May 30, 2009
Dear Friends and Family:
I find it hard asking someone to make a donation. I guess we all do, especially in these economic hardships our country is facing. But, today I'm writing to you about a cause that's important to me and a cause that I know you will want to support. I have decided to take steps in the fight against multiple sclerosis (MS) by joining the for Bike MS 2009: West Virginia Country Roads Tour. I'm asking you to join me in this important fight by sponsoring me.
Like last year, Dad and I will be riding for the West Virginia Chapter of the MS Society. My brother lives there, my company has Burger Kings there and they were a great group to ride with last year and I feel privileged to be able to ride again. Dad and I each need to raise a minimal of $200 a person. ALL money will go directly to the MS Society, it will not go towards our costs at all. We will also pay $200 in lodging and registration as our donation to the MS Society in addition to any funds to mail both support and thank you letters out. Dad and I had to create a “team” in order to combine our funds. So we are “The Lone Lynchburgers”.
For Dad the reality of this disease became to vivid as his client's mom has had MS for several years but passed away last year. She was a middle aged mom and her untimely death was a reminder of just how important this cause is, and how deadly it will continue to be if we don't fight it. I learned this past year that one of my husband’s clients has MS and that make me even more determined to find a cure for this disease in hopes that no more people will have to fall to its debilitating effects.
What if every day you woke up, not knowing if you'd be able to get out of bed or hold your child? For many people with multiple sclerosis, this is their reality.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) usually strikes adults in the prime of life, between the ages of 15 and 50. It is a chronic disease of the central nervous system affecting the brain and spinal cord. One new case of MS is diagnosed every hour. It comes and goes unpredictably, leaving people to wonder, "Will I become paralyzed, blind or have trouble walking? Will I be able to raise my family and continue my career?"
Last year we had a goal of raising $800 which was double our minimal requirement. This year I am hoping that each dad and I will be able to raise an additional $100 which would bring our fund raising goal to $1,000! All of my sponsors, like last year, will be included on our team shirts.
I am asking for your help in reaching my goal. Any amount would be a blessing towards our ultimate goal. To sponsor me, please mail your checks to:
Bethany Sykes
~***email me for it***~
bethanysykes@gmail.com
You can also donate online by going to my Pledge Page where you will be able to read about our trainings week to week and see our fund raising progress at:
http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/bethanysykes
To read about our adventures from MS 150 2008 you can visit my personal blog at:
http://bethanysykes.blogspot.com/2009/05/2008-biking-recap.html
All donations are completely tax deductible. Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting us and the fight against MS.
Thank you!
Beth and Dad, The Lone Lynchburgers
Bethany Wriston-Sykes and Dave Wriston
Saturday, May 30, 2009
2008 Biking Recap
So in case you can't figure it out rather quickly I am Beth and I just finished up the MS 150 in Lewisburg, WV with my dad.
Here is info from 2008 fundraising so I can keep it as a "remembrance" after they delete my account and start my 2009 one.
My Sponsorship Letter:
Dear Friends and Family:
I find it hard asking someone to make a donation. I guess we all do. But, today I'm writing to you about a cause that's important to me and a cause that I know you will want to support. I have decided to take steps in the fight against multiple sclerosis (MS) by joining the for Bike MS 2008: West Virginia Country Roads Tour. I'm asking you to join me in this important fight by sponsoring me.
I know Dad and I do the Charlottesville one but, being my work schedule has been both demanding and hectic this spring I have not succeeded on my training needs, therefore I will be doing the WV ride in Lewisburg. Don't worry it's not too far from my home, as we do have one of our Burger Kings right there and (my brother) Zac's reserve unit is stationed there as well. It's been six years since we've done this. In fact it was a spur of the moment. I found a letter dad had wrote me back in Feb. 03, in which he asked if we were going to do the 03' ride, or he'd try again in 5 years when Joe was old enough. Well I'm not Joe, but it is now 5 years since that letter and we're up for it! This will be a slightly more challenging bike ride than the one in Charlottesville, especially since my good bike was stolen this spring, but we are up for the challenge!! I would say Dad's over 50 now, but he still doesn't act it so that isn't even a factor! Dad and I each need to raise a minimal of $250 a person. ALL money will go directly to the MS society, it will not go towards our costs at all. We will also pay $200 in lodging and registration as our donation to the MS Society.
For Dad the reality of this disease became to vivid as his client's mom has had MS for several years but passed away last year. She was a middle aged mom and her untimely death was a reminder of just how important this cause is, and how deadly it will continue to be if we don't fight it.
What if every day you woke up, not knowing if you'd be able to get out of bed or hold your child? For many people with multiple sclerosis, this is their reality.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) usually strikes adults in the prime of life, between the ages of 15 and 50. It is a chronic disease of the central nervous system affecting the brain and spinal cord. One new case of MS is diagnosed every hour. It comes and goes unpredictably, leaving people to wonder, "Will I become paralyzed, blind or have trouble walking? Will I be able to raise my family and continue my career?"
I have a goal of raising $800 to support the National MS Society.
I am asking for your help in reaching my goal. Any amount would be a blessing towards our ultimate goal. To sponsor me, please mail your checks to:
Bethany Sykes
@@email Beth for address@@
bethanysykes@gmail.com
All donations are completely tax deductible. Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting me and the fight against MS.
Thank you!
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Unfortunately neither of these snake pics are our copperhead but some other wonderful finds!
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LOST FROM EACH OTHER
Again we did our typical bike ride from dad's to coffee road- nothing special. Well we decided we'd do "one more hill" Dad- aka Mr energy got to where "the end of the hill was" apparently but since I didn't see him I kept going- and going- and going. Well my phone lost service way out here and EVENTUALLY I decided to turn around. He apparently at "the end of the hill" decided to take a side street so I passed right by him. By now I will be late for work. I finally get where my phone has service and we meet back at noth bedford baptist church. I call Marko to meet me at work w/ my uniforms. At the end of wiggington Dad heads home and I head to Burger King. Marko brings my uniform and I work my shift. Then I ride home from burger king and collapse bc I AM EXHAUSTED! However we did find a baby turtle.... He was kinda dead though I think! It is now one week until the MS 150 I can only hope and pray we are ready!~
by Bethany Sykes on Sat, Aug 30, 2008 @ 10:43 PM
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I've registered for the MS Bike Tour because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed - and because I want to do everything to prevent more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.
Why Sponsor Me?
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will use funds collected from the MS Bike Tour to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today. Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, because we have chosen to help thousands of people through a contribution to the MS Bike Tour, we are now getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, "You have MS."
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September 9, 2008
Dear Sponsor,
I wanted to take the time and sincerely thank you for the financial support you gave me towards the MS 150 dad and I rode in. It was a very challenging two days, maybe more challenging than we had remembered from years past. But on the other had it was SOOO much better organized and was an outstanding event that I am pleased to announce that we will be doing again next year.
On Friday Sept. 5th we drove to Lewisburg, WV. We went ahead and registered so we could sleep in a few extra minutes Sat. After registering we went to Wal-Mart to stock up on some fruit for our ride. Then we went to Bob Evans for what Dad called a “high carb” dinner of pastas, to help prepare our bodies.
On Saturday we were up at 6:00am and finished all last minute preparations and went over to the starting line. We were doing the “road” version. There was also a trail version but we assumed it was for the serious mountain bikers. Oh man were we ever WRONG! So at mile 15, our first rest stop… where else but in ANTHONY we switched to the trail. The previous MS150 we did had people of ALL skill levels, where as this one was geared MUCH more towards serious bikers, something we are NOT! The trail is a mix of rocks and gravel and sand. It is called the Greenbrier River Trail. So at this point we’ve been riding for about 90 minutes and it is POORING rain! We are drenched and I am freezing but two very sweet elderly ladies served us homemade goodies, zucchini bread and cookies, amongst other options provided by the MS Society. 10 miles later, mile 25 we reached rest stop #2 at Renick and we’re welcomed in by a “fiesta”. The ladies hosting that stop had noise makers and big sombreros. It was quite cute. Every stop had plenty of snacks and beverages and was a great help to the cyclists! Around mile 28, we found a fine non-biking task that needed dealt with: a swinging rope into the lake!
Not long after that dad made a new friend named Hound!
