TBC Directors Ride BP MS 150
By Jennifer Naglieri, TBC Board Member

TA finish line at the state Capitol, appearances by Texas Governor Rick Perry and Houston Mayor Bill White, and front-page coverage in major Texas newspapers made this year's BP MS 150 from Houston to Austin a very special ride. As a participant and volunteer ride marshal, I was amazed by how the months of planning, training, and fundraising done by dedicated MS 150 staff members and volunteers all came to fruition so effortlessly. All that hard work ultimately benefits the search for a cure for Multiple Sclerosis and a way to end its devastating effects on individuals and families.

The Texas Bicycle Coalition made a spectacular showing at the ride, in both Houston and Austin and along the route. In addition to providing signage that reinforced safety issues along the route, TBC also rounded up staff and board members to attend the ride, participate, or volunteer. TBC Chair Gail Spann and her husband Jim -- both veteran riders -- participated in the ride, and were invited to accompany Governor Perry as he crossed the finish line. Gail serves on the ride marshal committee for the MS Society, and was a ride marshal (our Governor was in excellent company). Besides Gail and me, several other TBC directors rode in the event, including Secretary Christina Case, Tom Edens, Dan Lundeen, Randy Wile, and Steve Schoger.

Riding a bike along roads offering fragrant wild flower panoramas and rolling county hills is a great way to spend a spring weekend. And this year, the weather was absolutely beautiful: not even a hint of rain, and temperatures "just right" -- i.e., not too cool or too hot. The excitement of riding into the "camp" at La Grange on Saturday night was thrilling. It was a wonder to behold the sea of tents, the smell of food, and the mass of people. This "tent city," populated by riders and support personnel, operates as a well planned community and promotes altruism in its purest form. On every street corner I heard conversations that rehearsed the details of the day. Weary riders lined up for showers, meals and massages and made preparations to do it all over again on Sunday. Involvement from BP, Conoco/Phillips, GE and other corporations helps create the tent city and make the MS 150 one of the largest charity rides in the world.

Sunday's ride was only slightly marred by the presence of tacks on the roads in Bastrop State Park. But hundreds of die-hard cyclists were not about to let some criminal mischief ruin months of planning and preparation. In some ways we all got plenty of opportunities to exercise our mechanical skills and stretch the last bit of compressed air from the cartridges we carry on our bikes.