15 indelible hrs, 150+ incredible miles
May 4th/5th 2013
Let me backtrack a little for you, trust me I won’t go past 2 months when I thought of participating in MS 150 bike ride. By the way MS (Multiple Sclerosis) is a progressive neurological disease that affects people in many different ways. It could be paralysis one day, loss of vision the next or impaired memory the day after that. So 2 months back I was talking w/ Jeff and he mentioned MS 150 and his brief experience from the last 5-6 years and then he introduced me to George from Texas Revolutions team. I read about MS and why people ride to raise funds for MS. I thought that this can be a good way of making a difference in the lives of those living with MS and a great opportunity to test my limits and try something new. Finally me and Jeff started biking practice. We used to bike once in 2 weeks for around 20 miles and then visit Sunny’s place for dinner. Sanika/Sunny we owe you queso and XX ;). After work practice was somewhat challenging but I tried to ride 20-22 miles on my hybrid bike. Just a week before the race Jeff, Lisa and Jason arranged a road bike for me. Thanks Jason
Returning back to Day 1- May 4th. Our team reached Dr. Pepper Arena Frisco at 6.30AM. I was full of energy and excitement to ride but really nervous with my 1st ride. Mentally was prepared to finish 150 mile but the facts were that I never biked for more than 25 miles. When I saw the riders suffering from MS and participating, I was like- the miracle isn’t that I’m biking for the 1st time but the miracle is that these brave hearts have the courage to bike. Very inspiring people living with MS and riding. Well we crossed Dallas Parkway and moved towards Celina town. The 1st lap was close to 13 miles and full of energy. Excellent services at the rest stop. Next 13 miles towards Pilot Point city were also full of energy as every rider crossing you was cheering up. Now comes the exciting part of the day- Ray Roberts State Park. No doubt it was a great view, waves rippling over the lake but the wind chill of approx 35 miles/hr made the ride really challenging. Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance you must keep moving and I moved on. After that challenging lap we stopped at Sanger High School for lunch and we almost finished 45 miles \m/ . We didn’t spend more than 15 minutes at lunch and started biking again. I was getting tired after lunch but then I saw a fighter biking on a hand powered cycle. Well that was enough to motivate myself. Rest stop 4 was at Denton and after that the last rest stop was at Ponder city. At the last rest stop Jeff told me that- Only 13 miles left and I was like Wow!! I can’t imagine I’m so close to finishing Day 1. Thanks Jeff for riding at my pace throughout :). Last lap was really smooth and I was waiting to reach the Finish line. We were close to the finish line and everyone was cheering us on. I really can’t explain the feeling of crossing the finish line. We reached the Texas revolutions tent and met our team mates. Everyone was so happy to meet each other after the finish line.
Day 2- Woke up again at 5AM. Reached at Texas Motor Speedway with body ache and pain. They opened the speedway track at 6.30AM. You might have seen a Nascar race on the track but you need to participate in MS 150 to get the feel of biking on the speedway :P. The temperature was around 42F but 13 miles towards Fairview town were not bad. Next 10 miles were again challenging but then I thought that every stop would be my target until I reached the finish line. Lunch was at Decatur High School and we finished 30 miles before lunch. Rest Stop was at Boyd town and I was getting exhausted. After crossing Boyd, I was skipping the next 10 miles but I thought about Armstrong – “Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.” Next 11 miles towards the last stop were the most difficult miles of my life ;). Those miles tested my patience, my stamina, my anger and eagerness to achieve 150 miles. I was completely exhausted at the last rest stop of the day at Rhome town and was wondering if I could be the Turtle of the Day.. lol ;). Everything is possible and impossible just takes longer and I was just 15 miles away from the finish line. I feel the last 15 miles were like a piece of cake as I was full of energy during my last lap :D. I think we finished the last 15 miles in an hour. Finish line at TMS was visible to me and I heard people shouting “Go Fidelity” and at the finish like George speaking- Great Job Akhil :). Thanks George and other members for creating Texas Revolutions After that Steve comments like Akhil Attaboy; Axel again motivated me and yes I’m ready for the next MS 150 ride and to raise funds to make a difference in the lives of those living with MS.
It’s true that finishing MS 150 is about heart, not just legs. If you can achieve something without a struggle it’s not going to be satisfying. After finishing the 150 mile ride I experienced the pain of people living with MS. Every mile spent during 15 hrs is dedicated to the fighters suffering from MS.
Life is not about being self-centered but it’s about fighting for someone.. Fighting until my last breath.. Never giving up.. Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body.. But rather to skid in sideways, re-defining the craziness, and shouting “Hell yeah… We enjoyed every moment of our life… ”
Blogger: Akhil Jain
Riders/Volunteer: George, Steve, Jason, Diana, Lisa, Justin, Jeff, Michelle, Spence, Justin, Brenda, Robert, Akhil
