MUDDY CREEK TWP — More than 1,000 bicyclists next month are expected to make the journey from Butler County to Ohio during an annual event that raises money for research into Multiple Sclerosis.

Cyclists in the 31st annual Bike MS: Escape to the Lake ride, sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, will travel more than 150 miles — a trek that will take them throughout Western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.

Riders kick off their journey at Moraine State Park on the morning of June 11, and have the option to follow a 65-mile, 75-mile or 100-mile course on day one that takes them from the park’s South Shore to Allegheny College in Meadville. Day two includes a 65-mile ride to the course’s finish line, at the Lake Erie waterfront in Conneaut, Ohio.

“Unlike a racing event, Bike MS is designed to provide a scenic, challenging ride for both the experienced cyclist and the energetic novice,” said Chris Pfeiffer, a Pittsburgh-based organizer for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which puts on the event.

Multiple Sclerosis is a chronic, sometimes degenerative autoimmune disorder that affects the central nervous system and causes communication problems between a person’s brain and the rest of their body. The disease is progress and the damage it causes are varied and unpredictable.

There is no cure for or known cause of the disease, which affects more than 400,000 people in the United States and 2.3 million people worldwide.

Organizers say they expect the event to raise more than $1 million. The money supports programs and services for nearly 16,000 people with MS in 56 counties in Pennsylvania.

The event is one of a series of rides nationwide and is part of the largest fundraising bike event in the world, organizers say. Bike MS was established in 1980 and takes place between March and November each year.

People interested can register online at www.bikems.org, by calling 412-261-6347, or on the day of the event, from 6:30 to 8 a.m.