He talked to us so we figured he was picture worthy visitor for day one! About mile marker 31 we got to experience Droop Tunnel. It’s PITCH BLACK. They have reflectors on the walls but that barely helps. He’ll know to bring a flash light next year! Here I am at the end! And dad isn’t normal enough for a regular finishing picture so here he is at the end!! And here is dad. We ride and we ride and we ride until we reach mile marker 38 for lunch. For a picky eater like me, you’d be surprised how DELICIOUS a ham and cheese sandwich can taste after 38 miles of biking! They also served us Heavenly Ham cookies… mmmmmmmm!!! At 1:01pm we started mile 39 where we also visited Den Mar Medium Security Prison! Notice dad “Hand cuffed” and me “all locked up” Right above us is the barbed wire fences where you could see the heads of inmates and hear them playing horse shoes. We had another quick rest stop about mile marker 45. Then somewhere between 45 and 50 we found some friends of ours: Mr. Black snack and The Deer Family.
At the left hand corner is a close up of our big ole snake! Unfortunately he wasn’t in a very playful mood like we were!
Then we rode to about mile 56 until we turned into town to find the Marlinton Fire Station where our bikes would be stored! We road a bus to our hotel, Inn at Snowshoe, at the bottom of snow shoe mountain. We grabbed a quick 10 minute spa time before supper at 6:00pm. Again the food was great. Our speaker was outstanding too. His name was Michael and he is from NJ. He has a wife and a 4&6 year old and was diagnosed with MS weeks after the youngest was born. He said to let our sponsors know that the money we raise REALLY goes to the people with MS to learn about the disease, the treatments, even family counseling, group therapies, and ever programs geared towards his family who is obviously affected by him having MS. I have to mention the “King of the Hill” award for those few cyclists who braved Snowshoe Mountain riding the 7 miles to the very top! Check out their crowns! (For anyone unaware those at Burger King crowns, and of course that is my second home!!) After supper we caught another 30 or more minutes in the pool and spa.
Day two started even earlier, at 5:31am when the alarm went off. We quickly gathered our stuff and got to breakfast a few minutes after 6am. It was a nice hearty meal to start our energy off high!
Day two started out pretty cold in the low to mid 50s! We got on our way about 8:05am. We had more time to take scenic pictures for your casual enjoyment! As you can see we were up and ready for the sunrise, you can see we were pretty much on top of the world. The first pic, 2nd row is the picture from inside the bus as we drove down Snowshoe Mountain. Here was part of the Greenbrier River. We couldn’t attend church this Sunday so we took a pic of a lil country church waaaay in the distance…. I had to teach dad how to ZOOM the digital camera for this one. This was us coming out of Droop Tunnel. Dad enjoyed “racing” any biker who passed us so he would go a ways a head trying to keep up and he caught this shot of me as he waited for me to catch up. I was not so interested in chasing anyone. But those of you who know dad know he has a never ending energy level. He would also go back a bit to catch pictures he decided we wanted. The only pics we missed were him beside mile marker 52- his age and a sign of us at Anthony. But fear not, there is still next year! Along our way every so many miles there were these big cement “W” markers. I still don’t know there significance but Mr. W had to have a pic with one! We saw this “private property” swinging bridge. We wanted to go on it but obeyed our better judgment! Here I am with the 23 mile marker since I am 23! There were many houses on “stilts” (not sure if that is the proper term) but we got a great kick out of this old double wide trailer way up on stilts!
Then of course dad and I had to take a dip in the river! By half way through the day we were both feeling the muscle over use in our legs- OUCH! So by the last 10 miles on the trail I decided the best solution was simply to PICK UP THE PACE and be done! We then started keeping track of our time per mile… we had a 5:20 with a break to tie my shoe and a 5:08 mile! It REALLY helped it getting done with the trail. Although the trail was mostly flat it also meant your legs never got the break of a down hill like road biking. Plus it was a very bumpy ride with the rocks, twigs, gravel and squishy ride with the sand and mud. So it was just as a good at tiring you out! Here is “proof” we rode the Greenbrier River Trail. As well here is the MONSTEROUS mountain dad rode up… I attempted but failed miserably- so bad that dad would ride to the top of the 1st mtn and come push me the rest of the way… it worked, he did it twice! But all in all, including all our rest stops, photo breaks, lunch and swims we did 150 miles in right about 15 hours! Yes I know that’s a rather poor miles per hour gig but the last 4 were ALL that uphill mountain and then the first 15 we did on the road.
Finally, I just wanted to thank you for your support both financially and emotionally thought your encouraging words and prayers. We did make our $800 goal Thursday Sept 4th and ended up with $819!!! Then after riding we were given $25 more for a grand total of $844! Dad and I went ahead and registered for next year on Sunday at the end of our biking day as they gave us a greatly discounted registration price, so hopefully you will be able to support us again next year as we begin this mission again to find a world free of MS, to find a cure one mile at a time!
Love,
Beth and Dad
Bethany Sykes and Dave Wriston
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So after I dropped the kids at school at 8:00am I ran to Walmart and got some snacks for Dad and I as well as snacks and food for Marko and the kids while I was away. I even found a swell deal on a athletic shirt. After Wally World I grabbed some breakfast at Famous Anthony's. Then I took Dad and My bikes to the bike shop for an over priced tune up and to have a rack installed on the back of my bike. Went to the bank- picked the kids up- ran and got luggage tags and finished up my packing at home. I went and picked up the bikes-- I really don't like that shop I don't think I'll go there anymore! I went to dad's and we loaded up... we left town a lil before 5pm and Got to Lewisburg about 7pm. We registered at New River Community & Technical College. We each got a registration packet with odds and ends, our "race" numbers a drink bottle and a shirt. Dad was number 189 and I was 120!
After registering we went to get out room at Hotel 8. Then we went to Walmart and got some fruits to keep us energized on our ride- and I got batteries in case the camera ran low and a tooth brush. After that we wet to Bob Evan's for supper. Dad had the Italian Sausage and Peppers Penne... minus the sausage and I had the Chicken Veggie alfredo although I picked out the chicken. We each got a salad and bread too. It was a very fulfillng meal for a nice price! We got back to our hotel, I got a shower and we preped for the morning. About 11:30 we were sound!
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Here are some pictures of the start. Dad attaching his number ho his bike, the sign at the beginning and some fellow bikers
So the alarm went off at 6:00am ~yawn~ We hurriedly got ready and were off to the college. I did enjoy a yummy peach for breakfast. Dad took our luggage to the UHaul while I prepped my bike with out snack backpack. At 8:00 we began. We were planning on doing the road and so we did while several followed us several more took to the trail. We assumed a unpaved trail would be like a mountain bike adventure. We QUICKLY learned we were in over our heads!! That is really NOT a comforting feeling at all! In fact the SAG ambulance was following us half the time since we were the last in the pack! Nearing the first rest stop a SAG vehicle asked dad if we wanted the trail instead and clued us in it was not like we had envisioned. Obviously only HIGHLY skilled individuals were doing the road. The previous MS150 we did there were bikers of ALL skill levels so this def caught us off guard. The bonus to our 15 miles on the road is the last mile was a complete steep down hill... talk about wind in your face and making up a little lost time. But also I should mention within minutes of riding it started to sprinkle. By 30 minutes in it was a nice heavy rain. It was cold, we were wet. So although we got a nice downhill it only added to my coldness. Nothing phases dad so he was just fine! We we reached Rest stop #1 it was our "shared" rest stop the one both the roadstersand trailsters used. Where else would it be but ANTHONY--- for those of you less informed that is my son's name so that was quite neat! The main hosts of this spot were two elderly ladies. They had made us homemade zucchini bread and cookies-- MMMMM! In addition there were some fruits, rice krispie treats and other snacks. But these sweet ladies had been waiting for us in the pouring rain and had devised a nice lil "shelter" to keep our food mostly dry.
Here's the Anthony Rest Stop
From Anthony we took the trail. We rode until mile 25 which was our second rest stop in Renick. A lot of the homes we passed were on stilts and unique in appearance. At Renick we had a whole "fiesta" going on! Th volunteers there had on sombreros and noise makers cheered us in. Amongst their wide spread of snacks was also a picture display of riders in years passed which was neat. Dad enjoyed a peanut butter banana sandwich and I stocked up on goodies. They had Popsicle to but being it just finished raining I passed them up.
We continued riding and about mile 28 we found a fun swimming whole!! Of course dad had to try it out!! Not to far down the road Dad made a Hound Friend. He seemed lonely old and frail so we decide we'd be buds and take pic home as evidence.
After a few more miles we came to Droop Tunnel. That is one DARK tunnel. It had reflectors on the walls but that was really very little help. It was almost making you disoriented. Luckily it isn't too long of a tunnel. The pictures do it very little justice in showing you how it feels within that tunnel!
