2021 MS150 Bike Ride is May 1

3,224 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by MiMi
LOYAL AG
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AG
For those that aren't familiar the Texas MS150 is a large annual charity bike ride that historically has been a two day event from Houston to Austin with an overnight in La Grange. Last year was supposed to be the first year of a new day 2 that was to end at Kyle Field. That got cancelled along with most of the rest of life it seems.

Fast forward to this year and the two day event has been redesigned as a one day event on Saturday, May 1. I assume the challenges of COVID safety in so many different cities plus the overnight in La Grange was just more than they could work out so here we are with a one day event. I'm bringing this up because the end of the event is at Kyle Field which means the local community will be impacted for a few hours that day. Yes we're still 90 days out but I figured now was a good time to mention it since I signed up today.

The ride will enter Navasota on 6 from the south then exit Navasota west on 105
105 to 159 then 159 through Millican and back to 6
6 to Mesa Verde and Mesa Verde through Indian Lakes to Arrington
Arrington out of Indian Lakes to Greens Prairie
Greens Prairie across Wellborn and right on to I&GN
I&GN to right on Koppe Bridge then left on South Dowling
S Dowling to Graham N to Timberline to Blue Ridge
Right on Blue Ridge to N Dowling to 2818
2818 to University to a right onto Olsen Blvd
Cross under Wellborn at Albritton Tower onto main campus
Cut between the campus hotel and MSC to Houston before entering Kyle Field from the SE corner.

The farthest distance is 102 miles from Katy. That will likely start at 6:30 am and those riders will make it to Kyle in about eight hours so from roughly 1 to 5 the areas above could be impacted.

HERE is a link to the event itself.

and HERE is a link to the Katy map for those wanting to know if the ride will pass in front of their home.

It's very common for the towns along the way to have people turning out to cheer on the riders. A normal two day event would draw between 8000 and 10,000 riders. Hard to say what happens this year. The single day will hurt attendance but last year being cancelled likely helps. Either way this isn't a small event. For perspective the only local event is one St Joe's has done for a few years and it has about 300 riders. It is well supported and there will be traffic control at probably all decent sized intersections where officers will do what they can to keep riders from having to stop. That means long holds at intersections as groups of riders pass through.

I'll try to remember to bump this thread as the ride gets closer just to remind the locals that it's coming.
scd88
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Might be fun to set up a tailgate on greens prairie by Creek Meadows as I live close to the road in one of the cul de sacs on the Estates side. Lol.

Actually, I'm kinda serious. Might be fun.
agnerd
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AG
That is one messed up route. I'd get to Navasota all tired and sweaty and just cruise on down the 6 frontage road to Texas Avenue and then over to the Chicken.
LOYAL AG
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AG
scd88 said:

Might be fun to set up a tailgate on greens prairie by Creek Meadows as I live close to the road in one of the cul de sacs on the Estates side. Lol.

Actually, I'm kinda serious. Might be fun.
We live at the end of Koppe Bridge. I'm thinking about getting my wife to set up a pop up in the parking lot of Trackside Kolache for the day unless that turns into a rest stop. Also going to tell Trackside and Paisanos about the event now so they have plenty of time to plan to be open. They'll have lunch for us in Whitehall and rest areas every 10 miles or so but in pretty much every little stop along the way you'll see riders stopping for a snack. It's a pretty demanding event where I'll burn north of 5000 calories so the rest areas and lunch are much needed refueling opportunities. Little shops like that can make a pretty good day for themselves if they plan ahead for it. If you do a tailgate that would be much appreciated. In years past people in Fayetteville which is just shy of La Grange would turn out for a town wide party. They'll have people giving beer to riders, spraying with garden hoses, music, etc. That town really does well with the encouragement.
LOYAL AG
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AG
Bumping this thread because rest stops have been added to the route. In BCS we have two:

1. Forest Ridge Elementary on Greens Prairie just past Arrington.
2. South Brazos County VFD which is at the intersection of Koppe Bridge and South Dowling.

Other breaks stops in the area are:
3. Bethel Grove Baptist Church which is south of Millican on 159.
4. First Presbyterian on Holland in Navasota.

Those four will have substantially more traffic than the next three I list. Those four service riders from Katy, Waller and Todd Mission where as the other three only service riders from La Grange.

5. Snook ISD
6. Random place on FM 1361 between Somerville and Snook
7. Off of LBJ Dr. at Lake Somerville.

With three weeks to go there are "only" 3617 people registered. I believe in years past we've had north of 10,000 riders and as recently as 2019 we had over 8000. My guess is the numbers are impacted by a combo of a one-day event, no Austin start or finish and some residual COVID concerns. Next year assuming we're back to normal we'll likely see bigger numbers as a two-day event with starts in Houston and Austin then a finish of La Grange to Kyle Field.

