BikeMS 2023

Rest stop selfies

Rest stop selfies

Reid and his boys. Isaac and Joseph rode more than 30.
Not sure exactly how far. 

Micah painted my nails.
I think they match the BikeMS colors quite well.

Traditional before shot

Ready to ride

At the start line

Posing with the lemon shorts.

The 30 mile club at the finish line

The loyal support crew

I went to heaven this past weekend. I rode an eBike.

Matthew wasn't going to come to BikeMS this year. He had band and he had already missed a bunch of band for the International Science Fair. So we were planning on him being home and taking care of dogs (Chewy and Zoey). That was ok with me because I was going to ride his road bike, the red bike I handed down to him when I got my mountain bike. Then, at the last minute, his band teacher gave him permission to miss the parade. Good news -- I was so glad that he was going to make it. Bad news -- I was now going to have to ride a mountain bike. I had ridden a mountain bike on BikeMS once before. It wasn't bad but I was much younger then and in better shape.  

We quickly found a place for the dogs to be and loaded the bikes. 

Driving through Sardine canyon I was reminded of the beauty of Cache county. I told Bill we should look into moving up here. He reminded me of the cold. I didn't really think it would be bad until we got to Lisa's house and stepped out of the car. It was cold. It was the end of June and it was cold. Yep. Logan will have to be a vacation spot for us :-)

This year I noticed a lot of "I Ride With MS" jerseys. Is that because there are eBikes now or do we have better treatments or are there a lot less riders and a larger percentage are people with MS? I don't know.  

I have decided that I am too out of shape to ride a mountain bike anymore. The first leg of the day was quiet. I slowly pedaled and the rest of the team slowly got further and further away until I thought it was only me and Bill. People kept passing us by. I seemed to be standing still. It was bizarre. By the time we were almost to the first rest stop I had determined that I would have to turn around and go back. I just wasn't able to keep up and I didn't feel like I could go on. Was it the bike? Was it age or being out of shape? I don't know. I just was really struggling. At the first rest stop I told Reid that I was going to head back. He offered to let me ride his electric bike. I couldn't believe it. He was actually going to trade his electric bike for my massive super heavy mountain bike. Incredibly, even after knowing all the details, he was still willing to trade. I've never ridden an eBike. I decided to give it a go. I'm glad I did. I don't think I'll ever ride BikeMS without an electric bike ever again.  

It was Heavenly.

For the most part I just rode with it on Eco, the lowest setting. That was enough though. Even just a little boost made all the difference. Suddenly I was energized. I could go on. 

Between rest stop one and two there is the infamous Killer Hill. I was excited to get to the hill and cruise up the hill on the eBike. When I got there I geared all the way down and was able to tackle the hill with only Eco mode. That was beautiful. We were still way behind the main group of the team. Bill and I ended up biking with Emily Lara. She was really struggling. When she came to the hill she just got off her bike and started walking up. I decided to bike back down and let her ride the eBike up the hill. When I got to her I suddenly had a very selfish thought. I didn't want to give up the eBike. I did though. The problem was that she was too short for the bike. We would have to adjust it. We walked to the top of the hill where Bill was. He had tools to adjust the seat. At that point though EL didn't want to use the eBike. When we got to rest stop two I again offered the eBike. She seemed offended though and upset that I kept offering so I finally stopped offering. I offered the bike to Lisa too. She had injured her knee earlier in the week. She turned it down too. Fine with me. I was loving the bike. And Reid seemed ok with the mountain bike. We were just about to decide to complete the 43 mile route when Annalisa reminded me that she and Matthew were going to mow a lawn when we got back. So we decided to turn back and just do 30. Marianne was really sad. She had her electric bike and she really wanted to do lunch in Lewiston. I didn't think Lisa could keep up with me and M on our electric bikes though, especially with a bad knee. So we ended up heading back and only doing 30. We were so glad we did. Marianne's battery died and even with the wonderfulness of the eBike we still had sore bums, hands and shoulders. Thirty miles was plenty. 

And that was that. I have been researching eBikes ever since :-)  

BikeMS 2022 Michelle's take on the world

BikeMS 2022

I really need to write this blog within a week of coming home from BikeMS. Luckily we have pictures. That's the best part of the blog anyway, eh? 