Finally as we neared mile 40 we had lunch!!! As most of you know I am a fairly picky eater~ You'd be surprised what 40 miles on a bike can do to your appetite and how magically you forget to be picky! They had ham turkey and cheese for sandwiches. I stuck with two half sandwiches with two slices of cheese and one slice of ham for each. They had yummy pasta salad and delicious heavenly ham cookies! Of course they too had the other snacks bet we were more interested in lunch. And I MUST tell you they had PEPSI! I never knew how fond of Pepsi I was!
We left lunch at 1:01pm. And quickly fell upon Prison property which was quite cool to me! It said no trespassing so we took our pics with the sign at DEN MAR MEDIUM SECURITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER. At the top of the hill you could see the prisoners heads and hear them playing what sounded like hose shoes.
So we biked along past the next rest stop as we were still full from lucnh and sometime near marker 50 we met more friends. We really wanted to play with Mr. Black Snake but for whatever reason he was not feeling very playful and quickly slithered off into the woods as soon as we touched him- BUMMER!
And then not too much farther down the road in the distance in the river we saw a deer family which was absolutely amazing because they were kinda close which allowed us some great pics with our zoom!
Around mile 52ish the trail dirt/gravel/sand/rock road turned into pavement. Dad decided to race a fellow biker: 100, 32, and another one. He enjoyed racing them although he said it took a lot to keep up with them! Nearing mile 56-58 we turned into the city of Marlinton and road until we found the fire department. That would be our stopping spot for the day and where we would store our bikes. We had snacks there too. The main volunteer from Renick was there too with her popsicles and other goodies. Most everyone was tired and laid down as we waited for our bus to arrive and take us to our hotels at Snow Shoe Mountain.
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Look Closely and you can see our Flag "Lone Lynchburgers" in Orange!
We got to our hotel, Inn at Snowshoe at about 5:00pm. Our bus was to pick us up for supper just before 6. So OF COURSE we HAD to take advantage of the hot tub!! It was QUITE relaxing for the brief 15 minutes we had! Then we quickly got dried off and dressed so we'd be ready for pick up by 5:50pm. Unfortunately the fog had gotten incredibly bad so our ride was late, arriving at 6:11. The good part being the program waited for us to begin and when we arrived it was already time to eat with a nice short line!! I don't eat much meat and I def don't eat hamburger so I was SUPER impressed by veggie lasagna that tasted AMAZING! Shortly after we got seated Kami- the director introduced our speaker Michael from New Jersey. He was a great speaker both entertaining and informative. He was great at keeping everyone's attention. His only "flaw" may have been we would have liked to have known his current prognosis beyond he has MS. He is married with two children and had symptoms for YEARS prior to a diagnosis and serious symptoms at that. He got his diagnosis just weeks after his youngest, now 4 was born in 2004. He also has a 6 year old.
Then some awards were given. The first "awards" were given to Victoria, Christy- and I'm sorry I can't remember her name. They are the three MAIN organizers of the MS150 in WV area.
Then there were the the like 400,000 club... because there are 400,000 people in the US w/ MS right now so anyone who raised 1 penny for each ($4000) got in this group. We had 4 of them! The guy in the red white striped dress shirt is my secret hero...
Chuck raised over $30,000!!! How the heck!? So I guess my puny $1,000 I hope to raise next year and the $844 I raised this year is basically nothing huh?
Then there was the VIP award. I don't really remember it's specifics other than you had to raise at least $1,000. I hope to be there someday.
Next was the Rising Star award. Again I don't remember the specifics but I am sure you'll appreciate the "super star" sunglasses!
Then FINALLY came my favorite award. An award I will never qualify for but I simply LOVED their "crowns" HAHAHAHHAHAH~!
Of course for my rare "fan" who is unaware those are Burger King Kid's Club Crowns and of course I am the RGM at a BK here in Lynchburg, VA! The guy in the red gave me his crown. They earned these crowns by not just doing the 150 MILER but by then biking from Cass, WV to snowshoe and then to the TOP of the SEVEN MILE mountain--- yup ALL uphill!!!
After the awards we rode the van back to our hotel at the bottom of Snowshoe mountain. We took another swim in the pool and hot tub for a while. Then off to an early bedtime of 9:35pm for me as I knew it was another early AND long day Sunday!
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WAY TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EARLY IF YOU ASK ME....
We were up at 5:31 as the alarm went off. Man I could have slept for another 10 hours! We met our ride to the top of the mountain for breakfast at 6:00am. I hurried to get my plate and sit down to eat. They had a nice selection, scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, biscuits and gravy,pancakes, oj, milk, coffee, tea and water! I enjoyed my eggs taters and biscuit with apple jelly. I get seconds of everything including OJ. Dad went to take sunrise pictures... I was too tired to care about that.
After breakfast we went outside to all get pictures with the early morning scenery. Then we went and waited for the but to come get us at 7:00am to take us back to Marlinton to our bikes.
Here is a picture from on the way down snowshoe mountain. The fog wasn't too bad this morning like it had been yesterday evening. You couldn't see anything from atop the mountain the night before. The bus got us to Marlinton a pinch before 8:00am and we were all geared up and pedaling by 8:05am.
Here is a picture from near the first rest stop of the Greenbier River.
It didn't take long on day two for my left knee to hurt but OF COURSE we kept going so I tried to focus my energy and thoughts away from my knee hurting. Near the second rest stop dad spotted a country church WAAAY in the distance.
That's right you can BARELY see it so I taught dad how to use the ZOOM... Thus the car picture me teaching him to zoom at the second rest stop. So he turned back and got the picture much better now that he learned how to zoom!
This was the big miles between rest stops... so we had many "self taken breaks" in between because sure we are riding for a cause but we also need to have fun and relax a little. Not to mention I used my vacation time to do this so shucks I wanted it to be worth while! Here are several shots of scenery along the trail and just us biking. Nothing spectacular, yet sweet memories dad and I have captured!
And here are some LOW quality videos of not much...
Then of course came the super dark Droop Tunnel again!
Many spots all along the trails were cement "monuments" almost that had "W" on them so being Dad is a Wriston we had to get him and the W!
Then of course came our swimming whole again! The lovely swinging rope into the river. Dad decided although still kinda cool to go ahead and go for it ALLLL the way in this time. And so that is what he did. And because he wanted to be sure you all knew he was having fun notices as he falls in time two he is waving to you!
Right beyond that is a swinging bridge. It was a real nice looking high quality bridge. It reminded me of the fun ole days at Great Papa's using his swinging bridge many of times! Unfortunately this bridge was private property and was posted no trespassing and had a "security" sign on it so we figured we best not mess with it--- even though we REALLY did want to!
Now we WERE NEARING OUR LAST 20 MILES--- thank goodness!!!!!!!!!! Dad had stayed back at rest stop mile 25 longer than I did. Then apparently he remembered we wanted my picture with my mile marker since we were bummed we has missed his milemarker. Well dad didn't catch up quick enough so this is my self portrait; Age 23 and mile marker 23!
We Saw a fellow biker stopped. Dad was hopeful it was a snake, but it wasn't. The fellow bike had been watching a Doe and her fawn for about five minutes. I tried to get a quick picture but it didn't quite turn out as nice as we had hoped!
We started passing the houses on stilts again and we wanted to let you know we had "great accomodations" when we saw this older model double wide trailer WAY up high on stilts... maybe you had to be there but it gave us a GREAT chuckle!
As we neared the 15 mile marker we knew we had to get some swim time in... and so we did!
And because we wanted proof that we've been there done that... Here we are on the Greenbier River Trail in West Virginia!
Well I missed one other photo we wanted. We wanted out picture at Anthony but 1. I forgot as I wanted to be done and never really Stopped at that rest stop and 2. Dad said there was no Anthony sign. So that being said I kept biking and dad caught up around mile marker 13. I wanted to be done by now and was hurting just about EVERYwhere! So My idea was just to HURRY! So We "speed" rode pretty well the last 8 miles of trail! We got a 5:20 minute with me stopping to tie my shoe and a 5:08 minute going straight not te mention since we were nearing the end of the trail there were numerous people we had to slow down for and watch out for. We finally made it. We could either wait for a ride or ride another 4-5 miles to the college. We were told it was a GIANT MOUNTAIN but being we waited OVER an hour Sat for a ride to our hotel we figured we'd tough it out that we'd prob get there by the time a ride got us there... hmmm was that a good or bad decision? Well Route 60 going into Lewisburg IS a MOUNTAIN! He did it though! I couldn't bike it all, dad could. And so he biked and he biked and he biked and he made it to the top.... only to see a second mountain. He ran back to where I was and he pushed me as I pedaled HAHAHAHHA until he got me to the top of mountain two then again we did the same for mountain two. He rode ahead, got me to the top and caught back up.
