Ride It, Live It, Love It: A letter from a 2009 Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Cyclist
This past weekend we did the Bike MS “Coast the Coast” Ride and have to say what an amazing experience it was. This past year our mom was diagnosed with MS and it was our first Bike MS ride. It really blew us away to see not only the turn out but the support and enthusiasm behind fighting this disease. We didn’t really know what to expect entering the ride Saturday as it was our first time. As avid bikers we thought it would be just another great ride along the coast with views of these great beach towns. However when we saw the amount of people riding together with the same goal, fighting MS and helping this great cause, it made the day stand out so much more for us. It took on a personal role and made every part of the day that much more. The day was very emotional and while our mom is just starting her fight against MS we know a long road lies ahead for her. Much like the 50 miles we biked Saturday, there will be ups and downs and twists and turns and long stretches not knowing where the end lies. Part of the motivation to push through to the end was knowing that we could, while many people with MS can no longer. The two of us are already interested in doing the other MS rides in our area.
While the money we donated is a huge help to the cause, the actual activity is the gift to us because we can. The money continues in the research and fight of MS. These bike rides are an amazing way to have hundreds of people amass to show support and care for this disease, it is also our gift that we can still bike while people with MS can maybe no longer take part in such activities.
We wanted to express our gratitude for the “Coast the Coast” and we will continue to support this cause. This whole event and experience has really impacted us greatly and we hope to keep riding for MS throughout the summer.
Thanks so much for an amazing event and something we will hold on to for a long time.
Sincerely,
Brett & Chad
Why I am a Captain for Bike MS “Coast the Coast”
Being a Team Captain for the Bike MS “Coast the Coast” is great and an honor. I first did this ride four years ago as my second ever organized bike event. Upon arriving at Monmouth University that morning to register, I was met by two of the original 5 members of the Pine Bay Barrens Team. Matt and Jimmy were people my daughter Laura knew from interning at Matt’s physical therapy clinic. They asked if I wasn’t riding with a team, if I would sign up with theirs. I had no problem joining and ended up being their top fundraiser. I did the ride for the challenge it presented and finished the 185 miles (I did the 15 mile power loop on Saturday) a believer in the cause that this MS Bike Tour had as its mission. I was treated so good but had nothing to compare it to but the 35,000 rider 5 Boro Bike Tour of New York City which I had done three weeks earlier. Now after four years of cycling and over twenty century rides, and spending a week riding 488 miles across the state of Iowa in the Iowa 488 last summer, this MS ride is still the best.
Each year I come back and ride and for a cause I feel so strong about. In the next three years since my first ride, I raised over $22,000 for the MS Society and the people they help, while riding 200, 215, and 230 miles each of those years. The last two years, I have been the Captain of the Pine Bay Barrens Team because my teammates wanted that for me. In those two years I brought three new members to the team, my wife Julie (the first ever female), Ted Griffen a good friend who is a member of our church and always did the ride (but was not a member of a team), and Timothy McCurry a rider who never rode this ride, but heard me talk it up at DJ’s bike shop in Belmar. For this year alone, I figured out that all of our riders combined on the Pine Bay Barrens will be riding over 5,100 miles for MS and that doesn’t count the 170 riders who might do the additional 15 mile loop.
I always had a dream, to make this team bigger, to open up our world to the MS “Coast the Coast” ride, to family members, friends, and even the owner of the company I work for (he has always supported my ride and the MS Society with his generosity) so they can share the feelings I have, riding my bike for a worthy cause. As you go through life you can only do so much by yourself. That’s why I, as Team Captain of the Pine Bay Barrens have worked at this, like it was my second job. It’s not about me but about putting together a group of 65 people to help fight for our family members and friends who live with MS each and every day of their lives. As we are doing this, we are going to enjoy ourselves, make new friendships, get or stay in shape, experience again in our lives, the joy of riding a bicycle, and hopefully meet a lot of the people that we dedicate our riding to. Yes, I had a dream, now I am living it. Thanks to the MS Society.
— Paul C., Captain of The Pine Bay Barrens
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