June 2011 – The 25th Anniversary Bike MS: Harmons Best Dam Bike Ride will take place in Cache Valley the weekend of June 25-26. The annual event benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Utah-Southern Idaho Chapter raising awareness and funds for critical research and local programs and services. Bike MS is the largest two-day organized cycling event in Utah benefiting people with MS in Utah and Southern Idaho.
“Harmons Best Dam Bike Ride is a fun and purposeful weekend,” said Chapter Vice President of Community Development Becky Woolley. “When Bike MS started here 25 years ago we had 100 cyclists and there were no MS specific treatments. Today we have 3,000 riders and seven disease-modifying therapies as well as more potential drugs in the pipeline than at any other time in history. While we still have miles to go until there is a world free of MS, events like this make new treatments possible and one day, a cure.”
The annual ride brings together a mix of cyclists from those seeking a personal challenge to those who enjoy the camaraderie of creating a team or riding with friends to the many touched by multiple sclerosis.
One rider is 80-year-old Frank Roskelley, who has participated every year. Like many, the ride initially appealed to him because of the challenge, but he soon got caught up in the cause. One year while asking for donations, a co-worker told him he would be happy to support his efforts; he had just been diagnosed with MS. “That’s when my motivation for the ride changed to riding for people living with MS,” he said. “As I met more people living with MS, I realized that I could suffer a few days if they can live every day with MS.”
Participants aim to meet a personal fundraising goal (minimum $250) as well as ride 40, 75 or 100-miles with the option of riding up to 175-miles over the course of the two days. The ride is fully supported with rest stops, sag wagons, bike mechanics, and catered meals.
Logan’s Cache Valley Fairgrounds is the start and finish of the routes that wind through the valley including parts of Idaho. The Fairgrounds is the base for all festivities including the Mountain America Team Village that will include bike and safety demos, live music, a dunking booth, kids zone and participant contests.
For more information, see bikemsutah.org or call 800-344-4867, option 2.