It's hard to see the prospective but this is the mountain in Zoom and the second is without zoom... dad is a barely visible dot.
Well we made it back into town- exhausted! As we turned into the college an air horn- or whatever it's called blew it's siren and the volunteers cheered! It was cute. We were awarded an MS 150 Patch and a MS150 Medal. WE FINISHED!!
We had hamburgers and hotdogs awaiting us. I was less than interested in that so just enjoyed way too much sweet tea! I paid $60 for dad and my registration this year so we were offered a killer of a deal! $9 for both of us for MS150 2009! I grabbed it up!! So September 11-13 We will be torturing ourselves again to get a world free of MS!
We got our luggage and bikes and left for Lynchburg at 4:14. I think we were home about 7:00pm.
Here is info from 2008 fundraising so I can keep it as a "remembrance" after they delete my account and start my 2009 one.
My Sponsorship Letter:
My Sponsorship Letter
May 30, 2008Dear Friends and Family:
I find it hard asking someone to make a donation. I guess we all do. But, today I'm writing to you about a cause that's important to me and a cause that I know you will want to support. I have decided to take steps in the fight against multiple sclerosis (MS) by joining the for Bike MS 2008: West Virginia Country Roads Tour. I'm asking you to join me in this important fight by sponsoring me.
I know Dad and I do the Charlottesville one but, being my work schedule has been both demanding and hectic this spring I have not succeeded on my training needs, therefore I will be doing the WV ride in Lewisburg. Don't worry it's not too far from my home, as we do have one of our Burger Kings right there and (my brother) Zac's reserve unit is stationed there as well. It's been six years since we've done this. In fact it was a spur of the moment. I found a letter dad had wrote me back in Feb. 03, in which he asked if we were going to do the 03' ride, or he'd try again in 5 years when Joe was old enough. Well I'm not Joe, but it is now 5 years since that letter and we're up for it! This will be a slightly more challenging bike ride than the one in Charlottesville, especially since my good bike was stolen this spring, but we are up for the challenge!! I would say Dad's over 50 now, but he still doesn't act it so that isn't even a factor! Dad and I each need to raise a minimal of $250 a person. ALL money will go directly to the MS society, it will not go towards our costs at all. We will also pay $200 in lodging and registration as our donation to the MS Society.
For Dad the reality of this disease became to vivid as his client's mom has had MS for several years but passed away last year. She was a middle aged mom and her untimely death was a reminder of just how important this cause is, and how deadly it will continue to be if we don't fight it.
What if every day you woke up, not knowing if you'd be able to get out of bed or hold your child? For many people with multiple sclerosis, this is their reality.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) usually strikes adults in the prime of life, between the ages of 15 and 50. It is a chronic disease of the central nervous system affecting the brain and spinal cord. One new case of MS is diagnosed every hour. It comes and goes unpredictably, leaving people to wonder, "Will I become paralyzed, blind or have trouble walking? Will I be able to raise my family and continue my career?"
I have a goal of raising $800 to support the National MS Society.
I am asking for your help in reaching my goal. Any amount would be a blessing towards our ultimate goal. To sponsor me, please mail your checks to:
Bethany Sykes
@@email Beth for address@@
bethanysykes@gmail.com
All donations are completely tax deductible. Thank you for your time and consideration in supporting me and the fight against MS.
Thank you!
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The Goal Has Been Set
So I am excited to announce that Dad and I have decided to do another MS 150! We will be doing it in Lewisburg, WV this time. I am anxious to start raising money and training. I dedcided to do this last night and now today I have wrote my letters of support and created my webpage to keep updates on!
Today is Tony's last day of school so I don't go to work til 4 so I can participate in his end of year party. Therefore I won't be getting off until 1am yet training begins early this Saturday; 8am until 10am and then I have work at 11am!
I will try to update frequently.
Thanks for checking in with me and please consider donating,
Much Love,
BETH
Two Hours, Two snakes and 15 miles!
So today was the first day of training! I got off work last night at 1:15ish and was in bed at home by 1:37ish. The alarm went off at 7:37am and I was at Mom and Dad's by 5 til 8! By 8:10 we were out the yard and ready to go.
Sadly, within the first very little bit I could already feel the tension! Man I am soooooo out of shape:-( But fear not dad was zoomin' and movin and havin a blast!
We rode down to the bike trail (.5miles) and then did about 15 miles of the trails. We were w/i our last two miles when we saw a lady looking nervous in the midst of the trail. Dad slowed down and then quickly realized she was warning people of the snake... and oh no not just ANY snake: A COPPERHEAD!
But those of you who KNOW dad, know he was completely fearless! He got a nice sized twig and got Mr. Copperhead to slither onto it and then took him into the wooded area off the bike trail and paved area. He got some great reactions from some passerbyers, but unforuntaley we had no cmaera with us! Then about 8 pedals down, down the path a big black snake was squirming into the woods EWWW! He was big and unexpected! The just as we got off the bike trail to ride back to Dad's, dad spotted a turtle crawling onto the road so again he stopped his bike picked the lil guy up and took him into the shrubs of the bike area.
It was quite an interesting first day of training. I'm not sore now either, after 6 hours into my 8 hr shift... but am glad it has slowed down enough for me to grab a 30 minute break because I am sleeeeepy!
Tomorrow we'll train after I get off of work at 3.
Unfortunately neither of these snake pics are our copperhead but some other wonderful finds!
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A Lil rain can't scare us off!
at least not yet;-)
So after work I went to meet up with dad but he was at the pool with the kids so I ran to dick's sporting goods and got some needed biking stuff. I got a lock, a bike bag, an odometer/speedometer, a headlight and blinking reflector, and a pair of gloves.
We didn't get on the road til like 5:30. We did the same route again today. It was mostly uneventful. We did find a black rat snake in which dad decided to pick up. YUP I got pics this time of him picking up the snake, it trying to eat dad, dad dropping the snake and then the snake slithering away. And dad apologized to the thing for dropping it! Oh brother!! Our ducky family was out again today! We got pictures this time:-) Other than a nice light rain it was a much easier trip. Apparently the toughness yesterday brought made today easier? I did however find out we went 17 miles yesterday round trip. Sorry only 12 today! We got home at 7.
I have rewarded myself tonight with German Chocolate Cake! YUMMMMMMY!
Also, BIG news: I have now received 4 donations and have one pending!!! Thank you soooooo much to those who have helped me financially! I appreciate it more than you know!
Much Love,
BETH
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You can tell it's a Monday
So I guess today was my lazier day and I didn't even measure my little distance as time was scarce, however I did:
Install my bike's headlight
Install my bikes's new lock system
Install my bike's new blinking rear reflector
buy a better set of gloves, browse bike helmets and clothing but didn't quite find THE ONE!
And finally and most importantly, Dad and I are now a team verse two riders...
Long story short we want to ride, we aren't interested in recruiting however DO need our monies to be raised jointly as all my support letters/emails are sent from US so I had to create a team today so this would be possible. Being we live in Lynchburg and likely will be the only bikers from there added to the fact I'm a burger girl (gotta love you some Burger King) we are OFFICIALLY....
The Lone Lynchburgers
Although my first thought was the Lady and the Tramp... I didn't want anyone to be insulted or get the wrong idea... I was just thinking that it was just us two, and he's a guy I'm a gal, my hair matches Lady's and well his matches the Tramos... but don't worry we went boring with
The Lone Lynchburgers, infact I haven't even told dad our "Team name" yet...
Well good night my lil buddies!
BETH
by Bethany Sykes on Mon, Jun 02, 2008 @ 11:32 PM
Exciting Weather for a bike ride!
So, it's not my fault I didn't go too far tonight. I wanted to and I was sooo enjoying my ride but at some point you must weigh the pros and cons... get hit by lighting, make my weekly mileage goal? get hit by a car due to poor visability due to gushing pouring rain get more training in? And although I would have loved to have gone 10 miles tonight, I stopped at 3!
