The ride that wasn't

[DrBadger]

So this weekend was the BP MS150 from Houston to Austin...it was the 25th year, so kind of a big deal, and I work for the title sponsor...so lots of stuff going on at work.

Well Friday afternoon they had to cancel the first day (Saturday) due to the severe storms that blew through central Texas. The fair grouds that we were supposed to be at Sat night were totally flooded, tents blown over and compromised, and dangerous conditions along the ride route. OK, so that sucks, but it was the right decision... can't have 13,000 riders on the road in those conditions... turned out that there were really severe thunderstorms most of Saturday too... so good call.

The plan was for day 2 to go on as planned, leaving from La Grange onto Austin... the only trouble was going to be getting everyone to La Grange. Well, BP organized busses to leave from Houston to take us there... thought everything was going to be great other than the crazy early wake up call to be at the busses by 4:15 am....get my and my friend's bikes loaded, and on the road....10 min in my friend tells me she doesn't have the key to the roof rack....she had left it on the roof of the car! OK, so now, we have 2 bikes, locked to the roof rack, and no key to get them off....at 4:30 in the morning....(I lost the spare key a long time ago... realizing I should have ordered the backups then....).

So, instead of riding 180 miles this weekend as planned for a great cause I am sitting at home waiting for REI to open to see if they have a master key for the locks before calling a locksmith to try to get the bikes off the rack. Gotta get them off before work tomorrow... there is no where for me to park at work wtih 2 bikes on my car....all parking garages....sigh... what a let down!

I think the plan is to do a long weekend of cycling up around Austin in 2 weeks to get in something close to 150 miles so I can tell everyone that donated that I at least made an effort (and yes, friend is paying for the hotel room... she feels pretty bad).

For those riding, I hope you had a great time today and that the winds weren't too bad! Can't wait to hear all about it.
E.

[wackyjacky1]

Aw, what a massive bummer. Those storms were pretty bad. We only got the tail end of it here in S.A., but you folks to the east sure got slammed.

I hope your ride in a couple of weeks goes off without a hitch. If the weather is anything like it is today, I'm sure you'll have a great time.

[Mr. Bloom]

I'm sorry!

Ah, but it's still spring and the good weather is ahead of us

[jobob]

Oy-freakin'-vey!

Poor DrB - I hope someday you can look back at this weekend and laugh ... at the moment though, notsomuch! Ack.

[Tri Girl]

Man- that is super disappointing!!!

I'm sure your donors will understand and will know that it wasn't your fault (well, the weather anyway).
Don't beat yourself up- things happen. I drove to a triathlon one time with my bike locked on my rack. Got out and realized the key was at home. Doh!

[AnnieBikes]

...but so disappointing! Those things happen, though and there is just plain nothing to do but laugh and say, we did the best we could and it did not work out! There is always next time!

[Tuckervill]

That's so disappointing! But, we have a saying in the non-profit event industry that we say when it rains us out..."the money is already in the bank!" Cynical, I know, but hey, what else can you do?

Karen

[DrBadger]

yeah, we are already chuckling about it...bikes are off the rack now. Amazing what a locksmith can do with 30 seconds and $$ but did end up getting in a 36 mile ride around Houston this afternoon, so all was not lost. Just hard when you build up to a big weekend like this, and then it just gets sucked away...first the weather, then a stupid moment of forgetfulness in the haze of 4 am!

Oh well... ce la vie!

[Aggie_Ama]

You can do most of the MS150 route without having road closures. Only thing would be getting into Austin and they won't have Congress avenue closed. But it is doable. Adventure Cycling goes through Austin to east on the Southern Tier.

I couldn't believe it was cancelled, so many people target it. We needed the rain but not all at once! We got 2.67 inches up here and that was just the start!

[DrBadger]

You can do most of the MS150 route without having road closures. Only thing would be getting into Austin and they won't have Congress avenue closed. But it is doable. Adventure Cycling goes through Austin to east on the Southern Tier.

I couldn't believe it was cancelled, so many people target it. We needed the rain but not all at once! We got 2.67 inches up here and that was just the start!

yeah, we had thought about doing it on our own, but then decided that we would rather go up, ride the park in Bastrop, and then do a nice long rides somewhere outside of Austin in hill country... just nicer and prettier than the MS150 route. The plan is to do that Mother's Day weekend...should be fun.. hopefully the weather cooperates!

I know what you mean about the rain! On Saturday we ended up getting over 2 inches in 40 min at one point! My entire road was flooded, and about 80% of the streets in the part of town I live in (the Heights for those that know Houston) were flooded. Pretty nuts. I was glad I wasn't out riding on Saturday that is for sure!

Oh well, new keys from Thule are enroute... now I will have 4