Sam's Club MS-150 Prologue Blazing Pedals It Is

A little less than a year ago, I bought a road bike knowing nothing of the sport with the singular goal of completing the Frisco to Ft. Worth MS-150. I'd seen plenty of cyclists on the road, but never had any inclination to dress in spandex and dodge cars with them. As fate would have it, I was presented with the opportunity to join a MS-150 team and for some reason I pounced on it. Once I bought my bike and went on my first ride, I was instantly hooked. For the sole reason of introducing me to the sport of cycling, I will be forever indebted to the MS-150 ride and will do my best to support the event any way I can.

Once again this year, I will be riding in the Sam's Club MS-150 which takes riders on a two day ride from Frisco to Ft. Worth, TX and covers a little over 150 miles in the process. Last year, I finished the first day in a driving rain storm. Unfortunately the second day was cancelled due to the fear of inclimate weather. This year, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for much better weather. After one year, I've become a much stronger and more skilled rider. My fitness is better, my equipment is better, and my technique is much better. I'm anxious to test my improvements over the course again.

However, what I'm truly excited about is a rejuvenated team. Last year's team, Elliot's Eagles did very well fundraising and riding in the event. However, separate schedules, and a very late start kept us from really building a cohesive group. This year however, will be a different story. We've begun preparing a full six months ahead of the event. We have twice the number of people interested in joining the team and have devised a training schedule and group rides so hopefully we can all finish the entire event. But riding is only half the challenge. The MS-150 is unique in that it asks riders to fulfill two requirements: fundraising and riding in the actual ride. I'm excited to see how our team excels in achieving both these goals.

For now, we've made a crucial step in the right direction, one that I'm particularly proud of since it's my brain child. We've finally picked our team name - Blazing Pedals! My idea came as an homage to one of my favorite movies of all time, Mel Brooks' role reversing western spoof Blazing Saddles. Hopefully each member will don a yellow jersey with a silver star and the words "Blazing Pedals Rock Ridge Sheriff" on the back. Unfortunately my team slogan of "Hey, where are the white bikes at?" was immediately rejected.