One hour from here this was the Weather:
Tornado Touches Down in Roanoke
posted 11:50 pm Tue June 03, 2008 - Roanoke, VA
reporter: Frances Scott posted by: Scott Wilson
tags: tornado damage storm
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The National Weather Service (web|news) confirmed Tuesday night that a tornado touched down in Roanoke, briefly, at 7:30 p.m. It happened just four miles south of downtown. People in the neighborhood said it looked like a "bomb" had gone off. A 30-foot tree crashed into a house, at the corner of 29th and Rosalind, and left "significant" structural damage. The people who own the home are okay though. One street over, on Carolina Avenue, tree limbs smashed into several cars. Mike Pedelty said the storm was intense, but his neighbors were great. Mike Pedelty/South Roanoke Resident - "Came down here and we just saw this horrific scene. It seriously looked like a bomb had gone off. It was just... There was wood everywhere. There were leaves everywhere. It was just a catastrophe! And I'll tell you one thing that was the silver lining in all of this: they had 25 neighbors come right out and help and really bond together and get this place somewhat back to normal. Of course it's still kind of crazy here, but I'm just so proud of my neighbors. It really makes you feel warm inside." Most of the homes that we've seen in this area do have power, in spite of all the trees that have fallen. The Brambleton Avenue area was another hard hit area. On Bluefield Boulevard, just off Brambleton, Pete Stephens' house was hit by a falling tree. The tree crashed right through the roof, but he and his wife were in the basement at the time, and weren't hurt. Pete Stephens, Tree fell Through His Roof - "Everything just turned pitch black, and heard a big thud and it kind of sounded like a loud roar go through and that was it. It didn't last but about three seconds." Firefighters got a call about a man, in his car, trapped because power lines had fallen on it, and he was nervous about getting out because of the risk of electrocution. The fire chief says, by the time crews got there, the guy had already gotten out of his car and was not hurt.
HERE IN LYNCHBURG, HERE WAS THE WEATHER
PM
T-Storm 69°F
69°F 68°F 95% 5.0
miles 29.91 steady
inches From SSW
4mph
Sunset at 8:33 PM
8:45 PM
T-Storm 69°F
69°F 68°F 96% 2.7
miles 29.91 steady
inches From SSW
4mph
9:05 PM
Heavy Rain 70°F
70°F 68°F 94% 2.5
miles 29.94 up
inches From N
9mph
9:25 PM
Heavy Rain 68°F
68°F 68°F 100% 2.0
miles 29.89 down
inches From S
7mph
so yup THAT'S RIGHT IT WAS ALREADY A STEADY RAIN WHEN I LEFT THE HOUSE AND QUICKLY TURNED INTO SEVERE THUNDER AND LIGHTNING WITH HEAVY DOWNPOURS! IT WAS FUN AND EXCITING WITH AN EDGE OF DANGER... SO SINCE I'M NOT SURE MY KIDS WOULD LIKE ME AS MUCH DEAD 3 MILES WAS GOOD FOR TODAY--- MAYBE IT WAS 4.... I DON'T KNOW SINCE I COULD BARELY SEE INFRONT MY FACE 1/2 THE TIME. BUT ON MY BIKE RIDE I DID GET A NEW HELMET AT KMART ON CLEARANCE FROM 20 BUCKS DOWN TO 7... OK I'LL WRITE MORE TOMORROW AND HOPEFULLY GET A LONGER RIDE IN!
MUCH LOVE,
BETH!
6.25 miles in 19 minutes
Not too bad for a weakling, 6.25 miles from 10pm until 10:19pm! I only had an hour to ride as I had to pick up my sister from work at 11. I didn't know how far I could go, so I just made a loop from our house to UHaul and back, and If my calculations are right it should have been about 6.25 miles... and this is after working a 8 hr shift in 94 degreese weather as the ac up front is broke, cooking supper and dealing with kids for 4 hours and then bike time... not to shabby for a everyday unfit mom ya know?
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My First Snake Bite and Killer Heat
Today was not a good day:-(
Today has been the first time I have doubted my abilities to do the MS150. It is killer hot outside... about 1/2 a million degreese (or at least 96 when we went biking at 8am!)The heat really wears my body out so much quicker and easier than it used to five years ago. I am truely exhausted and we didn't even go as far as usual: about 11 miles today. My bike was acting up too, to make this situation even more difficult. Marko and I are going to buuy me a new bike soon- VERY soon. My chain keeps popping off, my gears won't switch right, and now my back break won't come off.... have you ever tried riding your bike in only 1 gear and not switching the gears? and on top of that ride while breaking? It made for a very slow ride and I think even dad doubted my abilities as he was easily lapping me. On the way back we heard a lady scream. Yup, that's right a lovely black rat snake. So we shoed it off the path and enjoyed watching it climb a tree... so we had to mess with it;-) Dad wanted him to go higher while I wanted some good pictures! So I got a picture almost touching him and decided we wanted one touching him--- nd i mean touching his head not his tail friends! So I reached in for photo #2 and he grabbed on to my hand!! Thank goodness for my new Mongoose full length biking gloves I bought at Walmart Wednesday! It did make for a nice adreneline rush though!
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Long Ride on 6/14
We rode from Dad and Mom's house on Grady Street alllll the way to their old house on Wiggington, past the hopuse to the end of wiggington road and then back to their house: about 20-25 miles in all! Then I again had work from 11-7
Unfortunately we missed our ride this Saturday as I was out of town visiting my brother but we will resume next Saturday when Dad gets back from VA beach!
Beat the 1/2 way mark
So we are now at $465!! That means dad and I have raised our bare minimum!! I am so excited!!
My latest donation came with a note from a worker from my company's home office. Her sister in law had the disease for many years she said. I guess that's a pretty big news flash to she didn't win her battle. I was suprised this time by how many of my contacts know of someone with MS. On my on-line parenting board the one lady's mom and 2 aunts have it at it's differing stages. I mean yes I have red up on it and did some minor research and saw how many it said were effected but is different to actually hear real life stories from people I KNOW!
Dad and I went biking Sunday morning. I still feel weak and out of shape but I think I can now ALMOST afford a new bike that I am comfortable with so I think that will make a huge step in the right direction.
I think Dad and I went 25 miles Sunday.
We started at hus house went past dunbar, down town, all the way to the end of main street, past texas inn onto rivermont, following rivermont past the hospital and link rd until we got to boonesborro following boonesborro road until we got to 501 broke the law for a mile as we rode on 501 until we reached th Wiggington rd exit took that GIANT hill and followed wiggington to Old forest and old forest to lakeside and lakeside to blue ridge blue ridge to hood hood to oakley and oakley back to dad's. It was a really big loop. It took up 13 minutes shy of two hours. I hope we are training good because I really want to be able to do 75 a day for two days and successfully complete the MS 150. I am afraid it will be super hard. I was never this afraid the first time. Probably because I WAS in amazing shape, and avid biker, riding 10s of miles DAILY and here I am probably not having been on a bike 10 times in the last 5 years and now I am training for a 150 miler!
4:43... not too bad; 9:49 not too rough!
So I was tired and sluggish this morning and didn't get to dad's til like 5 after 8. Then there was Karlee drama so we didn't get biking til 8:20 and we had to stop at 7-11 to get air in our tires so we just did the bike trail today. 17 miles in like 1 hour and 15 minutes! We decide to do a time trial. At a two mile section we "raced" and mile 1 we did in just over 5 and mile two was 4:43 to make a 9:49 2 mile test. That basically means we should def go at least 10 miles an hour... because we did have to slow down as we came by people to pass them so we prob could have even done better!
After posting yesterday about how crappy shape I was in and not sure I could do it the bike trail was a nice esteem booster. Dad is always ahead of me and this time I was beating him. Although I think he was slower today because of lack of sleep due to Karlee Drama.
We are now 2 months and 1 day from the MS 150 so we need to hit our training up a notch.
Oh yeah the baby ducks we say and played with are now nearly full grown and you can barely tell them apart from the momma duck.
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And I am Mr. Ed!
So we went about 25 miles this morning from mom and dad's to Lakeside to Forest Brook Rd to Old Forest Rd to Wiggington Rd to Coffe Rd to Hawkins Mill Rd to Farm Lane and back. It was a nice ride and not nearly as hard physically as last time!! When we got to Coffee Rd we were able to talk to our Horse Friend (hint hint Mr. Ed, ya gotta remember Mr. Ed!!) I fed him some sourdough pretzel nuggets I had brought while Dad petted him... sorry guys I forget my camera:-( We'll go back this Saturday better equipped though!
We rode from 8:00am until about 10:20am.
