Cindy Downes

Sep. 19, 2005 - Final Update for MS 150

Hi Everyone,

We made it! At least halfway. . .

My dear hubby and I rode 78 miles yesterday at 7:30 am for the MS 150 from Tulsa to Muskogee on a lot of hilly, rough back roads. The temperature was nice (topped at 92) so the heat didn't get to us.

There was a rest stop every ten miles for which we are ever so grateful. The one by Airial Data (not sure of spelling) was the best. They had valet parking for our bikes and free massages! Boy, did I love that. (Those of you that know me well, know I usually do not like massages but this one was wonderful!) And the other thing that made it so great was that my wonderful son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter were there volunteering their time to serve all of the tired and hot bicylists. It was so good to see their smiling faces and get hugs on the way!

There were several really big hills but I was able to ride up them all after stopping to rest a bit. Coming down was great! I actually got up to 38 mph on my bike on one! Here is a picture of some of our team members (I am on left. DH next to me.) We rode with Team Superior.)

We had lunch in Okay, OK at the school with twenty miles left to go. I almost gave up then, but I didn't. I got back on my bike (ouch!) and kept riding until I hit the finish line at 4:30 pm. Was I ever so glad to see that finish line!

After showering and dinner, we crashed hoping to get a good night sleep before the next day's ride (today). Just after we had gotten to sleep, the phone rang, my dh jumped up to answer and got the most painful cramp in his legs he has ever had. It took fifteen minutes to get it to subside. I made the "executive" decision that he was not going to ride today and consequently, I did not ride either. My body thanks me and I feel good that my hubby will be fine in a day or two. We made the mistake of not stretching after our ride. I think this is part of the reason he cramped up.

Anyway, it was a great time. My dh and I raised over $600 for MS, got a lot of good exercise, and had dinner with our biking buddies, after the event, at the Texas Roadhouse.

Thanks for letting us ride for you, Freida and Ginny and best wishes to everyone who supported us on this ride. Thanks for your prayers, your donations, and your friendship.

CIndy (and Bill)