Bike MS Pedal to the Point Ride - Join TV Host Phil Keoghan for Ride of Lifetime

Don’t just ride, Bike MS. Join Phil Keoghan, host of “The Amazing Race,” and 2,500 cyclists as they challenge themselves during the Bike MS Pedal to the Point Ride on August 4 and 5. The two-day inspirational ride is held every year to support people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) by providing programs, services and MS research to find the cure for the chronic, unpredictable disease of the central nervous system.

Keoghan, a longtime supporter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and founder of No Opportunity Wasted (NOW), a philosophy dedicated to living life to the fullest, teamed up with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. to bring ”Together in MS,” an inspirational campaign to the MS community.  As part of this campaign, Phil will ride a tandem bicycle in the Ohio Buckeye Chapter’s Pedal to the Point Ride. To find out more about the “Together in MS” campaign and how to become involved, please visit TogetherinMS.com. 

“I am a passionate MS advocate and raising awareness for MS is something that I’ve been involved with for years,” said Keoghan, who will be riding on a tandem bike with Regina Lyalls. Lyalls is a dedicated mother and driven professional who refuses to let her MS diagnosis define her.

Keoghan and Lyalls will begin their journey with all the cyclists at Brunswick High School, 3581 Center Rd. in Brunswick, on Saturday, August 4. They will travel 75 miles to Sandusky for the one-day ride. The majority of riders will make the return trip back to Brunswick on Sunday, August 5.

There are several route options (30, 75, 100 and 150 miles) so riders of any age, experience and ability level can register to ride.  The route is fully supported with rest stops every 8 – 12 miles, with an abundance of food and medical and mechanical support.

The 30-mile route is perfect for first-time riders or those who want a less strenuous trip.  Riders who cycle 30 miles ride with the rest of the cyclists to the lunch stop located at the Lorain County Joint Vocational School in Oberlin. First-time riders are encouraged to sign up and to receive free registration with the coupon code NEWRIDER2012.

All riders are required to fundraise a minimum of $250 in contributions by the day of the ride and are given the option for a free ticket to Cedar Point or Soak City upon their arrival in Sandusky. Participants will receive additional prizes and special achievement awards by raising additional dollars.

The goal of Bike MS is to raise $1.4 million to fund quality-of-life programs and services for people with MS and to fund MS-related research efforts to find the cause and a cure for MS.  Help the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in their fight against MS by signing up to ride or volunteer at Bike MS. 

For more information about MS, riding, volunteering or participating in Bike MS, please visit MSohiobike.org or call 216-503-4183. 

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. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with the disease. 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 forward with their lives.  In 2010 alone, through its national office and 50-state network of chapters, the Society devoted $159 million to programs and services that assisted more than one million people. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested $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 www.MSohiobuckeye.org.

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Allison Novak

Marketing Coordinator

National MS Society, Ohio Buckeye Chapter

6155 Rockside Rd., Suite 202

Independence, OH 44131

216.503.4177

MSohiobuckeye.org