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About Bike MS Rides

Why We Ride

Mile after mile, Bike MS is a ride like no other. Together, we build lifelong connections, achieve individual and collective milestones, and help those living with MS move their lives forward. Every mile we ride and every dollar we raise make a difference to the to the over 6,600 people known to be living with MS in Utah and Southern Idaho.  It’s more than a ride; it’s Bike MS.

Inspiration = I Ride with MS

An old saying says, “Ninety percent of inspiration is perspiration."  It’s a fitting quote for this ride and one that describes just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to inspiration surrounding Bike MS: Harmons Best Dam Bike Ride.  Now in its 29th year, the ride will take place June 27-28, 2015 out of the Cache County Fairgrounds in Logan, Utah.

Rachel Taylor"Before my diagnosis, riding in Bike MS was about physical achievement,” said Salt Lake City’s Rachel Taylor of Team Brain which has 56 people riding to support those with MS this year.  She’s ridden in Bike MS for 19 years and, coincidentally, was diagnosed with MS in 2000.  “Now it's spiritual, physical, emotional – the works."

Rachel is not the only one with this sentiment. It rings true for those with and without MS who come back year after year for Bike MS: Harmons Best Dam Bike Ride.  For those riding with MS, however, it is an extra special journey.

“Riding with MS is an incredibly powerful and emotional thing. MS has the potential to take so much away from our lives, and is always there lurking, ready to steal. Being able to continue to ride is a mixture of immense gratitude, pride, and achievement as well as being part of something bigger,” she shared.

This year at Bike MS, those riding with MS have the opportunity to sign up for a program called “I Ride with MS” that offers a special bike jersey to wear during the event and other benefits. Sponsored by Genzyme and MS One to One, the program celebrates those riding with MS while connecting cyclists at Bike MS inspiring and empowering them to pedal a bit harder.

“I love this program,” commented Oklahoma City’s Cecilie Fjeldstad, also a member of Team Brain, who makes the trek each year to Utah to ride with her twin sister, Anette, who works at the University of Utah.  Both have MS and have dedicated their careers to MS research. “It shows people that despite having MS, some people are able to be active. I think a lot of people think MS and automatically a wheelchair—which is not always the case”

For Heber City’s Tyler Bluth, who was diagnosed at the age of 28 over a decade ago when he was working on his masters degree, Bike MS is about riding because he can and to encourage others to join in the MS movement to find a cure.

“I have a friend I train with who participated in the ride with me last year and shared that the ride was life-changing for him,” said Tyler. “He had no idea how MS affects people and just thought it was something that made me walk a little funky. This is why I ride.”IRWMS jersey

Tyler also added he rides “to show that even though I have MS, I will not let it slow me.”  When Tyler first started riding at Bike MS seven years ago, his team had five members–all family.  Today, his town has rallied around him and more than 40 friends, family, and customers from where he works, a local fitness and wellness center called Fit Stop, all are riding and fundraising in his honor.

“It is really fun to ride in Bike MS as a person with MS because everyone is so supportive all along the way,” said St. George’s Marianne Hales Harding of Team Iron Eagles. “I think the jersey will make us more visible and I anticipate that this will be a really positive experience.”

She first rode in Bike MS in 2009 using an electric bike. Each year since, she has trained and gotten stronger. “I didn't realize that regular exercise would combat my fatigue rather than exacerbate my fatigue,” she said. Now, she not only pedals on her own, but also runs marathons.

Marianne was diagnosed in 2001. “I thought the life I had planned for myself was over.” Now a mother of two and a professor, she embraces her life’s story. “I have seen a lot of positive progress in the impact of MS on my daily living; I am much more hopeful for the future.” 

Progress also is happening in MS research. When Bike MS Utah started in 1986, there were no MS specific treatments. Today, there are 12 disease-modifying therapies that are changing the course of the disease and providing better quality of life for those living with the MS. And there are more potential therapies in the pipeline than at any other time in history. Events like Bike MS make progress possible.

CHAMPIONS PROGRAM

What is a Bike MS Champion? The Bike MS Champions program pairs people living with MS with cyclists who ride in their honor.



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