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A Race By Any Other Name.....

Monday, 20 June 2011 03:00

It was a race that wasn't a race, to be precise.

By Bonnie Moebeck

All around me were packs of teams- Edina Realty with their own bus, bike transport truck, and nearly their own air to breath; Cargill looking mean and green, ready to kick grain in our faces; the Backdrafters collaborating over some sort of new drafting technique; Target clad in giant red and white circled jerseys. And there we were - 100 Monkeys - shivering in the cold, laughing and having a good old time. Up until ...

that point I had kept reminding myself, "This isn't a race. Relax. Just an easy ride." And then the mack truck hit me. This is a race disguised as a fund raiser! I pushed my Viper through the crowd. Heads turned. They spotted my 40T high modulus carbon machine with the Ironman aero bars jutting forward and Shimano Ultegra and Dura Ace screaming from my componentry. They knew before I did that I was out for blood. With the fundraising portion completed, it was time to get ugly. I took a deep breath, trying to wipe the competitive smile off my face and muttered a quiet reprimand, "This is not a race! Easy, girl."

Over 3,600 people had signed up to ride and support the MS150 over the weekend, raising over $2,000,000.00. A great cause in the fight against multiple sclerosis. More than 1,000 volunteers were there offering support and giving from the heart. Exactly 150 miles were to be crossed in this effort to fight the good fight. The stories of those who suffer from MS were both touching and heart wrenching, and seeing so many riders out there who have multiple sclerosis was humbling.

I met up with my team captain, Brian Larson, who looks like the twin brother of Burrito Union and Brewhouse race director, Rod Raymond, and our team mates. We have a few triathletes in our pack to include an additional Ironman, Matt Bleecker as well as triathlete and Senior Olympics competitor, Pat Lillehei. Pat's daughter, whom normally also rides, suffers from MS. I smiled and adjusted my chair, the adrenaline starting to flow. If the Best Buy team was out for blood, we would start a blood drive. I secretly planted ideas of drafting, racing, and competition into their brains, disguised as 'fun riding in a pack' and 'finishing up really early so we could kick back before the crowds came in'. A few of them were on board. Perfect. I mean not good. This was not a race, after all