The riders with support crew minus Scott, Stephen and Jacob

This year we had 9 riders. Five Dolinars, Marianne and Emily Lara, Kathryn and Jacob. Two riders under 18. And one of those, Annalisa, almost 18. Things have changed a lot over the years. 

The riders

One of my favorite pics of M

Breaking the rules :-)

I wasn't sure how far I would be able to go this year. I thought perhaps this might be the year that I went to the first rest stop and turned around. Two things happened to change that. Reid ended up not coming this year. He did however send his bike. I brought my mountain bike and was planning on riding that but as the event got closer I got more and more nervous about riding such a heavy bike. When Jacob mentioned that he had brought his dad's bike for anyone who might need it I eagerly accepted. 

Look who found pickle juice :-) First rest stop.

Pickle juice packs a punch!

It was so nice to be on a road bike again. I didn't realize how much I had missed it. The second thing that changed my mind about turning around at the first rest stop was Marianne and Annalisa's desire to do the 100 mile route. At the first rest stop we decided to split up. Part of the team decided to go to Newton and then turn around. 30 miles total. The other group was going to try and do the 100 mile route. Crazy, I know. I felt really good riding Reid's bike. I knew I could do more than 30. I didn't think I could do 100 though and I knew Bill could definitely do the 100 miles so it made sense to send him with the 100 mile crew and I would go with the 30 mile crew. Then I realized something. All the 30 milers were over 18! They didn't need me. And that is how I ended up on the 100 mile crew.

And they are off!

Our three young adults. First to finish.

Hyabusa! :-)

Looking at the time I knew we had to fly. We had to make it to a certain part in the route by a certain time in order to be able to even ride on the 100 mile route. I felt really really good. I had a fast, light bike and I just felt good. Marianne was riding dad's electric bike so I knew she could keep up so I just took off running. It felt sooooo good to go so fast.  

That's something that I noticed this year. It just felt good to be alive. Even climbing the hills felt good. There was pain but it reminded me that I was alive and that felt so good. I can't really explain it. I was just more grateful this year for health and strength and the ability to keep riding. I didn't realize how afraid I've been of slowing down. Age, etc. has really hit me hard this past year and, well, it's good to be alive :-)

I thought I would be super jealous of Marianne riding dad's electric recumbent bike. It was a bit annoying to ride flat out only to turn around and there she was, not even winded :-) I thought though about how many years we had done this and how hard it must have been for her. She says that I would ride circles around her because she went so slow. I hadn't realized it then but that was probably super annoying for her. I was glad that she was able to actually enjoy the ride. 

Marianne riding the beast

Even though I was feeling good and enjoying going so fast, before we reached Newton I knew I couldn't keep that pace up. Matthew had decided that he didn't want to do the 100 mile route too so we partnered up and decided to do the 43 mile route. Bill, Annalisa and Marianne kept moving forward to try and do the 100. Marianne's bike started to slow down a bit. Foreshadowing. She really wanted to do 100 miles though so they kept on trucking. 

At the lunch rest stop (mile 56)

Jacob left us early on at the start line. So I was really surprised to see him shortly after we split from the 100 milers. He had decided to cut his ride short because he needed to pick up his roommate at the airport. Matthew was glad to see him. I had slowed down considerably and Matthew was glad to have Jacob to ride with. Shortly after that Bill came biking by us. He had decided to leave Annalisa and Marianne. So Jacob and Matthew paired up and Bill biked with me. It was kind of the way life has been going these past few years. Our kids go off in different directions and it's just me and Bill. 

Enjoying Newton the second time around

Jacob was team mechanic this year :-) Very helpful.

Anyhow. It was really hot and just kept getting hotter. I kept getting slower and slower. It got to the point that I had decided to call Lisa at the last rest stop and have her come get me. I was done. Then something crazy happened. They closed the last rest stop.  Seriously. It was all closed down. I could have called Lisa and waited in some shade. Not sure why I didn't. What made the difference? Could it have been that stupid quote about persistence on this year's jersey? Who knows but I decided to just keep biking (ignoring the obvious wisdom of stopping :-). We were less than 10 miles to the finish. I could do this. I had to make a lot of stops though. We stopped wherever we could find shade. Eventually (after stopping at a yard sale -- that's another story :-) we made it to the finish line. 

