Bike Ms- The Best Dam Bike Ride

This weekend I had the pleasure, nay the pain of participating in Bike MS Utah: Harmon's Best Dam Bike Ride, which just so happens to be the best dam bike ride ever! :)

Check it out!
http://bikeutu.nationalmssociety.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BIKE_UTU_homepage

Last year was our first year for Josh and I, and despite an awful fight I caused at about mile 70 which left us not talking for the rest of the weekend we still LOVED this event and were thrilled when we found out that Josh's family reunion was the week after so that we could participate again this year.

So let me explain to you how this ride works... first of all it is in no way a race. You are not timed, no one cares when you finish or how fast you go. This a Saturday/Sunday event that provides just a really good time. Saturday you have the option of riding a 40, 75 or 100 mile course and on Sunday a 40, or 75. So you could potentially ride 150 miles+ in two days. So cool! They provide killer support, support wagons, breakfast, lunch and dinner, and much much more.

So last year we did the century (100 miles) without training and it was PAINFUL but we finished. So this year we did just a little training and thought, what the heck, we could probably do the 100 again... well can I tell you it was a horrible, no good, awfully bad idea.

Well let me tell you a little bit about our day. First off we get up and take team pictures (yay I made it into the pictures this year!) and then prepared to leave at 7 am. I believe at 7 am it was already close to 70deg.

Team Tent for Team Brain (Go us!)

 The starting line.

Yay! We're feeling great!

We started in the 2nd wave of people and headed out of town, going north towards Idaho. Don't ask me the route because I don't know it. I simply just followed everyone else. We started out being able to hold a pretty quick pace and were able to catch up to some of the other riders from our team.

 At the second aid station we caught up with Tim and a group of about 8 other Team Brainers. Despite the gradual increase in heat we were feeling great. We were drinking lots of fluid. Loading extra salt into our Power Ade and eating lots of salty snacks at the aid stations. We stayed with this group until mile 45, when the routes split. Josh, myself and two other riders we'd randomly picked up wanted to do 100. The others were smarter... and only did 75.

At mile 40 still feeling great.

At mile 50ish... I caught a few pics of the route and the ride.

Sorry its so shaky, but I took this video while riding... perhaps not the safest thing in the world to do.

At lunch. Mile 75, the temperature kept climbing and things kept feeling worse and worse. Josh really didn't feel good. In fact non of us felt great. At one point the temp was around 100deg and we couldn't stay hydrated. We all felt like crap and just couldn't keep the pace up anymore. We were getting severely dehydrated.

At the finish line. So we did finish... but the last 30 miles were murder. The wind was so strong blowing in our faces the entire way. It felt like a blow dryer going full blast. At the finish line Josh struggled sitting up and just wanted to lay down. Unfortunately for him a lady from our team saw what bad shape we were in and sent for the EMS ladies to come and check him out. They gave him ice, took his BP and O2 saturation. he he he it was wonderful!

Trying to relax post race. But good news, we got our medals!

So despite some serious opposition (you try riding in 100deg with strong winds, so not fun). we managed to finish and make it back to camp alive. And despite the pain, and dehydration it was still a really fun fun ride. We'll be back next year, not to worry. 

This is what our helmets looked like.

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