Nearly 3,000 Hit The Streets For 'Bike MS'
WESTMINSTER, Colo. (CBS4) - CBS4's team hit the streets pedaling for the annual Bike MS ride on Saturday. The ride raises money for the Colorado-Wyoming chapter of the National MS Society.
Early Saturday morning nearly 3,000 bicyclists made their way from Westminster to Fort Collins. It's all part of a 2-day ride for Bike MS. Every mile is making a difference in research and treatment for multiple sclerosis.
"This is one of the best bike rides and they know it and they know that it's for the best cause," Carrie Nolan with the MS Society said.
Audrey Blank has been battling the disease since 2007.
"It was actually a relief to finally get the diagnosis because then I knew we could do something about it," Blank said. "With the amazing research and monies raised with the National MS Society, we're making huge strides."
That's because cyclists like John Fedak are going the distance.
"This is my 28th ride," Fedak said. "This year I rode to New Jersey from here and raised a few extra bucks more than I usually do … I feel that I'm doing some good and if I can get anybody aware, even one more person, it's going to be a good cause."
Many people riding the 150-mile course were pedaling for their loved ones. Susan Reimann's husband and son rode for her as she's lived with the disease for 25 years.
"He comes through the finish line, he gets his medal, and he came up to me and he hung it around my neck. He's done it, the same thing every year for 16 years," Reimann said. "I appreciate every single person who gets on their bike and rides 150 miles."
"I was actually walking with a cane from about October to January, but due to a change in medicine I am now cane free and walking without it," Blank said. "That's because of everything that everybody does at the National MS Society and bike events all over the country."
"Twenty-eight years ago we had no drugs for people living with MS. Today, 10 FDA-approved drugs are available thanks to people pedaling for a cause," Nolan said,
This year's event will raise about $3.7 million. There's still time to donate or plan a Bike MS ride next year.
