So You Want To Be a Penultimate

So you want to ride the Bike MS! Great! Now you need to decide if you want to ride and train with a fun team that will get you ready to ride by the end of August? In short, do you think you have what it takes to be a Penultimate?

To determine if you have what it takes to be a Penultimate, complete the following survey:

1. Do you know how to ride a bike? 
2. Is your skill level represented on the "Continuum of ability" shown below?

From beginner (left) to Lance Armstrong (right) we want you to ride with us!

If you answered yes to both questions one and two then - Congratulations! You have what it takes to be a Penultimate!

In order to ride with the Penultimates, here is what you do to register for the ride. But before we get to that, just remember the ride costs $45 to join and comes with a commitment to raise a minimum of $250.  (But don't worry - it is not that hard!) If you cannot raise the minimum amount, you will be asked to pay the difference before you can participate on the ride.

Still with me?  You want to register?  Here is how:

1. Go to the Penultimates ride website here.
2. At the top left of page, click on the text that says "Join Team".
3. It will bring you to a registration page, and just follow the instructions.
4. Give yourself a high five - you joined an awesome team!

Training Season 2015

Here is the first draft of the training schedule for the 2015 year. The general plan is that if you ride this long ride schedule plus maybe get a few extra rides in you will be ready for the full MS150 at the end of August.   We will also contemplating doing a short training ride on each Sunday too that will build to ~50 miles by the end of the season, so those that want to ride the short ride can get some team rides in too.  For those of you new to the team, riding is great, but riding with a team is so much more fun!  As always, we will following most of the rides with a team breakfast.

From the 2014 adventure ride to Santa Fe

The tentative schedule (all are on Saturdays unless otherwise noted): All rides will leave from O'Neill's on Central as early as we can (6 am) unless otherwise noted.  There are several riders that are planning on doing the Taos Grand Fondo on August 1st (anyone interested in riding with us please let me know)! 

6/13	Light ride	20
6/20	Inner City Loop CW	36.1
6/27	Modified City loop CCW	36.7
7/4	City Loop CW	53
7/11	Jemez Dam	65
7/18	South 14 + rollers	65
7/25	Crest Assault from Triangle	26
8/1	TBD	50-60
	Taos Grand Fondo	100
8/8	Ride to Placitas	66
8/15	Santa Fe	72.4
8/22	Recovery weekend	30
8/29	The Ride	150

Who We Are - 2015 Season

We are The Penultimates – a team of Albuquerque, New Mexico cyclists. Our primary focus is cycling in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s “New Mexico Pedal Los Pueblos” Bike MS150, a two-day, 150 mile cycling tour through northern New Mexico. This event raises money for research, education, and support of individuals living with Multiple Sclerosis – including those within our community.  (For a quick primer on MS, check this out). Our team includes several members riding for friends and family with the disease, but we also have two cyclists that live and ride with MS.

The Penultimates formed in 2010 with 5 riders, raising over $7500 for the Bike MS150 event. By 2014 we we have had over 48 different riders join us through the years and raised $xx in 2014 and $xx since our first year the fight against MS.  We’re reaching out to our families, friends, and the community businesses we actively support to help our fundraising reach the next level.  We are organizing a few fundraisers this year, our Fifth Annual Paired Whisky Dinner hosted by Two Fool's Tavern (last years event is here).  These events raise money directly for the MS society, but the proceeds go toward your rider totals, so if you think fundraising will be difficult - we make it easy!

Our team has always been about the joy of cycling, the friendship of teammates, and riding or volunteering for a fantastic cause.  We may not finish first, but we will finish, and have a great time doing it!  We start training in earnest in June, and we will organize two rides every weekend to get you ready for the ride.  The majority of our riders were relatively new to cycling last year, and all of them completed some combination of the 2014 event ranging from 80 miles to the full 150 miles. Whether you are new to cycling, a grizzled veteran, or just looking to volunteer your time for a good cause, this is the team for you!  Go Domo!