Jul 01, 2009
Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour
Registration is now open for the 2009 Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour sponsored by Land Rover Miramar, a two-day cycling ride from Orange County to San Diego, Oct. 10 and 11. Registration information is available at www.biketofinishMS.com.
An estimated 2,500 cyclists will complete the 30-, 100- or 150-mile Bike MS ride and raise $2.3 million for MS research and programs for people with MS. Voted “Best Cycling Event” for the past three years by the readers of Competitor magazine, the Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour is a fun-filled event open to all levels of cyclists ranging from beginner to expert. Cyclists are expected to include people with MS, as well as friends and family members of people who have MS, a chronic, unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention. The Tour boasts one of the most scenic and beautiful routes in the country, featuring breathtaking ocean views and quaint beach communities.
Cyclists will put their endurance to the test on the 100- and 150-mile two-day routes. On Saturday, Oct. 10, cyclists will begin in Irvine and ride 50 miles (advanced riders opting the 150-mile route ride 100 miles in the Century Challenge) through Newport Beach and south on Pacific Coast Highway along the coast, through Camp Pendleton and into Carlsbad. The Tour provides a fully-supported route complete with rest stops every 15 miles, support and gear vehicles and first-aid stations. Cyclists will conclude the day’s ride in Carlsbad at Westfield Plaza Camino Real shopping center where they and their supporters will enjoy the Overnight Celebration including live music, food stations, beer and wine, massage therapy and a cycling expo.
The 30-mile, single-day route anticipates 300 cyclists gathering at Westfield Plaza Camino Real shopping center in Carlsbad on Saturday morning, Oct. 10, to begin their coastal loop to Solana Beach and back. After their trek, 30-mile route cyclists will join the celebration with the 100- and 150-mile cyclists, friends and family at the Overnight Celebration.
On Sunday, Oct. 11, 100- and 150-mile cyclists will return to the Westfield for a catered breakfast before heading out for another 50 miles south along Highway 101, up the grueling Torrey Pines Hill and down the steep La Jolla Shores Drive into La Jolla and Pacific Beach. Cheering supporters, camaraderie and celebration will be waiting for cyclists at finish line at Hospitality Point on Quivira Way.
This year will be the 27th annual Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour, which is known as Southern California’s Premier Cycling Event. A minimum donation of $400 is required to ride, although the average amount raised last year was $835 per rider. Riders raising the highest dollar amount will be eligible for a variety of incentives and perks. In 2008, 2,300 riders raised nearly $2.4 million. The minimum age limit for riders is 12 years of age.
Proceeds from the Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour will help the National MS Society's Pacific South Coast Chapter serve more than 18,000 residents of San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties who are affected by MS, the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults.
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About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.1 million worldwide.
About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. Last year alone, through our national office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. Locally, the Pacific South Coast Chapter provides programs and services designed to help the 18,000 people and families affected by MS in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties move their lives forward. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested approximately $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. Nearly $4 million is spent on MS research in our area annually. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. Join the movement at www.nationalMSsociety.org.
Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at www.nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867 (1-800-FIGHT-MS).
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