Sep 09, 2011
St. Louis, MO (September 9, 2011)– The Bike MS: Express Scripts Gateway Getaway Ride is bringing more than 3,200 cyclists to Missouri roads for the region’s largest charity bike event.
The two-day ride will take place in Columbia, MO on September 10-11, 2011. With the average cyclist raising more than $700, the event raised more than $2.5m last year for MS research and services for the 6,600 people living in our community with multiple sclerosis.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system, with symptoms ranging from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. Bike MS raises money to help people in our community with MS, including financial assistance for those who have lost income and incurred expenses because of MS, educational resources for people living with MS and their families and resources to help people with MS stay active both physically and socially.
With the help of fundraising events like the Bike MS:Express Scripts Gateway Getaway Ride, the National MS Society was also able to invest more than $37 million last year to advance research to stop the disease, restore lost function and end MS forever.
Cyclists come from far and wide for the annual event, now in its 27th year. This year, participants have registered from 28 states across the country. In addition to the cyclists, Bike MS will bring together 500 volunteers to support the major fundraising event.
The event’s major sponsors include Express Scripts, BJC HealthCare, and the A.C.W. Alliance, among others.
With three different route options each day, Bike MS is a ride for everyone from casual to competitive cyclists. Participants can choose from 40, 75, and 100 mile routes each day. The routes are fully supported with rest stops every 8-12 miles, support vans, and bike shops on site to support the cyclists.
After the ride, cyclists will enjoy food, drinks, live music, and a party atmosphere at the Boone County Fairgrounds. Cyclists and volunteers are still able to register in person before the event at the Boone County Fairgrounds.
Event Details: Bike MS: Express Scripts Gateway Getaway Ride 2011
Dates: Saturday, September 10, 7am – Sunday, September 11, 2011, 5pm
Location:Boone County Fairgrounds, Columbia, MO
Phone:800-344-4867
Web:http://gatewayMSbikeride.org
Email:info@gatewaymssociety.org
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. 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 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 over 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. The Society addresses the challenges of each person affected by MS by funding cutting-edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, collaborating with MS organizations around the world, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward.
Last year alone, through our national office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted over $161 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested more than $37 million to support 325 new and ongoing research projects around the world. The Society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. Join the movement at 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 nationalMSsociety.org or 1-800-344-4867. You may also contact your local Gateway Area Chapter at www.gatewayMSsociety.org or 314-781-9020.
###