Champions for MS

Good Morning Champions for MS!

For me riding the Phoenix tour was about celebrating life and reaffirming my commitment to helping those with MS. 10 years earlier I had done the same thing, when I turned 40. Somehow MS brought purpose to cycling for me. MS made me realize that every time we climbed aboard our wonderful machines was a gift.
Riding the Phoenix tour was also a beginning for me of a new chapter in life….Over the next 2 days I would learn more about myself, and the importance of why we do this…Please allow me to tell you about this incredible journey..But before I do so, I would like to say thank you to some very important people..

Thank you to my wife Sylvia, who has shown such devotion and caring to me as a wife and friend, who has shared and supported me with the MS 150 experience. Sylvia, has made a name for herself as one of the most experienced Sag drivers, she has helped countless riders complete their dreams of riding the MS 150. Thank you to my sister Cathy, who made the Phoenix tour, that much more special, by sharing it with me and Sylvia. I also owe Cathy more thanks for without her help, and Sylvia’s on Day one, I would have dehydrated, and may not have completed the ride( but I will tell you more about this later). I would also like to thank Sheryl Keeme, and Sarah Meeks the leaders of the Phoenix tour, for putting on a first class event. Sheryl, the Chapter President of the Phoenix MS Chapter, also lead a team of riders(Girls Gone Riding) and clearly understood the needs of a Bike MS Cyclist through our eyes. Sarah, was the consummate professional, who orchestrated an incredible event, made us feel welcome and was there to share the feeling of accomplishment that comes from finishing this tour…Over the next 2 days, I had the opportunity to ride with Sheryl, as well as get to know her members of her family who are Pittsburgh natives. Sheryl and members of her family will be joining us in June for our tour.

Going into this tour, I was a little nervous..The reality was, I did not have the miles, I would have liked..150 to be exact…I knew I would have to ride this one on something every Bike MS rider has…HEART…We all have it…If we didn’t have it, we would not be riding this event…What I did know, was that I knew how to ride this event, and would need everything I had to finish…This event would be the first time I had ridden my road bike this season.

I landed in Phoenix on the afternoon of 3/25. I had just turned 50, 4 days earlier and was about to complete a journey over a year in the making. My sister met Sylvia and I at Sky Harbor Airport, and over the next 2 days we spent much needed time catching up and doing final preparations needed to get me ready for the ride ahead.

On Saturday morning I awoke at 3:00AM, tired a little jet lagged, and a little apprehensive. After eating a quick breakfast, I loaded my water bottles, grabbed a quick shower, changed into my cycling gear, loaded my bike into the mini Van, where we set off to find Starbucks, and the town of Florence Arizona, the site of the Phoenix tour…When we reached Florence, temps were cold, 38 to be exact…I was thankful that I brought a wind shell, leg and arm warmers…After Parking our car, I quickly pulled on my cold weather gear. Fighting a case of pre-ride nerves, myself, Sylvia and Cathy, set off to register and make some new friends..
This is where I met Sarah Meeks. Sarah immediately made us feel very welcome and pointed out where we could find Sheryl Keeme, the Chapter president, who was also riding..Once again it was as if I had known Sheryl forever, and the nerves were quickly going away…One thing I had to keep telling myself, was something, I have told all of my rookies…I have always been a very technical rider, and this distance and course were very suited to my ride style…I just needed to ride my ride, not go out too fast, stay hydrated, and leave something for the finish.. In essence just ride my ride…

