One Houston rider will use a B-cycle on this year’s trek.
As thousands of BP MS 150 riders set out on the annual ride Saturday to raise money for multiple sclerosis, Houston cycling enthusiast Doogie Roux will be pedaling a sturdy B-cycle from the city’s popular bike-share program.
Experienced cyclists familiar with the rigid, rent-ready bicycles in Houston are probably groaning in pain. Most people riding the BP MS 150 do it on lightweight, finely tuned street bikes that weigh less than 20 pounds.
B-cycles, basket and all, weigh around 50 pounds. They’re generally used for running errands, sightseeing or riding short distances around the city.
Not for riding from Houston to Austin.
Roux, an operations leader with B-cycle in Houston, maintains the fleet of close to 200 bikes found at kiosks around downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, Montrose, the Third Ward and Buffalo Bayou. He has ridden the BP MS 150 for three consecutive years, but on a lightweight Cinelli fixed-gear bike.
Even on that sort of precision vehicle, he says, the ride is a challenge.
“I struggle at times throughout the ride but ultimately persevere,” Roux says. “This reflects the everyday challenge for those with MS. This choice of bike signifies my shared support of the MS community as well as the bikeshare community. Our goal is to promote health and community outreach through cycling.”
People can check out a bike with a pass — daily, weekly or annual — and use it without charge for 60 minutes. After that, the bike costs $4 per hour. Rentals increase when Houston’s temperatures rise.
Roux, 26, has been riding bicycles since his youth in Louisiana and is a big part of the Houston cycling family, as well as a connoisseur of fine Bayou City taco trucks.
The BP MS 150 starts Saturday in Houston and ends in La Grange. Severe weather forced the cancellation of the second day, when riders would have continued on to Austin. For Roux, the ride begins at Waller Stadium in Waller. He has modified his B-cycle by exchanging the existing pedals for road pedals, tilting the handlebars forward, and setting the saddle seat back a bit. The tires will stay standard.
He’s keeping the basket on the three-speed bike intact to stow snacks and water.
“After all, it’s a long ride,” Roux says.