This year's jersey. Persistence is highly overrated btw.

I was really worried about Marianne and Annalisa. It was so hot. And then it happened. Marianne's bike lost power. Luckily she found a really nice lady who let her charge her bike. The lady even gave them a couple little pine trees :-) I'm sure Marianne will tell you more in her blog post. Thank heaven for good samaritans. Even though they were able to charge the bike a bit they decided not to continue riding. Definitely a good decision. Nobody wanted to be stranded in that heat! They ended up getting a ride with a SAG vehicle. They didn't make 100 miles but they did go farther than any other Iron Eagle team member. Way to go guys!

The lady who rescued M and AL

Our dynamic duo

So that's it. One more year has come and gone. I hope you enjoy the pictures. THANK YOU so much for your support this year and every year. 

Made it!

Our celebrity :-)

This lady biked her dog the whole way. 

Our youngest adult riders :-)

The massage gun was painful but I think it was helpful

BikeMS 2021 Crushing MS one donation at a time

Crushing MS

I wish I had asked his name or gotten a picture. He said he was in his 60's. He has MS. His legs were strapped onto his recumbent bike so he wouldn't fall out when he got tired. His hands did the pedaling. I first noticed this rider because he was going very slowly.  

I slowed down to bike beside him and after chatting for a while I asked him what his fundraising secret was because he had a yellow bib. The coveted yellow bib. Yellow bibs are given only to the top 100 fundraisers. He was number 39.  He told me he just simply reached out to family and friends and asked for their support. No corporate sponsors. Wow. I thought about the power of a simple donation. Crushing MS one donation at a time. It really adds up. 

I realized the importance of each donation again this year because I too got a coveted yellow bib. Yep :-) Did you realize that your donations (just to me) added up to over $1600? 

Vote for a color to dye my hair. $25/vote. And you voted. Incredible, eh? Crushing MS one donation at a time! YOU ROCK!! Team Iron Eagles raised over $5000! And only a couple thousand of that was matching funds from Harmons. Not bad. 

You guys are amazing! 

Slow and steady wins the race and adds up to so much money to help people with MS! Every donation counts!

The ride

OK. Enough about donations. Let's talk ride. 

Normal picture

Sexy hair swoosh! Lisa felt I needed to show more hair :-)

This year we were all really worried about the heat. About a week and a half before the ride I walked out onto our deck. It felt like I was walking into an oven. Seriously. And that was in the shade! We were all super grateful to see the rain come a couple days before BikeMS. It poured rain as we drove up to Logan cooling things down a bit. Thank heaven! Saturday was a beautiful day. 

It also helped that we got an early start. Our original plan was to do team pictures at 6:30am, eat breakfast at the fairgrounds and be on the road by 7am. We were close. We started at 7:30am. Not too hot. Not too cold. Just right. It was great. We easily made it to the first rest stop. Earlier starts are definitely going to become a tradition! The whole day went so much better with the earlier start. That was the first good decision of the day.

The second good decision happened in Newton. -- random side story. A good friend of mine told me she was from Newton. I didn't connect that with BikeMS until this ride. It turns out her childhood home is about a block from the Newton rest stop. How random is that?

Anyhow. Remember that guy I saw on the first leg of the ride? Number 39? I asked him how far he was riding. 14 miles. He was going to go to the first rest stop and back. How cool is that? He inspired us to make our next best decision.

When we got to Newton, the second rest stop, we had gone about 15 miles. I could see that some on our team were showing signs of fatigue. We had a choice, we could keeping going forward and do the 43 mile loop, go forward and do the 73 mile loop (and have lunch on the ride) or just turn around and head back making 30 miles total. Usually we would choose to push on. "We have to make it to the lunch stop," we'd say. Or "We have to do the full route," we'd say. Then I remembered number 39 (really wish I had asked his name!). Watching him slowly but surely make his way on the ride I remembered that it's super important to know our limits and enjoy the ride.

