If Mother Nature thought she was going to rain on the BP MS 150 parade last weekend, she had another thing coming.

NOTE: Check out the 2009 BP MS150 photo gallery HERE.

Austin finish line

But, as weather conditions settled down for Day 2, about 85% of the registered 13,000 riders made their way, on four or more wheels, to La Grange, Texas. There, they hopped on their two-wheeled vehicles to begin the second leg of their biking commitment.

“It was the 25th anniversary of the ride,” said Critz Cullen, captain of Team BP, a group of some 750 cyclists. “In all that time, the MS Society has never had to cancel a day of the ride. But it was clear that it wasn’t safe to ride, and that was our first consideration.”

He laughed: “Of course, at BP, those of us who work offshore are used to the ‘W.O.W. factor,’ which stands for ‘Waiting on Weather.’ It’s just the first time the W.O.W. factor has played such a large role in the BP MS 150.

“On Friday, I went to the fairgrounds in La Grange where the bicyclists camp and found ankle-deep water even inside some of the tents,” Cullen noted. “It was clear that the place was uninhabitable, which made the decision to cancel Saturday’s ride easier. Our caterer in La Grange, Reba’s Village, donated the food we planned to serve Saturday to the Salvation Army in Austin: 600 pounds of hamburger meat, 400 pounds of marinated chicken breasts, salad, bread, and desserts.”

Contingency plans

After the initial disappointment Friday afternoon, Team BP set to work putting its contingency plans in place. By 4:30 a.m. Sunday, they were busy loading seven buses and trucks with hundreds of riders and their bikes for transportation to La Grange. “Our logistics folks who support the ride did stellar work on reorganizing. And we had an overwhelmingly positive response from our riders,” Cullen said.

About 600 of Team BP’s 750 registered riders were able to make the second, 80-mile leg of the ride, from La Grange to Austin. “What with the crowds, the music and the thrill of the finish line Sunday, you wouldn’t know we’d missed a day,” Cullen said.

John Amato, who spoke for the 81 Team BP riders from Texas City, joked, “There must have been a million people in Austin, greeting the riders. It turned out to be a great ride, with beautiful weather, although the headwinds and side winds were troublesome.

The Team BP folks — Iris Cross, John Curry, and Critz Cullen — did a great job of switching to Plan B, which they had to pretty much make up as they went along.”

Fundraising lead

On Monday morning, BP was leading all teams in fundraising, with $640,000. The event had raised more than $12.5 million toward research and services for 20,000 Texas families affected by MS. Fundraisers will continue to collect pledges through May.

Juan Pinzon, a lead drilling engineer at BP, rode with Team BP for the sixth time, on behalf of a family member with MS. Pinzon is one of Team BP’s top fundraisers, with $4,800 in pledges on the day of the race — and still counting. BP matching will apply to many of the pledges, increasing the total still further.

Asked the secret of his fundraising success, Pinzon said, “The MS Lone Star Chapter provides tremendous support for fundraising: tips for success and a four-week fundraising program. My secret is based on asking people ‘to join the movement toward a world free of MS.’ It is about education, sharing histories, how MS affects people’s lives and what we can do about it. I used e-mails, letters, Safety Moments, and my birthday, which occurs just before the ride. I ask for donations instead of presents!”

First timer

Kim Pataky, E&P relationship manager for Global Oil Trading, joined Team BP for the first time this year. “For the past seven years, I’ve driven family and friends to the BP MS 150 starting point at Westlake and always told myself that one day I’d be a part of the excitement. Plus, I came to the realization that I wasn’t getting any younger ... and the ride wasn’t getting any easier (or shorter). It was now or never.

“I bought a road bike last fall with the BP MS 150 in the back of my mind,” she continued. “But it wasn’t until I joined the MS 150 training series in January that I made the mental commitment to gear up for the challenge. Since buying my bike, I’ve logged 1,500 miles in training. I sure wasn’t going to let that go to waste!

“Aside from crossing the finish line, the most memorable part was the support of the communities, friends and family,” Pataky said. “While I’m sure my sore muscles will go away, all the people cheering us along the ride and at the finish line will be a lasting memory. It’s very humbling to see people holding up signs saying, ‘Thank you. You saved my life.’”