Cycling event kicks off at Moraine
The south shore of Moraine State Park has been chosen for the first time to be the starting line for the 30th Annual Bike MS: Escape to the Lake event June 13.
For the past 29 years, Western Pennsylvania cyclists have been strapping on their helmets and hopping on their bikes to benefit the Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
“This year we wanted to have a shorter option for some of the folks to ride. We've started in Zelienople, Cooper's Lake, Cranberry. We decided to move a little north this year,” said Chris Pfeiffer, the manager of the event for the Keystone Chapter.
“We met with the park managers to make sure it was a viable option, and we've been working on traffic flow and parking,” he said, noting finding parking space for 600 to 700 vehicles limited sites available to be the starting line.
“We are expecting around a 1,000 riders with a couple of hundred volunteers,” said Hannah Spear, development coordinator with the Pittsburgh-based Keystone Chapter.
The event will kick off June 13 when cyclists follow a 65-mile, 75-mile, or a 100-mile route that takes them from Moraine State Park to finish at Allegheny College in Meadville for an overnight stay
The next day the participants will continue their journey with an additional 65 miles traveling north to Conneaut, Ohio, where they will cross the finish line and celebrate on the shores of Lake Erie.
Cyclists are pampered throughout the ride with fully stocked rest stops, a full service overnight location, and plenty of safety support.
Unlike a racing event, Bike MS is designed to provide a scenic, challenging ride for both the experienced cyclist and the novice.
“We use mainly back roads,” said Spears. “We work with a number of different safety agencies, motorcycle groups and volunteers to help us out at the most dangerous intersections.”
The cyclists are expected to help raise the goal of $1 million. Funds raised will support national MS research, as well as direct services for the more than 14,500 people living with MS across the state.
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body.
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. It affects more than 400,000 Americans.
Established in 1980, the National MS Society's Bike MS Ride is the country's largest organized charity bicycling event series.
Between March and November, 100 cycling events are offered in every state by National MS Society chapters.
Nearly 110,000 people ride each year, from corporate leaders to friends and neighbors. These cyclists secure pledges from more than 2 million contributors.
Nationally, Bike MS cyclists raised nearly $84 million in 2011 and over $1 billion since its inception. Fundraising efforts support MS research and programs delivered by the society's 50-state network of chapters.
WHAT: Bike MS: Escape to the Lake to benefit the Pennsylvania Keystone Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis SocietyWHEN: June 13 and 14; registration: 6:30 to 8 a.m.; start: 7 a.m. June 13.WHERE: Starting line at Moraine State Park South ShoreINFORMATION: www.bikems.org or call 412-261-6347; chris.pfeiffer@nmss.org
