Riding for the MS5000 Challenge!

[draco_1967]

Hi everyone!
I am participating in the MS5000 Challenge. It is all about raising money and awareness to help those who struggle with Multiple Sclerosis. Some people run, bike, or swim to do this, but I don't do those things. Instead I like to ride!

The Challenge was started last year by Paul Pelland, who was diagnosed in 2005 with MS. He set a goal to ride 1,000,000 miles to raise awareness and funds to benefit those who are diagnosed. All the funds we raise goes to the National MS Society. Last year, they raised $23,000. This year, the group goal is $50,000. You can listen to an interview with Paul on the Law Abiding Biker Podcast.

The idea is to reach at least 5000 points by riding (1 point per mile) and raising (10 points per $1).

Since April 1st, I have ridden 460 miles. Mostly just doing short rides (60-100 miles) each day after work (when life doesn't get in the way). Most of the folks participating in the challenge are Iron Butt fanatics, so I'm sure my mileage will be on the low side compared to them. My butt isn't iron enough for the stock seat on my Serenity.

The second day of riding presented some ugly weather, but I still did 80 miles

The rest has been all good:

I even did 10 miles of some fairly rough Jeep roads (and am quite sore today because of it), with a total of about 90 miles yesterday.

I met my goal this week to raise $100 by today (Friday), and promised my Facebook friends that I would ride 500 miles on Saturday. Here is the route I will be taking:

If you would like to follow my journeys on the bookface, ---->THIS<---- is the link.
If you want to make donations to the National MS Society, please do! 100% of the funds we raise goes to the NMSS. I am paying for gas, food, etc...

I'll post some updates when I get back on Saturday night (or on Sunday, after I have rested)

 

[draco_1967]

I have a severe dislike for the stock seat!
Yesterday's trip went very well. I ended up traveling 545 miles because the scenic and curvy shortcut I had planned was not passable (for me) because of snow:

So I ended up hitting the slab for the last 75 mile leg of the journey

The rest of the roads were completely clear, and I passed above the snow line 4 times. The highest peak I crossed was on the "Energy Loop" road (UT-31) at 9600 feet. That is a beautiful ride if you are ever in the area.

Once I left Salt Lake, the roads were pretty peaceful. It's amazing how many idiot drivers populate large cities. I didn't take a lot of pictures, mostly because I just wanted to put the miles down so I would be home before dark. The one road that has potential to be great, but isn't is UT-191. It's a very scenic road, with lots of curves and elevation changes. There were dozens of small oil wells along the road, which was an interesting contrast to the natural beauty. Unfortunately, because of all the oil drilling, there were lots of trucks hauling oil in both directions. If there were a day of the week that there were no tankers operating through there, it would be an awesome ride.

I also received a very generous $100 donation for the National MS Society!

Anywho, here are the few pics I took:

After about 240 miles, I had to add the emergency butt-relief pad (its a memory foam lumbar support)

^this one is right across the road from this one:

Things I learned from this ride:
-The stock seat is torture after about an hour, and gets exponentially worse the longer I use it.
-My heated gear (jacket liner and grips) make all the difference in comfort, especially when temperatures change so drastically on one trip (between 36 and 68*F)
-Be wary of beef jerky bags, they are sharper than they appear.
ETA: -I also discovered that the NC does not have enough power to maintain 75mph on a steep uphill with a headwind. There is a section of I-70 between Price and Salina, that has some steep sections. The speed limit is 75. I had to downshift to maintain speed. If I went back up to 6th, I would immediately start losing speed. I only got 62mpg on that tank. The other two tanks were 71 and 70mpg. Most of the time, I tried to keep revs below 3500.

 

[dduelin]

Thanks for your participation and this great post with pics.

 

[draco_1967]

Perfect weather for a ride today! It was 72* and mostly sunny. I went for a short 170 mile jaunt around the mountains.

Selfie

Best signs...

 

[kasi]

Wow great challenge you have also and I never forget these pics and information about the road trip and I want to know that how many people are in the challenge?

 

[gboswellsac]

Perfect weather for a ride today! It was 72* and mostly sunny. I went for a short 170 mile jaunt around the mountains.

Selfie

Best signs...

Where was this sign .... I want to go there ...

 

[draco_1967]

Wow great challenge you have also and I never forget these pics and information about the road trip and I want to know that how many people are in the challenge?

There were about 60 participants.

Where was this sign .... I want to go there ...

That road is the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway in Utah. It's a fun road with lots of great curves and views.

 

[L.B.S.]

Wow, I'm so sorry I completely missed this thread! For sure I would have offered much praise and a hearty thanks for the Topic, the great pics, and the nice narrative.