Please be patient and careful. I know cyclists can be annoying, I get it. And I know thousands of us are going to clog the roads for a few hours and that's going to be even more annoying. But it'll be done by late-afternoon and life goes on. There will be police at every intersection (about 85 in Brazos County alone!) and they will give priority to riders so be prepared to possibly sit for a couple of minutes particularly at Arrington/Greens Prairie, Holleman/2818 and Wellborn/Greens Prairie. Another area that will be a problem is South Dowling/Wellborn with the rest area being at the VFD. That's a bad intersection anyway and this will make it worse.

Anyway I wanted to let every know the congested areas from rest stops.

If you happen to know someone impacted by MS and would like to donate here's a link to my fundraising page.

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/loyalag

No pressure but I'd be remiss if I didn't put it out there. It's a fundraiser, after all!
A fearful society is a compliant society. That's why Democrats and criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed. Gun Control is not about guns, it's about control.
KCup17
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AG
This year will be my first ride and albeit different from years past I am still very eager and excited.
ratfacemcdougal
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Good Luck !!! vored
lburton
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Thanks for posting this information. I live in College Station and will be riding in from Waller that morning. It would be fantastic to have family, friends and neighbors show their support! It's very encouraging. Fayetteville lines the streets and has a bubble machine. That was fun. Also enjoyed fiddlers on the side of the road.

They will likely need a lot of volunteers since we'll be crossing the finish line inside Kyle Field. It's a great event and I hope you'll consider supporting the event. It's great for our community!
LOYAL AG
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AG
Quick update with the looming rains. To this point they're telling us the ride is still on. They have set up a text service for riders to get updates texted to them so if you're riding follow the below to get onto the relevant list.

This is what was posted yesterday:

Quote:

WEATHER UPDATE
The Texas MS 150 continues as scheduled this weekend. We know everyone is looking at the weather forecast, and has questions about the plans for the ride. We are continuing to closely monitor the forecast and route conditions for the weekend. Safety is a top priority for all our participants, volunteers, staff and supporters and we want to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone!
TEXT OPT-IN INFORMATION
We encourage you to be prepared for different weather situations. Updates will be provided on this Facebook page, the website, and text message alerts should there be any weather-related updates.
To receive critical weather updates, please text TXMS150 to 833-232-0120. Message and data rates may apply.
All Riders TXMS150
Katy Riders KATY
Waller Riders WALLER
RenFest Riders RENFEST
La Grange Riders LAGRANGE
Team Captains TEAMCAPTAIN
ratface

Thanks for the vore! Really appreciate the support!

If this weekend is rained out I'm sure they'll try to do it on another date which is always iffy. Lots of moving parts to put this thing on. Just in Brazos, Grimes and Washington counties there are approximately 175 police officers working. That doesn't even count the volunteers, availability of Kyle Field, etc.
A fearful society is a compliant society. That's why Democrats and criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed. Gun Control is not about guns, it's about control.
befitter
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Not riding this year but have done so 3 times. There is nothing better than the local community coming out and cheering you on as you ride by. Hoping the weather holds for them!!
Point Man 81
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AG
Thanks for the heads up and the link to the map. Lets me know that I need to make a little detour north through Bryan to get to 1775 BBQ.

I wish for you the best weather and a safe ride!
LOYAL AG
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AG
befitter said:

Not riding this year but have done so 3 times. There is nothing better than the local community coming out and cheering you on as you ride by. Hoping the weather holds for them!!
This is true. My wife's best friend lives on N Dowling which is right on the route. They're going to set up in the friend's yard tomorrow and hand out a few hundred water bottles to riders going past. She's enjoyed my stories of Fayetteville and thought that would be a fun afternoon til I ride by.
A fearful society is a compliant society. That's why Democrats and criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed. Gun Control is not about guns, it's about control.
studioone
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I so wanted to change the signs around on 159.. sure are a lot of them...
happyinBCS
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Cancelled
scd88
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AG
happyinBCS said:

Cancelled


That's too bad but I understand. The rain will be steady all day for what I can tell. It's not just in pockets, either.
Tailgate88
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Bummer. We were going to set up on Greens Prairie and cheer them on. Hope they take the same route next year.
halibut sinclair
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Tailgate88 said:

Bummer. We were going to set up on Greens Prairie and cheer them on. Hope they take the same route next year.
Tailgate88
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Dang right! Anyone who rides that far for charity is a winner in my book.
scd88
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Tailgate88 said:

Bummer. We were going to set up on Greens Prairie and cheer them on. Hope they take the same route next year.


Same. I live in Creek Meadows about 3 houses in from Greens Prairie. Was going to treat it like a tailgate. Lol.
LOYAL AG
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AG
Next year won't have any of the Houston to CS routes unfortunately be used it'll be back to a two day event. Day 1 is Houston and Austin to La Grange then La Grange to CS. The La Grange to CS route comes into town from Somerville through a bunch of towns none of us have ever heard of.
A fearful society is a compliant society. That's why Democrats and criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed. Gun Control is not about guns, it's about control.
MiMi
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S
This year's event was canceled due to the bad weather overnight and early this morning.
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