Thanks for all your support
during this year's BP MS 150 Bike Tour. Team
Protiviti's thirty two (32) riders raised over $20,000, eclipsing our goal of
$15,000, thanks to your generous donations. Our top Team Protiviti fundraiser was Jordan Reed with $2,125. Our second top fundraiser was Ron Chovanec with $1,995. Teresa Pettit was not far behind with
$1,740. These funds go to a great cause, Multiple Sclerosis, and we
appreciate all those who donated on behalf of the team.
As we have done in past
years, we want to give you a glimpse of what a two-day bike ride from Houston
to Austin was like. Overall the weather was beautiful and we could not
have asked for better conditions. The day started out clear & cool and the wind was at our backs. The route had two
starts, one from Tully Stadium (rookie start location) and another from Rhodes
Stadium (veteran start location). Most of the team
started from Rhodes while others skipped Tully and started at crazy places like their homes in the Heights (Josh
Foster, Patrick Dwyer and Bret
Dunbar).
Saturday - Houston to La
Grange
Saturday morning came
pretty early for most of us as the alarm clocks started ringing at 4 a.m.
If you didn't arrive at the stadium early, you not only got stuck in
traffic but you also started at the back of the line (Josh Stovall had first
hand knowledge of this predicament). From the traffic
jam in Katy, it looked like a lot of riders wanted to knock 12 miles off the
route by starting at Rhodes. A majority of the team started close to the
front of the line and hit the road at 7 a.m. Most the veterans from Rhodes rode past a few of the break points to
reach lunch in Bellville before the crowds arrived. We were met by our
great support team of Alma Elahee, Erica Martinez, Dan Hunsucker and Holly Inderrieden. The ice cold peppermint
towelettes were once again great! Most of us rolled out of Bellville before 10 a.m. By now the sun was starting to rise and beating down on the riders. The veterans from
Rhodes once again skipped a few break points and rode straight to La Grange,
where we arrived after ~85 miles of
riding (~113 miles for the Heights riders) to meet our support team of Brian & Jennifer Lamb, Sean
Kane, Erica Martinez and Mary Sutter. For some riders, the ride was not enough training and they decided a 5 mile run was in
order (see Roman Rabourn for more details on
proper triathlon training). After a quick shower in a portable
shower truck, a cold drink and a place to sit other than a bike seat,
the tent was a great place to hang out and visit with all the other companies
staying in the corporate village. After a couple of hours, the rookies
started to arrive and by dusk the last Protiviti rider made it to the tent
(names withheld due to privacy reasons). As the team socialized and ate
some homemade spaghetti, salad & garlic bread (courtesy of Alma and the support team), we had to get to
sleep before the final 80 mile leg of our tour on Sunday. Most riders stayed in the big tent
while others slept in pop-up tents and local hotels.
Sunday - La Grange to
Austin
Sunday morning also came
pretty early as the campers started stirring before 5 a.m. The weather was again beautiful at the
start. Once again the riders had two starts, one to the parks and the
other straight to Bastrop. For those in the front of the pack, the ride
through the parks came pretty early and was a lot of fun. The parks
required all your leg muscles but were by far the best part of the ride.
After the parks, we hit lunch in Bastrop and met our support team of Alma Elahee, Holly Inderrieden and Extreme Sports Missions, who provided us with more cold
towelettes, sandwiches, fruit, snacks and cold
drinks. After some much needed rest, it was time to hit the road
again. By now the sun had started to beat down on us again and we just
wanted to find Austin as soon as possible. After leaving lunch we hit the
back roads of Texas and we're challenged by the long, drawn-out hills on the
way to Austin. For some of the riders, a delayed
start and bike problems Sunday morning put them behind some slower riders and congestion along
the route (Joe Heil, Roman and others had first hand knowledge
of this). For the rest of us, after a few
break points and a lot of water we could see the end in sight -- the State
Capitol. What an amazing sight seeing all those supporters there cheering
us on. Thanks to Sean Kane, Christine Franks, Kari
Aldredge and others for welcoming us to Austin and
providing a few cold drinks and sandwiches upon our finish. For the veterans, it was another bike tour
accomplished and for the rookies, it was the first of many rides we hope.
Thanks again for all the
support and donations this year! Your donations are all tax
deductible. If you are interested in riding in
next year's ride on April 21-22, 2007, please let me know. Registration starts in early December and training starts in
January.
Thanks again,
Paul Pettit
I saw a rose bush in full bloom. Not an odd occurrence where we live, except it was December, the dead of winter. Upon closer examination, I discovered that the owner of the bush had tied plastic roses on the bush. From a distance the rose bush looked beautiful and full. Up close, however it looked fake, like a fraud. 
Recent Comments