Houston to Austin MS 150

[Aggie_Ama]

The MS150 is one of my all time favorite rides. I have done it twice and both experiences were great. Amelia gave you the run down and I agree with her description. Coming into Austin the hills can be brutal only because you are tired, normally you wouldn't think much of them.

Things to know:

1. Don't let the challenge route (AKA The Park) scare you, you will really miss out of the absolute best part of the ride. Yes the hills of the park are hard but it is the prettiest part of the ride. The first year I was freaked out by the stories of it (hilly, some inexperienced riders, etc) and almost backed out. I am so glad my husband gently urged me to take it. They are steep but the first year I had less than a year of riding and was living between Austin and Houston, all we had were very gentle rollers.

2. Texas can be miserably hot in April, one year (2006) it was a scorcher. Houston is humid as all get out so day one can be a bit trying on you if you don't do heat well. But you're from Florida so you can probably handle that.

3. Camping in the fairgrounds is more fun than it sounds. We never stayed in the hotels. They have movies in the park plus about 10,000 of your closest biking friends. Also there is a kind of fair where you can find ice cream and other goodies after riding 100 miles on day one (depending where you started).

4. Find a team if you can. Many will let anyone join and help with logistics. I did it with a team both times and it was a good experience. The first year it was just volunteers from my old job but they have set up our tents and made us dinner when we got to the fairgrounds! The team I rode with last time will take anyone, it is Ol' Army Cycling, they are Texas A&M Grads but we had some non-Aggies ride with us. That was 2007 so double check on that.

Finally, I believe registration is usually open October 1, I would double check because I expect it will sell out in a week or less.