EVENT DETAILS

PRE-RIDE

Bike Inspection Sticker.  It is suggested that you obtain a free “bike inspection sticker” prior to the ride. If you need mechanical assistance during the ride, the labor and some basic parts (such as tubes) are free if your bike has the sticker. Visit an Official Bike MS Store to have your bike inspected and obtain the sticker prior to the ride. 

Rider Packet.  Riders must pick up their ride packets from a packet pick-up site prior to the ride. There is no packet pickup on either day of the ride! Ride packets contain various goodies (or junk, depending on your viewpoint) but the most important item is your rider number for your jersey, helmet, handle bar, bike frame, luggage tags and wristband. Instructions on where and how to attach your rider numbers will be included in the packet. We suggest that you affix your rider number to your bike, jersey and bags before arriving at the ride to save time.

Identification.  ID tags are an important safety device that should be part of every cyclist’s gear. Order a Road ID through the link on the lower left corner of the team website and the company will donate 10% of the price to the National MS Society. You should also carry a Medical ID to speak for you in situations where you are unable to communicate with emergency medical personnel.

Accommodations. Riders are responsible for their own Friday night accommodations. If you are considering a place to stay near the first day start line, then check the list of nearby hotels provided by the National MS Society. 

 

DAY 1 (Saturday)

Check the National MS Society ride website for the most up-to-date information on the Tour Schedule for your Big Weekend. Arrive early at the Embassy Suites start line in Frisco so you have time to prepare yourself and your bike, and stow your overnight luggage. There is ample free parking space for your car at the Stonebriar Mall just east of the Embassy Suites and security will patrol the area throughout the weekend. Take everything you need for the ride with you and stow the rest in your bag.  Volunteers in huge moving vans will be parked in the Stonebriar lot to take your bag and transport it to the first day finish line at the Texas Motor Speedway (TMS).  Be certain that you have everything with you for the ride as you will not see your bag again until the TMS.

We will send out a map and instructions on where to meet at the first day start line. This information will be emailed as soon as we receive it, typically the week before the ride which is when the final details of the ride are released by the National MS Society.

The ride begins at the Embassy Suites and turns onto the North Dallas Tollway access road. Be careful riding the first 10 miles along the access road to the first rest stop because you will be riding with 3,000 other cyclists. After the first rest stop, the crowds begin to thin as we turn into the back country lanes of north Texas and over the dam at Lake Ray Roberts. The first day ride ends at the TMS where you will cross the finish line and volunteers will direct you towards the bike compound to park your bike overnight. The bag compound is located right next to the bike compound and you will find your overnight bag there. Bags and bikes are arranged in rows of 100s in numerical order.

 

THE OVERNIGHT (Saturday afternoon/evening)

Team Tent. Once you have parked your bike and located your bag, then walk over to the one and only BEST TEAM TENT in the ride. The team tent is a fun festival of fantastic food, great music, cold beverages, and wacky entertainment. We have a chiropractor and a masseuse, cook our food on-site, and you have the chance to share recaps of the day’s ride and just hang out with your fellow teammates. Then off to bed to rest up for the following day's ride.

Accommodations. We have reserved a block of hotel rooms within easy riding distance of the TMS for Saturday night. CitiSlickers team members can all stay together and enjoy a group discount. For more information go to Members Only. The hotel is very close to the TMS so you can leave the team tent at any time and head for the hotel on one of the free buses which shuttles riders back and forth to the various hotels. A schedule of bus departures will be either in the team tent or the National MS Society tent at the TMS. Also ask about hotel pickup times for the next morning to get back to the TMS.

 

DAY 2 (Sunday)

Shuttle buses at the front entrance of the hotel will take you and your bag from the team hotel to the TMS where you will once again hand your bag over to a moving van volunteer for transport to the Finish Line in downtown Fort Worth. The National MS Society provides breakfast at the TMS and riders who wish to ride once around the TMS must arrive early. The National MS Society updates riders on ride details via email in the two weeks leading up to the ride. The second day ride goes north through the smaller north Texas towns and winds its way south to Fort Worth. The last 10 miles of the ride will take you through the historic Fort Worth stockyards and into downtown Fort Worth where you will cross the second day finish to cheers and applauds from the crowds ringing Sundance Square. There will be food, beverage, and sitting areas provided by the National MS Society at the Finish Line.