Put MS on It’s Backside! Bike MS!
Thousands of cyclists from across Western Washington converge on the Skagit Valley on Sept. 10 and 11 toward a united goal to stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever at Bike MS: Deception Pass Classic, presented locally by Concur and the Singh Family Foundation and hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Some 2,000 cyclists will take part and have set their sights on raising more than $1.8 million. The event starts and finishes at the Skagit County Fairgrounds, 479 West Taylor St. in Mount Vernon. For more details and to register, visit bikeMS.org.
The largest fundraising cycling series in the country, Bike MS includes people living with MS, their friends, families and neighbors, as well as corporate teams and individuals who are driven to support critical research and life-changing services to help people with MS live their best lives. People who have MS can also participate in “I Ride with MS,” a special program recognizing Bike MS cyclists living with the disease.
Attracting nearly 100,000 participants nationwide each year with more than 85 Bike MS rides taking place across the country, anyone anywhere can accept the challenge and fuel progress to help create a world free of MS. All participants have access to bike mechanics, support vehicles, frequent rest stops, a finish line celebration and much more.
Bike MS is sponsored nationally by Premier National Sponsors Primal and Bicycling Magazine, as well as Sanofi Genzyme, True Fitness, Kenda Tires, Topeak and Showers Pass.
WHEN: September 10-11
WHERE: Start/finish at the Skagit County Fairgrounds, 479 West Taylor St., Mount Vernon, with looping route options on Saturday of 22, 59, 79 or 100 miles and Sunday of 26, 52 or 72 miles.
RIDER REGISTRATION: Visit bikeMS.org, call 855-372-1331 or email bikeMSnorthwest@nmss.org.
VOLUNTEER REGISTRATION: Call Cara Chamberlin at 206-515-4554 or email cara.chamberlin@nmss.org.
WHY: Proceeds raised will support cutting-edge MS research, and life-changing services for people living with MS so they can live their best lives.
HASHTAGS: #bikeMS, #DeceptionPassClassic and #DontJustRide
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts 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 leading to better understanding and 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 2.3 million worldwide.
About the National MS Society
The Society mobilizes people and resources so that everyone affected by multiple sclerosis can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever. To fulfill this mission, the Society funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, facilitates professional education, collaborates with MS organizations around the world, and provides services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward. Last year alone, through our comprehensive nationwide network, the Society devoted $122.2 million to help more than 1 million individuals connect to the people, information and resources they need. To move closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested $54 million to support more than 380 new and ongoing research projects around the world.