I pulled up to the start at 7:00AM, where I met a number of riders from the Fed Ex Team, and a couple riding their 6th tour from FlagStaff. My group was the second group of 150+ riders starting…It felt great to be on the road bike again…The first 10 miles ticked off pretty fast, almost too fast..The group I was riding with was averaging 18-22 MPH…I hit the first rest stop feeling great, but as Sylvia and my sister told me, I was not drinking enough…I pulled out of the first rest stop, feeling really strong, and headed for rest stop 2….When I hit the second rest stop, I had only had a little more than ½ a half a water bottle gone..Temps were warming up, and I stripped off my cold weather gear which were soaked with perspiration…My body was sending me the wrong messages…Between rest stop 2 and 3, I started cramping in both calves…My legs were feeling heavy, when I pulled into rest stop 3, 40 miles into the ride…I was not hydrating enough…Temps were now moving close to 80, and I needed to make some quick adjustments or I might not finish..But finishing was something I was very good at…Sylvia and Cathy pumped me up with fluids and food at the lunch stop…Then I proceeded on to rest stop 5, 17 miles away…Still fighting the effects of early dehydration, I gritted my teeth and rode on, when our minivan pulled up on me with my sister hanging out of the window, saying come on Jeff, you can do this…Just then, my cadence, and speed picked up…What I found out about this event, is no matter how bad you feel, there is always someone who feels worse, and that together you can help each other finish…On a six mile climb, I found a couple from the Chain Reaction team and a 14 year old young man from the Discount Tire team, they, like myself were riding alone…I could tell both were all hurting…We were riding into a 15 knot head wind, as we climbed the toughest climb of the day..At that point something kept going through my head, Pain is Temporary and Quitting is forever…That became my mantra…I started to talk these other riders, offering encouragement…We all knew we could do this, we just had to convince ourselves….Together we all hit rest stop 5 at mile 60…18 Miles left, my legs were feeling great, and I could smell the finish line…After leaving rest stop 5, feeling a little saddle sore, I road most of the final miles pretty fast until I picked up the 14 year old rider from Discount tire and his dad, we rode together for about 10 miles, when I really started feeling great and closed out day one to a crowd of cheering riders and volunteers…Shortly after coming in I saw my new friends from Discount Tire and Chain reaction finish…Day one was in the books…Overall, a solid, ride..78 miles in 5 ½ hours…Not bad for just turning 50. After an evening, spent over pasta at a great Mediterranean restaurant, I was ready for day 2.

Day 2, We started the day 10 degrees warmer (48) and the ride started 45 minutes late due to a wild dog, roaming the course, which was subsequently caught. Today my focus was on not making the same mistakes as the day prior. My legs felt great, and I was determined to ride day 2 even better. My Hydration was better and the temps were warmer. What I found on this event, is most of the field rode the Century on day 1, and just over 100 of us rode 78 mile course on day 1 and 75 on day 2. What I found was day 2 was a harder day of riding with a 9 mile, long gradual climb, and another 8+ mile climb earlier in the day. A little saddle sore from not enough early miles , I was still feeling great and strong. Today, I also took in the scenery of the beautiful Sonoran desert and Casa Grande, which was in bloom.

The views were spectacular….After the third rest stop, I rode with Cat from the “Great 8 Foundation”, which rides 8 MS tours across the country each year, and shed light into the next generation for Champions for MS. Cat and I rode together for until we reached the final and toughest climb of the day, where I knew I had to pick up my pace, or risk not finishing as I had planned. I proceeded to come out of the saddle and climbed the next nine miles aggressively…I hit the 2nd to the last stop feeling great and confident…It’s amazing how fast you can ride, with buzzards circling over head…Something was dying in the desert, and it was not me..Today was not their day..After leaving the rest stop, we descended 9 miles with a 15 knot tail wind to the final rest stop on the day…I was tracking ½ hour to 45 minutes faster than the day before …When I got off my bike, at the last rest stop, I slipped coming off my bike and an EMT asked if I was ok, and I responded, I could ride the last 6 miles in my sleep, since my bike knew how to close out a ride…And boy did we ever, riding a 28MPH pace to the finish. We actually beat Sylvia and Cathy into the finish….Finishing was special, closing out the tour to hugs and cheers, as we closed out an incredible weekend of riding. Upon finishing I met members of Sheryl Keeme’s family who will join us in June, a Pittsburgh Marine who just finished the ride, and after grabbing a quick bite to eat, Sylvia and I registered to ride in Phoenix next year…

Yes life does begin again at 50….This event was not so much about turning 50, as it was about using it as a reason to celebrate life and helping those with MS….It was also about sharing an event with my sister Cathy, who Sagged with Sylvia the entire weekend, cheering me on and shooting pictures…What a welcome sight, seeing her when I pulled into a rest stop, to her standing in the road with her baseball cap turned backwards, as she shot pictures of riders coming in with a smile ear to ear…

Yes life does begin at 50…And what a way to start out my next 50…..

Heart…Determination…Courage…We are Champions for MS.

-Jeff H.