Grandma got run over by a reindeer...
So I brought my bike home as I need to ride more since we are down to 6 weeks til the 150! Hubby offered to watch the kids so I could get a ride in. Thanks sweetheart!! So I got on my biking clothes... oh yeah guys gotta tell you I got two new pairs (ok previously owned) of biking shorts and another on it's way: Thank goodness for Ebay!
So I put my blinking reflector on my shorts and turn my head light and off we go, to the end of my street up fort to graves mill to my BK where I gleefully enjoyed 2 OJ's... well I took one with me to go, then down lakeside past Lynchburg college to Memorial ave to fort ave back home... 20.51 miles... but you I KNOW wanna hear the funny part right?
Come down lakeside drive: the nice big hill two deer ran out RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME! OK that would have been great to explain to hubby... Hunny can you come get me, I ran into a deer and my tire is flat my knees are scraped and I am hurting... HAHAH Luckily I have good eyesight and reaction time since I missed rudolph by maybe a foot!
But this brought my Saturday riding total to nearly 50 miles!! GO BETH! OH YEAAH!!
This is wearing me out!
This biking is really starting to wear me out! You have to realize I hadn't been biking for five plus years when we started training! So now as we get into the BIG hilllls and HIGH miles it is wearing on me and as much as I love the challenge, the cause, and biking in general I am secretly starting to dread out Saturday work outs they are just soooooo difficult for me now- plus I always have 8hours of work afterwards! I now have a hotel room so there is no turning back! We have been doing about 40 miles I think it is... and they kill me now so I am fearing the 75 two days in a row... and hate to say it but i may never ride again if they kill me too bad! We missed a week of biking b/c of Zac moving and Aunt Lil's funeral in WV but we will resume this Saturday... I do have new pics for you all though of us and the horses!! We rode from grady, past city stadium, to oakley past food line, to LC college up lake side down forest brooke rd to old forest to wiggington to hawkins mill to coffee rd allllllll the way up that hill to a lil baptist church down a nice hill only to go back up a bigger hill and through some farm land and back... it was excruciating.....
I have bought 6 watter bottles for the big 150 to put in my back pack... i'll need to buy lots of snack to keep our energy levels up but I think we are as ready as we will ever be... and I have been thinking the reason I am so KILLINGLY warn out this time isn't because I am older, nor that I have had two kids, nor that I was being lazy and not exercising the last year but we have trained much more this time and much more challenging courses...
Well Until next ride... see ya soon!
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Only I can get lost....
So we started out with our now very "typical" ride this Saturday...
Leave mom and dad's at Grady Street- by city stadium, down fort, up Oakley, down lakeside, up lakeside past LC and to Forest Brooke Rd to Old forest Rd to Wiggington rd to coffee road.... but once up the "Coffee rd mountain" we decided to try a "side street" that we had heard of before HOPING it would make a loop....
Well we road down Cotton Town Rd I think it was 1/2 hr or more and debated.... should we turn around Beth does have work at noon... but we kept riding hoping for the loop... soooo EVENTUALLY we se a Lake Vista in Forest sign and Dad's eyes get big and his oh gracious where are we begins... we keep riding because theres no turning back by now and me getting to work... the road comes to an END you have to turn left or right... thank goodness for a passing fellow biker who told us right would take us to hawkins mill rd then to wiggington so we go that way... and we RIDE AND RIDE to wiggington to old forest to lakeside to oakley some side street to fort ave to lancaster to grady... nearly 4 solid hours of biking! Talk about TIRING...
I am really becoming nervous about the 150... but after all the support we've received- not to mention a hotel room I've paid for, endless stamps, endless biking equipment there is DEF no turning back now!!
LOST FROM EACH OTHER
Again we did our typical bike ride from dad's to coffee road- nothing special. Well we decided we'd do "one more hill" Dad- aka Mr energy got to where "the end of the hill was" apparently but since I didn't see him I kept going- and going- and going. Well my phone lost service way out here and EVENTUALLY I decided to turn around. He apparently at "the end of the hill" decided to take a side street so I passed right by him. By now I will be late for work. I finally get where my phone has service and we meet back at noth bedford baptist church. I call Marko to meet me at work w/ my uniforms. At the end of wiggington Dad heads home and I head to Burger King. Marko brings my uniform and I work my shift. Then I ride home from burger king and collapse bc I AM EXHAUSTED! However we did find a baby turtle.... He was kinda dead though I think! It is now one week until the MS 150 I can only hope and pray we are ready!~
by Bethany Sykes on Sat, Aug 30, 2008 @ 10:43 PM
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Why We Fight MS
Having multiple sclerosis means that you may suddenly have blurry vision. Or that your memory will fail you for no apparent reason. Or that you may not always be able to walk, let alone ride a bike. The symptoms of MS are different, and devastating, for everyone - the only certainty is that it will affect yet another person every hour of every day.Why I Ride
For Dad the reality of this disease became to vivid as his client’s mom has had MS for several years but passed away last year. She was a middle aged mom and her untimely death was a reminder of just how important this cause is, and how deadly it will continue to be if we don’t fight it.I've registered for the MS Bike Tour because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed - and because I want to do everything to prevent more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.
Why Sponsor Me?
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will use funds collected from the MS Bike Tour to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today. Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, because we have chosen to help thousands of people through a contribution to the MS Bike Tour, we are now getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, "You have MS."
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September 9, 2008
Dear Sponsor,
I wanted to take the time and sincerely thank you for the financial support you gave me towards the MS 150 dad and I rode in. It was a very challenging two days, maybe more challenging than we had remembered from years past. But on the other had it was SOOO much better organized and was an outstanding event that I am pleased to announce that we will be doing again next year.
On Friday Sept. 5th we drove to Lewisburg, WV. We went ahead and registered so we could sleep in a few extra minutes Sat. After registering we went to Wal-Mart to stock up on some fruit for our ride. Then we went to Bob Evans for what Dad called a “high carb” dinner of pastas, to help prepare our bodies.
On Saturday we were up at 6:00am and finished all last minute preparations and went over to the starting line. We were doing the “road” version. There was also a trail version but we assumed it was for the serious mountain bikers. Oh man were we ever WRONG! So at mile 15, our first rest stop… where else but in ANTHONY we switched to the trail. The previous MS150 we did had people of ALL skill levels, where as this one was geared MUCH more towards serious bikers, something we are NOT! The trail is a mix of rocks and gravel and sand. It is called the Greenbrier River Trail. So at this point we’ve been riding for about 90 minutes and it is POORING rain! We are drenched and I am freezing but two very sweet elderly ladies served us homemade goodies, zucchini bread and cookies, amongst other options provided by the MS Society. 10 miles later, mile 25 we reached rest stop #2 at Renick and we’re welcomed in by a “fiesta”. The ladies hosting that stop had noise makers and big sombreros. It was quite cute. Every stop had plenty of snacks and beverages and was a great help to the cyclists! Around mile 28, we found a fine non-biking task that needed dealt with: a swinging rope into the lake!
Not long after that dad made a new friend named Hound!
He talked to us so we figured he was picture worthy visitor for day one! About mile marker 31 we got to experience Droop Tunnel. It’s PITCH BLACK. They have reflectors on the walls but that barely helps. He’ll know to bring a flash light next year! Here I am at the end! And dad isn’t normal enough for a regular finishing picture so here he is at the end!! And here is dad. We ride and we ride and we ride until we reach mile marker 38 for lunch. For a picky eater like me, you’d be surprised how DELICIOUS a ham and cheese sandwich can taste after 38 miles of biking! They also served us Heavenly Ham cookies… mmmmmmmm!!! At 1:01pm we started mile 39 where we also visited Den Mar Medium Security Prison! Notice dad “Hand cuffed” and me “all locked up” Right above us is the barbed wire fences where you could see the heads of inmates and hear them playing horse shoes. We had another quick rest stop about mile marker 45. Then somewhere between 45 and 50 we found some friends of ours: Mr. Black snack and The Deer Family.
At the left hand corner is a close up of our big ole snake! Unfortunately he wasn’t in a very playful mood like we were!
