aaronjacks.com - MS 150 Training & Fundraising Page

The MS 150 is a two-day 180-mile (go figure!) bicycle ride from Houston to Austin, benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Aaron, Camellia (left, in yellow), Sarah, and Adam (left, in blue) are training for the ride, which will take place on April 16-17, 2005.

Multiple Sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease in which myelin, the tissue that surrounds nerve fibers, is attacked by an autoimmune process. MS leads to different symptoms in every person with the disease, depending on the site of neurological lesion and many other individual factors.

Some symptoms of the disease include visual deficits (double vision), fatigue, muscle spasticity, difficulty walking, and sensory deficits, including facial numbness or pain.

To date, there is no cure for MS, although several drugs exist whose purpose is to prevent further progression of the neurodegenerative process. Read more about MS from the National Muliple Sclerosis Society.

Aaron Jacks

• System administrator at Houston Heights High School
• Two-year veteran rider of the MS 150
• Riding with Old School Cycling Team

Camellia Jacks

• Architectural project manager for Phillip Ewald Architecture, Inc.
• First-time rider of the MS 150
• Riding with Old School Cycling Team

Adam Jacks

• Doctoral candidate in Communication Sciences and Disorders at UT-Austin
• First-time rider of the MS 150
• Riding with Ernst & Young Cycling Team

Sarah Butler

• Accountant at Ernst and Young
• First-time rider of the MS 150
• Riding with Ernst & Young Cycling Team

You can support our MS 150 ride online! Your donation will be directed to ONE of our fundraising accounts. Each of us has a separate online link:

• Aaron's online donation page
• Camellia's online donation page
• Adam's online donation page
• Sarah's online donation page

In preparation for the ride, we will be riding in several organized rides, in addition to our individual training.

Paws and Puddles


(October 24, 2004)

Aaron and Camellia rode 44 miles in the Paws and Puddles Ride, benefiting the Animal Alliance of Galveston County. The ride began in Lamarque, Texas and was marked by the Houston area's characteristic yucky humidity with lots of mosquitoes.

Elves and More


(October 30, 2004)

Our first ride as a group, the Elves and More Ride is a 36-mile ride through Sam Houston National Forest starting in Montgomery, TX. The registration fee for each rider bought a bike for a child in need.

Novemberfest Metric Century


(November 13, 2004)

The Novemberfest Metric Century Ride benefits the "Center", serving Persons with Mental Retardation. The 60-mile ride began in San Felipe, TX, west of Houston. It was bumpy, windy, and cold and threatened to rain the whole time.

ConocoPhilips Ride #1


(January 22, 2005)

The training ride started at Brookshire. The group was much larger than Camellia and I expected - around 500 people will be participating with the ConocoPhilips Team's training series.

ConocoPhilips Ride #2


(January 29, 2005)

The training ride started at George Bush High School. Pretty smooth ride today - only issues were Camellia's busted innertube before the ride and my flat tire about a half-mile from the end of the ride.

Frost Bike 50


(January 30, 2005)

This ride was a fundraiser for Jersey Village High School's drill team. The name was appropriate - the conditions were very cold and windy.

The organizers did a great job of providing support. Almost every intersection had a police escort and the rest stops were stocked with great banana bread.

ConocoPhilips Ride #3


(February 05, 2005)

The training ride started at Katy High School. Next time you see Adam, ask him why he didn't ride today...

The first half of this ride was easy - slightly downhill with a tailwind most of the way to the halfway breakpoint. The way back was a very productive training experience.

Big Chill


(February 06, 2005)

This ride started at Katy Mills Mall. Very windy. We weren't too excited about the rest stops - powerade/gatorade doesn't taste too good when the water comes out of a well.

ConocoPhilips Ride #4


(February 12, 2005)

This training ride started in Seally. Some nice rolling hills. I accidentally took the longer route, so Camellia had to wait for me at the end of the ride.

West U Warm Up


(February 13, 2005)

Rainy. The route had to be changed at the last minute due to flooded roads. Did I mention the non-stop rain?

Tri-County Hill Hopper


(February 27, 2005)

Adam, Camellia, and I did this ride. The ride left from Round Top, and went near Camellia's grandmother's old farm. Fun rolling hills, with some nice uphill sections.

Painted Churches Tour


(March 6, 2005)

Growing tired of riding near Katy, I organized this ride out near Schulenburg. The roads were smooth, the traffic was light, and the ride was fun (even thought it rained!)

We might be doing this ride again soon, but with some bonus miles up to La Grange added. For more pictures, go to the Old School Cycling Team Website.

ConocoPhilips Ride #8


(March 12, 2005)

Beautiful weather. This ride started in Brookshire, went up to Bellville, then Seally, then back.

We forgot to wear sunscreen, so Camellia and I got a little bit burned.

Bluebonnet Express


(March 13, 2005)

This ride started from Prairie View A & M University. I don't know how many riders there were, but there were a lot! Despite the crowds, this was a pretty fun ride.

We will keep you posted on the status of our training between now and April. If you have any comments or suggestions for us, please e-mail Adam at adamjacks@gmail.com or Aaron at aaron@aaronjacks.com. Thanks for your support!