There’s a few changes this year for The Mother Road Ride. The first change that I’ll mention is that I’m no longer flying solo – not that I did last year either. Last year though I wasn’t part of the team, I still road the entire first day with Team Superior’s Mike, TJ, and a few others early on. But this year, it’s official – I’m now part of Team Superior. They’re a great group of riders with various levels of experience from beginners to seasoned vets. From kick-back joy riders to high-paced leg-breakers. I’m proud to join them in this and other endeavours (including the upcoming Tulsa Tough).
Next up: my goals. This year, I’ve increased my fundraising goal to $6,000. So I’m starting early. Last year I didn’t sign up until August, and did pretty well. With an early sign up and start to fundraising, I’m aiming to smash this goal.
There’s a new head honcho for the local MS Society chapter named Kelly Dooley. A real nice guy who’s been working with the Society for 10 years now, and started here in Tulsa just after last year’s ride. The previous runner – Blaine King – moved to Arizona, where I hope he’s fairing well. Already doing great things for The Mother Road Ride, Kelly’s managed to pool the resources of the five regions represented by the local MS Society chapter to get shower trucks for both the overnight site in Chandler and at the finish line in Oklahoma City. About the most unfortunate thing from last year’s ride was the horrible showers at the overnight in Chandler. The water was pooling 3+ inches deep, and all kinds of other nastiness. Not the fault of the organizers as much as whoever runs that facility in Chandler. But it’s awesome they listened to the riders’ needs.
The route has been modified as well – a little longer than last year, but hopefully a little friendlier roads on the second day.
For the overnight, I’m strongly – strongly – considering staying at a hotel. The food was good at the overnight, but I’m obviously not cut out for camping. I setup the tent and sleeping bag and such just fine. But when it came time to sleep – oy! I’d sleep maybe 20 minutes at a catch. A day of riding on an couple hours of horrible sleep does not make for a happy rider. But I haven’t made a final decision yet.
Time to start raising money and putting on more miles.