Then we rode to about mile 56 until we turned into town to find the Marlinton Fire Station where our bikes would be stored! We road a bus to our hotel, Inn at Snowshoe, at the bottom of snow shoe mountain. We grabbed a quick 10 minute spa time before supper at 6:00pm. Again the food was great. Our speaker was outstanding too. His name was Michael and he is from NJ. He has a wife and a 4&6 year old and was diagnosed with MS weeks after the youngest was born. He said to let our sponsors know that the money we raise REALLY goes to the people with MS to learn about the disease, the treatments, even family counseling, group therapies, and ever programs geared towards his family who is obviously affected by him having MS. I have to mention the “King of the Hill” award for those few cyclists who braved Snowshoe Mountain riding the 7 miles to the very top! Check out their crowns! (For anyone unaware those at Burger King crowns, and of course that is my second home!!) After supper we caught another 30 or more minutes in the pool and spa.
Day two started even earlier, at 5:31am when the alarm went off. We quickly gathered our stuff and got to breakfast a few minutes after 6am. It was a nice hearty meal to start our energy off high!
Day two started out pretty cold in the low to mid 50s! We got on our way about 8:05am. We had more time to take scenic pictures for your casual enjoyment! As you can see we were up and ready for the sunrise, you can see we were pretty much on top of the world. The first pic, 2nd row is the picture from inside the bus as we drove down Snowshoe Mountain. Here was part of the Greenbrier River. We couldn’t attend church this Sunday so we took a pic of a lil country church waaaay in the distance…. I had to teach dad how to ZOOM the digital camera for this one. This was us coming out of Droop Tunnel. Dad enjoyed “racing” any biker who passed us so he would go a ways a head trying to keep up and he caught this shot of me as he waited for me to catch up. I was not so interested in chasing anyone. But those of you who know dad know he has a never ending energy level. He would also go back a bit to catch pictures he decided we wanted. The only pics we missed were him beside mile marker 52- his age and a sign of us at Anthony. But fear not, there is still next year! Along our way every so many miles there were these big cement “W” markers. I still don’t know there significance but Mr. W had to have a pic with one! We saw this “private property” swinging bridge. We wanted to go on it but obeyed our better judgment! Here I am with the 23 mile marker since I am 23! There were many houses on “stilts” (not sure if that is the proper term) but we got a great kick out of this old double wide trailer way up on stilts!
Then of course dad and I had to take a dip in the river! By half way through the day we were both feeling the muscle over use in our legs- OUCH! So by the last 10 miles on the trail I decided the best solution was simply to PICK UP THE PACE and be done! We then started keeping track of our time per mile… we had a 5:20 with a break to tie my shoe and a 5:08 mile! It REALLY helped it getting done with the trail. Although the trail was mostly flat it also meant your legs never got the break of a down hill like road biking. Plus it was a very bumpy ride with the rocks, twigs, gravel and squishy ride with the sand and mud. So it was just as a good at tiring you out! Here is “proof” we rode the Greenbrier River Trail. As well here is the MONSTEROUS mountain dad rode up… I attempted but failed miserably- so bad that dad would ride to the top of the 1st mtn and come push me the rest of the way… it worked, he did it twice! But all in all, including all our rest stops, photo breaks, lunch and swims we did 150 miles in right about 15 hours! Yes I know that’s a rather poor miles per hour gig but the last 4 were ALL that uphill mountain and then the first 15 we did on the road.
Finally, I just wanted to thank you for your support both financially and emotionally thought your encouraging words and prayers. We did make our $800 goal Thursday Sept 4th and ended up with $819!!! Then after riding we were given $25 more for a grand total of $844! Dad and I went ahead and registered for next year on Sunday at the end of our biking day as they gave us a greatly discounted registration price, so hopefully you will be able to support us again next year as we begin this mission again to find a world free of MS, to find a cure one mile at a time!
Love,
Beth and Dad
Bethany Sykes and Dave Wriston
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So after I dropped the kids at school at 8:00am I ran to Walmart and got some snacks for Dad and I as well as snacks and food for Marko and the kids while I was away. I even found a swell deal on a athletic shirt. After Wally World I grabbed some breakfast at Famous Anthony's. Then I took Dad and My bikes to the bike shop for an over priced tune up and to have a rack installed on the back of my bike. Went to the bank- picked the kids up- ran and got luggage tags and finished up my packing at home. I went and picked up the bikes-- I really don't like that shop I don't think I'll go there anymore! I went to dad's and we loaded up... we left town a lil before 5pm and Got to Lewisburg about 7pm. We registered at New River Community & Technical College. We each got a registration packet with odds and ends, our "race" numbers a drink bottle and a shirt. Dad was number 189 and I was 120!
After registering we went to get out room at Hotel 8. Then we went to Walmart and got some fruits to keep us energized on our ride- and I got batteries in case the camera ran low and a tooth brush. After that we wet to Bob Evan's for supper. Dad had the Italian Sausage and Peppers Penne... minus the sausage and I had the Chicken Veggie alfredo although I picked out the chicken. We each got a salad and bread too. It was a very fulfillng meal for a nice price! We got back to our hotel, I got a shower and we preped for the morning. About 11:30 we were sound!
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Here are some pictures of the start. Dad attaching his number ho his bike, the sign at the beginning and some fellow bikers
So the alarm went off at 6:00am ~yawn~ We hurriedly got ready and were off to the college. I did enjoy a yummy peach for breakfast. Dad took our luggage to the UHaul while I prepped my bike with out snack backpack. At 8:00 we began. We were planning on doing the road and so we did while several followed us several more took to the trail. We assumed a unpaved trail would be like a mountain bike adventure. We QUICKLY learned we were in over our heads!! That is really NOT a comforting feeling at all! In fact the SAG ambulance was following us half the time since we were the last in the pack! Nearing the first rest stop a SAG vehicle asked dad if we wanted the trail instead and clued us in it was not like we had envisioned. Obviously only HIGHLY skilled individuals were doing the road. The previous MS150 we did there were bikers of ALL skill levels so this def caught us off guard. The bonus to our 15 miles on the road is the last mile was a complete steep down hill... talk about wind in your face and making up a little lost time. But also I should mention within minutes of riding it started to sprinkle. By 30 minutes in it was a nice heavy rain. It was cold, we were wet. So although we got a nice downhill it only added to my coldness. Nothing phases dad so he was just fine! We we reached Rest stop #1 it was our "shared" rest stop the one both the roadstersand trailsters used. Where else would it be but ANTHONY--- for those of you less informed that is my son's name so that was quite neat! The main hosts of this spot were two elderly ladies. They had made us homemade zucchini bread and cookies-- MMMMM! In addition there were some fruits, rice krispie treats and other snacks. But these sweet ladies had been waiting for us in the pouring rain and had devised a nice lil "shelter" to keep our food mostly dry.
Here's the Anthony Rest Stop
From Anthony we took the trail. We rode until mile 25 which was our second rest stop in Renick. A lot of the homes we passed were on stilts and unique in appearance. At Renick we had a whole "fiesta" going on! Th volunteers there had on sombreros and noise makers cheered us in. Amongst their wide spread of snacks was also a picture display of riders in years passed which was neat. Dad enjoyed a peanut butter banana sandwich and I stocked up on goodies. They had Popsicle to but being it just finished raining I passed them up.
We continued riding and about mile 28 we found a fun swimming whole!! Of course dad had to try it out!! Not to far down the road Dad made a Hound Friend. He seemed lonely old and frail so we decide we'd be buds and take pic home as evidence.
After a few more miles we came to Droop Tunnel. That is one DARK tunnel. It had reflectors on the walls but that was really very little help. It was almost making you disoriented. Luckily it isn't too long of a tunnel. The pictures do it very little justice in showing you how it feels within that tunnel!
Finally as we neared mile 40 we had lunch!!! As most of you know I am a fairly picky eater~ You'd be surprised what 40 miles on a bike can do to your appetite and how magically you forget to be picky! They had ham turkey and cheese for sandwiches. I stuck with two half sandwiches with two slices of cheese and one slice of ham for each. They had yummy pasta salad and delicious heavenly ham cookies! Of course they too had the other snacks bet we were more interested in lunch. And I MUST tell you they had PEPSI! I never knew how fond of Pepsi I was!
We left lunch at 1:01pm. And quickly fell upon Prison property which was quite cool to me! It said no trespassing so we took our pics with the sign at DEN MAR MEDIUM SECURITY CORRECTIONAL CENTER. At the top of the hill you could see the prisoners heads and hear them playing what sounded like hose shoes.
So we biked along past the next rest stop as we were still full from lucnh and sometime near marker 50 we met more friends. We really wanted to play with Mr. Black Snake but for whatever reason he was not feeling very playful and quickly slithered off into the woods as soon as we touched him- BUMMER!
