The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter will host it 30th annual Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour, a cycling fundraiser to be held Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 20 and 21 Four different cycling rides of 15, 30, 100 and 150 miles are available. Officials expect the 2,500 riders will help raise about $2 million in donations for MS research, as well as programs and services for people affected by MS, a chronic, unpredictable and disabling disease of the central nervous system with no known cause, cure or prevention. Hansen Beverage Co. of Corona, Calif. and KTLA-TV/Channel 5, the CW affiliate in Los Angeles, have been named presenting sponsors.
Registration is still open, and information is available at www.biketofinishMS.com. Registration donation minimums vary from $150 to $400 per rider depending on which one of the four rides is selected. The fundraiser is open to all levels of cyclists ranging from beginner to expert. The minimum age limit for riders is 12 years. Riders raising the highest dollar amount will be eligible for a variety of incentives and prizes. In the past, the fundraiser has reached its limit of 2,500 riders, the maximum number allowed for safety reasons. Cyclists will include people living with MS, as well as friends and family members of people who have MS. The Bike MS event has been voted “Best Cycling Event” for the past five years by the readers of Competitor Magazine.
A two-day, 100- or 150-mile ride will begin on Saturday morning, Oct. 20, in Irvine, Calif. A one-day, 15- and 30-mile ride will start at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21, with both the start and finish line at Hospitality Point on Quivara Way in Mission Bay. The 15- and 30-mile route is a leisurely ride mostly on bike paths along the shores of Mission Bay.