I started cycling because the girl I wanted to date was going for a “bike ride” that coming Saturday 11 years ago.  I asked her, “you mean like on a bicycle bike ride?”  She said yes and I bought a bike that Thursday and rode an agonizing 25 miles that Saturday!  She’s been my fiance' now for 11 years and we’ve set a tentative date for 2020!!

Not long after that, her brothers introduced me to the MS-150.  I rode in 1999 as a challenge to ride 180 miles.  On that ride I finally understood the mission of the NMSS.  Seeing individuals and families impacted by this disease, I’ve refocused my efforts from “finishing the ride” to raising as much money as possible.

I’ve since ridden the Houston to Austin ride 11 times and the San Antonio ride three times.  I’ve been a Ride Marshal for the past eight or nine years and have enjoyed seeing the BP MS-150 become a safer event each year.  As co-captain of Team BP this year, our intent for the 2010 ride is to have everyone enjoy the ride and to finish it in the same shape they started it – if not a bit sore and tired.

The primary reason for the BP MS-150 bicycle ride from Houston to Austin is to raise money for and awareness of MS.  In 2009 Team BP raised over $1.1 million to fight this terrible disease.  The strides that have been made in the past 10 years in terms of understanding the disease and developing drugs to help those afflicted by it have been immense.

Our challenge to each and every rider this year is to raise more money than you raised last year and aspire to be a top fundraiser (>$1000 raised).  Just think of 750 Team BP riders each raising over $1000 – that amount of funds could make the lives of Texans with MS much easier.  The more effort we all make TODAY to raise money to end MS, the sooner we’ll ride to celebrate a cure.  Now that’s an event in which I’d like to take part....