And then not too much farther down the road in the distance in the river we saw a deer family which was absolutely amazing because they were kinda close which allowed us some great pics with our zoom!
Around mile 52ish the trail dirt/gravel/sand/rock road turned into pavement. Dad decided to race a fellow biker: 100, 32, and another one. He enjoyed racing them although he said it took a lot to keep up with them! Nearing mile 56-58 we turned into the city of Marlinton and road until we found the fire department. That would be our stopping spot for the day and where we would store our bikes. We had snacks there too. The main volunteer from Renick was there too with her popsicles and other goodies. Most everyone was tired and laid down as we waited for our bus to arrive and take us to our hotels at Snow Shoe Mountain.
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Look Closely and you can see our Flag "Lone Lynchburgers" in Orange!
We got to our hotel, Inn at Snowshoe at about 5:00pm. Our bus was to pick us up for supper just before 6. So OF COURSE we HAD to take advantage of the hot tub!! It was QUITE relaxing for the brief 15 minutes we had! Then we quickly got dried off and dressed so we'd be ready for pick up by 5:50pm. Unfortunately the fog had gotten incredibly bad so our ride was late, arriving at 6:11. The good part being the program waited for us to begin and when we arrived it was already time to eat with a nice short line!! I don't eat much meat and I def don't eat hamburger so I was SUPER impressed by veggie lasagna that tasted AMAZING! Shortly after we got seated Kami- the director introduced our speaker Michael from New Jersey. He was a great speaker both entertaining and informative. He was great at keeping everyone's attention. His only "flaw" may have been we would have liked to have known his current prognosis beyond he has MS. He is married with two children and had symptoms for YEARS prior to a diagnosis and serious symptoms at that. He got his diagnosis just weeks after his youngest, now 4 was born in 2004. He also has a 6 year old.
Then some awards were given. The first "awards" were given to Victoria, Christy- and I'm sorry I can't remember her name. They are the three MAIN organizers of the MS150 in WV area.
Then there were the the like 400,000 club... because there are 400,000 people in the US w/ MS right now so anyone who raised 1 penny for each ($4000) got in this group. We had 4 of them! The guy in the red white striped dress shirt is my secret hero...
Chuck raised over $30,000!!! How the heck!? So I guess my puny $1,000 I hope to raise next year and the $844 I raised this year is basically nothing huh?
Then there was the VIP award. I don't really remember it's specifics other than you had to raise at least $1,000. I hope to be there someday.
Next was the Rising Star award. Again I don't remember the specifics but I am sure you'll appreciate the "super star" sunglasses!
Then FINALLY came my favorite award. An award I will never qualify for but I simply LOVED their "crowns" HAHAHAHHAHAH~!
Of course for my rare "fan" who is unaware those are Burger King Kid's Club Crowns and of course I am the RGM at a BK here in Lynchburg, VA! The guy in the red gave me his crown. They earned these crowns by not just doing the 150 MILER but by then biking from Cass, WV to snowshoe and then to the TOP of the SEVEN MILE mountain--- yup ALL uphill!!!
After the awards we rode the van back to our hotel at the bottom of Snowshoe mountain. We took another swim in the pool and hot tub for a while. Then off to an early bedtime of 9:35pm for me as I knew it was another early AND long day Sunday!
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WAY TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO EARLY IF YOU ASK ME....
We were up at 5:31 as the alarm went off. Man I could have slept for another 10 hours! We met our ride to the top of the mountain for breakfast at 6:00am. I hurried to get my plate and sit down to eat. They had a nice selection, scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, biscuits and gravy,pancakes, oj, milk, coffee, tea and water! I enjoyed my eggs taters and biscuit with apple jelly. I get seconds of everything including OJ. Dad went to take sunrise pictures... I was too tired to care about that.
After breakfast we went outside to all get pictures with the early morning scenery. Then we went and waited for the but to come get us at 7:00am to take us back to Marlinton to our bikes.
Here is a picture from on the way down snowshoe mountain. The fog wasn't too bad this morning like it had been yesterday evening. You couldn't see anything from atop the mountain the night before. The bus got us to Marlinton a pinch before 8:00am and we were all geared up and pedaling by 8:05am.
Here is a picture from near the first rest stop of the Greenbier River.
It didn't take long on day two for my left knee to hurt but OF COURSE we kept going so I tried to focus my energy and thoughts away from my knee hurting. Near the second rest stop dad spotted a country church WAAAY in the distance.
That's right you can BARELY see it so I taught dad how to use the ZOOM... Thus the car picture me teaching him to zoom at the second rest stop. So he turned back and got the picture much better now that he learned how to zoom!
This was the big miles between rest stops... so we had many "self taken breaks" in between because sure we are riding for a cause but we also need to have fun and relax a little. Not to mention I used my vacation time to do this so shucks I wanted it to be worth while! Here are several shots of scenery along the trail and just us biking. Nothing spectacular, yet sweet memories dad and I have captured!
And here are some LOW quality videos of not much...
Then of course came the super dark Droop Tunnel again!
Many spots all along the trails were cement "monuments" almost that had "W" on them so being Dad is a Wriston we had to get him and the W!
Then of course came our swimming whole again! The lovely swinging rope into the river. Dad decided although still kinda cool to go ahead and go for it ALLLL the way in this time. And so that is what he did. And because he wanted to be sure you all knew he was having fun notices as he falls in time two he is waving to you!
Right beyond that is a swinging bridge. It was a real nice looking high quality bridge. It reminded me of the fun ole days at Great Papa's using his swinging bridge many of times! Unfortunately this bridge was private property and was posted no trespassing and had a "security" sign on it so we figured we best not mess with it--- even though we REALLY did want to!
Now we WERE NEARING OUR LAST 20 MILES--- thank goodness!!!!!!!!!! Dad had stayed back at rest stop mile 25 longer than I did. Then apparently he remembered we wanted my picture with my mile marker since we were bummed we has missed his milemarker. Well dad didn't catch up quick enough so this is my self portrait; Age 23 and mile marker 23!
We Saw a fellow biker stopped. Dad was hopeful it was a snake, but it wasn't. The fellow bike had been watching a Doe and her fawn for about five minutes. I tried to get a quick picture but it didn't quite turn out as nice as we had hoped!
We started passing the houses on stilts again and we wanted to let you know we had "great accomodations" when we saw this older model double wide trailer WAY up high on stilts... maybe you had to be there but it gave us a GREAT chuckle!
As we neared the 15 mile marker we knew we had to get some swim time in... and so we did!
And because we wanted proof that we've been there done that... Here we are on the Greenbier River Trail in West Virginia!
Well I missed one other photo we wanted. We wanted out picture at Anthony but 1. I forgot as I wanted to be done and never really Stopped at that rest stop and 2. Dad said there was no Anthony sign. So that being said I kept biking and dad caught up around mile marker 13. I wanted to be done by now and was hurting just about EVERYwhere! So My idea was just to HURRY! So We "speed" rode pretty well the last 8 miles of trail! We got a 5:20 minute with me stopping to tie my shoe and a 5:08 minute going straight not te mention since we were nearing the end of the trail there were numerous people we had to slow down for and watch out for. We finally made it. We could either wait for a ride or ride another 4-5 miles to the college. We were told it was a GIANT MOUNTAIN but being we waited OVER an hour Sat for a ride to our hotel we figured we'd tough it out that we'd prob get there by the time a ride got us there... hmmm was that a good or bad decision? Well Route 60 going into Lewisburg IS a MOUNTAIN! He did it though! I couldn't bike it all, dad could. And so he biked and he biked and he biked and he made it to the top.... only to see a second mountain. He ran back to where I was and he pushed me as I pedaled HAHAHAHHA until he got me to the top of mountain two then again we did the same for mountain two. He rode ahead, got me to the top and caught back up.
It's hard to see the prospective but this is the mountain in Zoom and the second is without zoom... dad is a barely visible dot.
Well we made it back into town- exhausted! As we turned into the college an air horn- or whatever it's called blew it's siren and the volunteers cheered! It was cute. We were awarded an MS 150 Patch and a MS150 Medal. WE FINISHED!!
We had hamburgers and hotdogs awaiting us. I was less than interested in that so just enjoyed way too much sweet tea! I paid $60 for dad and my registration this year so we were offered a killer of a deal! $9 for both of us for MS150 2009! I grabbed it up!! So September 11-13 We will be torturing ourselves again to get a world free of MS!
We got our luggage and bikes and left for Lynchburg at 4:14. I think we were home about 7:00pm.
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