My husband, daughter and her b.f. were in Austin today to watch the thousands of riders cross the finish line. It was very emotional for me, just thinking these riders are doing this for me and everyone that has MS. I was peddle partner to several of the rides, and let me tell you I think that was the most heartlifting thing I could have ever seen, seeing the bandana and knowing that I had signed it.

Luckily the riders had very good weather today, it was a shame that the weather didn't cooperate yesterday.

Just wanted to share this with yall, I know I hardly ever post but I am always in here, mainly just reading, but I feel that all of you in here is my family!

Thanks for being here for me, Love to all! xoxoxoxox

It is a rather emotional thing to see, so many people gathered and putting an effort for this cause. Batman is our resident hero and it does me proud to read his reports.

Several of my friends are in walks all over the country this month; one shot me a note Saturday, as she finished in FL, to tell me that she did it for me!

Around here, our local society chapter asks us to come out and be a cheerleader for the walkers and riders. I like to do it, I put a thank you note on the back of my car and drive the route, then join the cheering crowd at the finish line. It's a wholly uplifting experience.

I wish I had known you were there MommaD, I would have come to find you! It really bummed me out to have day 1 cancelled after all the training we put in. However, with the headwind at 15-20 gusting to 25 all day on Sunday, I would not have made the whole 70 mile 2nd day if I had ridden 100 miles the day before.

We finally made it out of the start chute in LaGrange at about 8:50am. I would estimate that about 10,000 of the 13,000 riders made it up there to start day 2. The first 35 miles to lunch were pretty smooth and easy going for me. I was averaging about 14mph even with the big hills near Bastrop and the headwind.

After lunch was a different story...we lost alot of the trees acting as a windbreak and got into more open and rolling terrain with lots of exposed areas where the wind would just come screaming through. I managed to get into some really good pacelines that dragged me to the last break point. I waited there for my wife, and we rode the last 8.7 miles together.

Coming into Austin, we started seeing more and more people by the side of the road cheering us on. There was a family with cowbells ringing them and chering, which prompted the comment from a rider next to me of "We need more cowbell!" There was a dad with several kids drumming on orange home depot buckets. There was the person in a chickensuit. There was the bar patio full of folks having an afternoon beer who cheered each group as we went by. There was a couple, one with a bass drum and one with a wood block and a mallet beating out a little syncopated rhythm to keep us moving.

Funny story...I was getting dehydrated on the last leg and kept stopping at the top of the sharp steep hills to take a drink. The downhills were really fast, the roads were crowded, and the pavement was challenging in places...so I couldn't drink on the way down. On the way up the next incline, I was working too hard to stop and drink. So I would stop at the top, take a quick drink, and start moving again. My wife finally caught up on one hill and said "you don't have to keep stopping to wait for me". I had to catch back up to her and explain I was stopping for ME! I think that made her feel better...

And how can you describe the finish line scene? Thousands of people lining the sides of the street for probably a half a mile stretch. Coming down a great big hill and seeing it all unfold in front of you? Suddenly you can't even feel everything that had been hurting for the last 30 miles. Your legs feel like air...the bike feels like a rocketship under you. There were people leaning out to give us high fives. We stopped to get a few pictures taken with the finish line in the background, and I had to keep my sunglasses on so nobody could see the tears welling up in my eyes. Its a magical scene...and one I hope to see from the seat of my bike for many years to come.

Here are a few photos from the day:

My wife Michele with her bandanna from a gentleman with MS in Austin. The message says "With God, anything is possible!"





The two of us before heading to the start line. We look pretty fresh and chipper for having woken up at 4am eh?




My sister took a picture to show what the back of my jersey says..."I Have MS. This is why I ride!" I had a guy ride up next to me about 2 miles from the finish and say "I am proud to share the same road as you today." It totally made my day!




Us standing among the last few thousand riders waiting to leave LaGrange in front of the Fayette County Clerk's building in courthouse square.




We did it! The two of us stopped at the final corner with the finish line and the state capitol in the distance behind us.




What...did you think I had forgotten about YOU? The reason I ride? The motivation that keeps my legs moving? Not a Chance! The batdanna in all its glory rides again!

Thank you, TXBatman and Michele, for riding for those of us who can't!

Batman! You ROCK!!!!!!!

Batman and wife: All I can say is a big Thanks as I wipe the tears.

Batman... that is awesome! Thank you to you and your wife!

I have a friend in Ohio biking for MS in may with my name on his bandanna... makes me feel awesome to know that someone cares that much... and wants to help find a cure for this MonSter!!!

I was talking with my wife and sister on the way home from Austin, and it suddenly struck me...the number the Lone Star MS Society Chapter quotes is 20,000+ Texans living with MS. We had 13,000 riders signed up and about 11,000 of them overcame the logistics nightmare caused by the storm and rode anyways. The Dallas area ride usually has about 4,000 riders and the San Antonio ride usually has about 3,000-3,500 riders.

So if you do the math, pretty much everybody in Texas who has MS had a rider riding for them. I bet if you do the math in your own states, you will come out pretty close to the same. Pretty humbling isn't it? I still tear up a bit every time I see the news stories from the finish line area. Just seeing all those people out there raising money to try to help all of us is so amazing.

Here are some links to the news stories in case you want to watch for yourself. Caution...teary eye warning! The first is so so, but the last 3 are good!

http://www.click2houston.com/video/19225129/index.html

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/stori....f0458013.html

http://www.news8austin.com/content/y...sp?ArID=238357

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/t..._150_bike_tour

Thanks for the video.....loved the Bubble Bistro!!

I know what you mean. Saturday I got a text from my daughter that simply said. "Hi Mom. I'm walking in the MS walk for you RIGHT NOW!!!" It means so much. She had a lot of friends walking as well!