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MS150 from Houston to Austin The Story of Team Atlantia from Start to Finish |
Ride Pictures Pre - Ride |
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Team Atlantia |
By Matt Lawrence |
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MS150 from Houston to Austin The Story of Team Atlantia from Start to Finish |
Ride Pictures Pre - Ride |
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Team Atlantia |
By Matt Lawrence |
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First Day |
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Team Members |
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Team
@ lunch Second Day Big Finish
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Matt Lawrence Mike Lawrence Carlos Dave Bob H. Todd Bobby V. Oriol Cindy Tracy Patricia Audra Jill |
Midland Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston |
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Under an overcast sky a sea of 10,000
cyclists stretched as far as the eye could see. People lined the
streets cheering and thanking the riders for their individual efforts.
Team Atlantia formed into a group and set pace for the first rest stop.
From the back of the pack we hear people asking to stop at a convenience
store for a bathroom break, so we do. I knew we had fallen behind
when the police that were stopping the traffic were leaving. Since
we stopped early we made the choice to skip the first official rest stop
to get back into the group.
Team Atlantia set a pace and we were on our way to the lunch stop. This was my first pace line so I watched and learned from the more experienced riders. As we passed other groups they made encouraging remarks about our team. We kept our pace to the second rest stop where we got much needed water, oranges, bananas, and restrooms. Refreshed and back on the bikes our line continued toward Bellville for lunch. Sadly, it was not to be. I was not able to keep the pace with the rest of the team so they slowly disappeared over the hill. As we crossed the Brazos River they pulled away. I continued onward with fatigue in sight. To my surprise I came into the next rest stop only a few minutes behind the rest of the team and they were all there with a word of encouragement to keep me going. We took a few minutes to talk about the ride to this point and those whom had been on the ride before offered stories of past years experiences. Then, before I knew it, we were back on the bikes for the 15 mile ride to lunch. It did not take long before I was without my team again. I asked them not to wait for me and after some deliberation they got back to their fast pace. The other riders I passed on the rode were all very nice and supportive. Groups of riders formed at the tops of each hill to catch a ride to the next rest stop. At each hill the SAG (Support And Gear) vans looked better and better but I did not give up. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE....
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