In the end, three members of the team pushed forward to do the 43. Four of us decided we should head back and just do 30. Best decision ever! The miles flew by. We made it back to the fairgrounds around noon. Those of you that follow this blog know that we usually start late, go slow, bite off more than we can chew as we push to ride more miles than we should. By the time we are on the last stretch we are dead! It's hot and we are tired and feeling miserable. (see my essay on why I ride) 

This year the last stretch was a breeze! We were passed by a fellow rider who called out "Good morning!" and I realized that it was still in fact morning! We are usually doing the last stretch around 3 or 4 or sometimes 5pm.  We rolled passed the finish line and were able to cheer riders coming in for at least an hour or more. It was great! So this is what it feels like to not be last.... I like it! It was a short ride but I guess that's the point. And eating lunch at the fair grounds was not so bad. Harmons provided some really yummy lunches! We were even able to save part for dinner. Win Win. Woohoo! And we were also able to get in some lunch-time yoga stretches :-) It was a good day.

The Finish Line

The well-rested 30 milers (Reid did 43) and the support crew photobombing in the back :-)

The speedy Gonzales crew in Newton. They opted for 43 miles

Most of the riders at the finish. This is our attempt at a cool hold-the-bike-triumphantly-overhead shot. I think we need to practice a bit more for next year :-)

Giving up and just doing a normal photo :-)

Orange Hair

BRIGHT orange!

I have to say that last year I was a little disappointed that orange didn't win in the hair dyeing contest. And then when I dyed my hair purple it wasn't very bright. It was a gorgeous shade of purple that I didn't really hate at all. I was actually totally fine that it took a few weeks to wash out. This year however I wanted to go bright neon orange. Go big or go home, eh?  So I set the fundraising bar low and didn't give anybody else a vote :-) I loved the reactions of the family as we sprayed my hair orange. So much shock! It wasn't until later when I saw pictures that I understood. That was some bright hair! I don't know how people could stand to look at me without sunglasses :-) Wow. Originally I was looking forward to going to church the next day with orange hair. So glad that it washed out in one  wash! :-) I probably should have went with Staci's suggestion of copper! Maybe next year......

Favorite Photos

Our rolling rest stop. We love Sarah's basket!

Support crew cheering on the riders

Support crew and riders

Enjoying the finish line

Well-rested at the finish line :-)

I love this sign so much!

Two hot looking young ladies :-)

So glad that I was warned about this before I went in! PS it's rubber. A very realistic looking rubber snake!

The helmet was originally black :-)

Orange tips blending in with the jerseys :-)

One Final Thought

There are actually quite a few people who ride at BikeMS who have Multiple Sclerosis. Probably more than we realize. Some are easy to spot, like number 39. They ride recumbents with hand pedals and go very slowly. Some, like Marianne, ride a regular bike and you can't tell right away, if ever, that they have MS. Maybe they have numb hands or numb feet, not so good balance, not so good vision. MS is different for everyone. One thing that is common is that having MS adds a challenge however you ride, if you can. It's pretty amazing when you think about. People struggling with MS riding in BikeMS. But you don't have to have MS to support people who have MS. You each are great examples of that!

I just want to thank each of you again for supporting us each year -- whether by donating or reading this blog or sharing the donation link or simply cheering us on. It really means a lot to our family. 

It really is true that each donation makes a difference. Your donations help to purchase things and services that help make life easier for those with MS as well as research to find a cure. And the research that is going on right now is phenomenal! We may not be research scientists but we can help bring hope to so many people struggling with auto-immune diseases like MS. 

So..... THANK YOU!

One last shameless plug

Speaking of donations, it's not too late to donate :-) For every $100 you donate by July 5  you get an entry to win a really cool electric bike. 

I know what you are thinking. I've had the same thoughts. What is one entry in a sea of potentially millions of entries? It can happen though, right? Think Charlie and the Chocolate factory! It only takes one golden ticket (and a lot of desire .... and some singing and dancing....). 

Not to dampen your hopes but I have a lot of desire for this cool bike too and we are donating a couple entries worth too so... May the best donor win! :-) And of course the best donor is YOU! :-)