MS 150 Bike Tour

What a great weekend! I rode with the “Rolling Realtors” who have been together for nine years. This year, our team was made up of forty spirited riders. The results are not in, but we hope to raise $40,000.

My journey began on Friday afternoon, after receiving an offer on one of my listings and taking buyers out. I thought that it would be impossible to leave town, but my bags were packed, my bike was in my car, and I didn’t miss the bus. The weather forecast was for rain all weekend, but I was optimistic.

When we arrived in Duluth, it was cold, rainy, and windy. I was still, optimistic. By 6:00 a.m. Saturday, the rain had stopped, the wind went away, and it was just cold. Not bad biking weather if you are dressed for it. A bus took us to Spirit Mountain where our bikes had camped out for the evening. We were on the road by 8:00. We made it to lunch at 11:00, so we made good time. Lunch offers bikers an opportunity to meet other riders. I met one woman who has been riding the MS 150 for 5 years. We shared stories, and we both agreed that last year was the most difficult finish. On the second day of the tour, riders were met with 38 mile an hour head winds. I noticed that if I stopped pedaling downhill, I would be pushed back. One can only imagine what an uphill climb meant for the spent riders. I noticed that the wagons and vans were full of people waving the white flag. So far, this ride was much better! We finished the first day, seventy-seven miles later, sore, but in good spirits. Our group reunited for pictures and dinner, courtesy of Edina Realty.

Sunday morning was overcast, and warmer. We had 82 miles to go, and it was smooth sailing. By mid day, the sun came out, and the bikers were energetic. One member of our group, Darwin, had pretty much decided that he was content with his performance and would take the next van back to the final destination. I encouraged him to finish and invited him to ride with us. Crossing the finish line is an exhilarating feeling that must be experienced. He agreed to go to one more stop and think about it. That was enough to get Darwin to hang in there. We finished at 3:00 and sat down to a hot meal provided by the MS Society. Darwin was thrilled and said that finishing was well worth the extra effort. My optimism was justified: no rain, no head winds. This was the best year yet!

I would like to extend a very special thanks to all those who generously gave donations to the MS Society to sponsor my effort. I raised over $2200.00 this year. Thank you also to Edina Realty and LeRoy Bendickson, our fearless team captain, who sent out numerous news letters, hosted a team pizza party, and made all the lodging arrangements for our overnight stays.

To all those who I love who have MS: Tom, Tina, Naomi, Agnetta, and David, this one’s for you. If a cure is not found by next year, I’ll be riding again. God Bless!