GODFREY – Nearly 3,000 cyclists will descend on Lewis and Clark Community College’s Godfrey Campus this month to once again ride the Riverbend for a world free of multiple sclerosis.
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The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Bike MS: Gateway Getaway Ride will take place Sept. 9-11 at L&C for the second year in a row after its relocation from Columbia, Missouri.
“We wanted to bring the event a bit closer to home for some of our St. Louis area participants,” said Randy Adler, event experience senior coordinator with the National MS Society. “We got such great feedback about last year’s event that we’re very excited to return to campus this year.”
Bike MS is the premier fundraising cycling series in the U.S. for anyone seeking a personal challenge and a world free of multiple sclerosis. All participants have access to bike mechanics, support vehicles, rest stops, a finish line celebration and much more.
Cyclists, who have been hard at work raising a minimum of $300 in sponsorships to support cutting-edge MS research and life-changing programs and services for people living with MS, will cover their choice of 25, 50, 75 and 100-mile routes on Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11. Saturday’s routes will take riders through Fosterburg, Prairietown, Livingston, Hamel, Edwardsville, Wanda, Bethalto, Worden, New Douglas and Old Ripley. Sunday’s routes turn north through Brighton, Shipman, Wilsonville, Staunton, Bunker Hill, Fosterburg, Carlinville and Gillespie.
“Although some of the cyclists camp here on campus, many of them, along with family and friends, stay in area hotels and patronize our local establishments throughout the weekend,” said L&C President Dale Chapman. “In addition, they get to explore a great deal of the communities throughout our district along the bike routes.”
The college, in addition to hosting the event, also entered a team of cyclists, led by team captain and Athletic Director Doug Stotler. Team Trailblazer raised $5,400 in 2015, and will return this year with its sights set even higher.
“I am very excited, personally, to be riding in this year’s event along with 14 other cyclists representing Team Trailblazer,” said L&C Vice President of Administration Lori Artis. “It’s truly an inspirational event, and after watching cyclists complete their respective challenges the past two years, I decided this was the year I would join them on the road.”
“I am pleased that Lewis and Clark is not only the host site, but that our employees, friends and family members have been inspired to form a team and support the event personally,” she added. “We also see a great deal of volunteerism at the weekend event from our faculty and staff, whose presence and support for the cause is just as encouraging.”
Attracting more than 100,000 participants nationwide, Bike MS is the largest fundraising cycling series in the U.S. Bike MS participants include people living with MS, their friends, families and neighbors, as well as corporate teams and individuals who are driven to help end MS forever.
Last year alone, the National MS Society, through a comprehensive nationwide network of services, devoted $122.2 million to connect more than one million individuals to the people, information and resources they need to fight MS. To move closer to a world free of MS, the society also invested $54 million to support more than 380 new and ongoing research projects around the world. Learn more about the organization’s efforts at www.nationalMSsociety.org.
To learn more about this year’s Bike MS: Gateway Getaway Ride, or to register today, visit www.gatewaybikems.org or call 1-855-372-1331.
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