 18 to 20 degree variable banking in the turns. That is really steep, no wonder I was freaking out last year. Let me know if you hear me screaming on Sunday when I do my “victory” lap!
Enjoy the Ride
Although the MS150 is not a race, riders receive a whole packet full of race numbers which much be worn at all times. The large bib number gets attached to the back of our cycling jersey, the small number sticker gets attached to the front of our helmet, the medium number must be attached to our bike frame, one skinny sticker must be attached to each piece of luggage. Riders must also wear a wrist band that must be shown at each SAG stop in order to be able to pick up any food, water, gel packs that we may need. That’s more race numbers than most “real” races I’ve been to require.
Ride start at University of Miami, 2008 south Florida MS150 ride.
Early Wake-up Call
We have to wake up at 4 AM, to leave the house by 4:30, to arrive in Miami by 5:30, find a parking space, get all suited up to ride our bike, drop off our luggage at the luggage truck, then ride our bikes to start line at the Bank United Center of the University of Miami. We hope to have time to grab a bite to eat, and find a few of our friends before loading into the starting shoot. We leave with the very first group at 7 AM, all riders must be in shoot #1 by 6:30. MOOO! I feel a cattle call coming on.
zMotion Team
Last year, my husband and I did the MS150 ride with the 90 member Office Depot team. This year we are part of the 600 member zMotion team. zMotion is sponsored by Zimmerman Advertising, the event sponsor for the Zimmerman MS150. Yes, we are riding with the rock star team this year. It doesn’t matter that, at an average speed of 18-20 MPH for 2 days of riding, we are only part of the zMotion B group, we are still rock stars. The zMotion hammerheads have been known to get up to 30+ MPH on some of their rides. We won’t be riding with that group.
Virtual Ride
I just got an email from the Multiple Sclerosis Society giving riders their final race day instructions on where to park, etc… Included in the email was a link to a Virtual Tour of the MS150 Bike Ride by Blue Dasher Technologies. Pretty nifty. I posted the link to my Facebook profile and asked my friends “if I watch the entire ride online, does that mean I can sleep in this weekend?” HA-HA!
Final Preparation
The MS Society has a 30 page ride guide that is available for download from their website. Since I can get a bit flustered trying to keep track of all my stuff, my husband’s stuff, and my kids stuff, I was happy to see a packing list included on page 24 of the guide.
Here’s a partial list of gear and equipment I will put together for this weekends ride. Items 1 through 13 will be carried with me during the ride. I’ll have my under seat bike bag, bento box on the top of the frame, plus pockets of my cycle jersey to carry all my ride items. Items 14 through 19 are packed in my overnight bag. There will be luggage trucks at the start of the ride, the trucks will travel from the University of Miami to John Pennekamp Park. Riders drop off their bike, at the overnight drop off, then pick up their luggage, before taking the shuttle bus to their hotel.
- Rider numbers and meal wristband
- Picture ID
- Cash &/or credit card
- Helmet
- Padded bike shorts and cycling jersey
- Cycling gloves, socks, shoes
- Camera
- Garmin Edge 305 cycle computer
- Cell phone
- Sunglasses, sunscreen, lipgloss
- Spare tubes, CO2 cartridges, tire levers
- Water bottles, MotorTabs electrolyte tablets
- Gel packs, sports beans, shot bloks – even though there are plenty of SAG stops along the ride, I like to carry my own fuel just in case
- Fluid recovery powder – for after ride
- Action Wipes – for cleaning up after ride before we get to hotel
- Chamois butt’r
- Change of clothes for Saturday night
- Sneakers or sandals
- Riding clothes for Sunday
- Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, etc…
- Hotel reservation information
- Bottle of Aleve – might have to bring this with me during the ride
I’d love to hear from anyone else that has done a MS150 ride in their area. Riders can choose between various rides at the MS150:
- 1 day – 50 mile ride
- 1 day – 75 mile ride
- 2 day – 110 mile ride
- 2 day – 150 mile ride
Take care,
Lynn Smythe AKA the Bike Diva
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