Six hundred cyclists will ride into Olds on June 22 as a part of the MS Bike – Airdrie to Olds tour that aims to raise awareness of multiple sclerosis (MS) and money for research.
The fundraiser’s goal is $618,000 and participants have already raised more than half of that. Donations will be accepted until the end of the summer.
This year is significant in that it is the 25th anniversary of the tour. To celebrate, cyclists will receive a special gift when they receive their cyclist packages, according to MS Bike manager Paula Miller.
Miller also revealed that the route for cyclists has changed in an effort to make it more user friendly. The route will be a mix of secondary highways, including the 2A.
“We start at TransCanada Turbines in Airdrie and we cycle up to the Fairview Colony.
“Every year they provide a special snack there, which the cyclists always love.
“Then we cycle over through Crossfield, stopping in Carstairs for a lunch stop, then we ride up through Didsbury and then finish at the Olds College campus,” Miller detailed.
The cyclists will stay the night in the college dorms and will have secure storage for their bikes provided.
After the ride and getting settled, the cyclists can enjoy a beer garden where they can socialize and watch the remaining riders cross the finish line.
Additionally there will be a banquet dinner with speeches and a special 25th anniversary dessert.
The cyclists will ride back to Airdrie the following day.
MS is currently classified as an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
The disease attacks myelin, the protective covering of the nerves, causing inflammation and often damaging the myelin.
Myelin is necessary for the transmission of nerve impulses through nerve fibres. If damage to myelin is slight, nerve impulses travel with minor interruptions; however, if damage is substantial and if scar tissue replaces the myelin, nerve impulses may be completely disrupted, and the nerve fibres themselves can be damaged.
According to the MS Society, the disease is unpredictable and can cause symptoms such as extreme fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder problems, cognitive impairment and mood changes. Its effects can be physical, emotional and financial.
Currently there is no cure, but the society says researchers are learning more about what causes MS and are zeroing in on ways to prevent it.
Terri Verhulst, a local woman who was diagnosed with MS in 2015, will be participating in the event.
“It’s something that’s really important to me. I have three kids. They have a higher risk of ending up with MS with a maternal parent who has MS.
“I’m hoping through MS research over time, if heaven forbid they get told they have MS, that it’s not as big of a deal as it is today.
“I want to find the cure, I want to know the why, I want to be a part of that,” Verhulst said.
In prep for the ride Verhulst said she made sure to practise every day.
“I’ve been biking every night. My kids, my husband and I go out biking. I’m just physically active every day so I think that’s going to help me a lot,” Verhulst said.
Events like this are a chance to fight the negative stigma around conditions that aren’t visibly noticeable to others, according to Verhulst.
“I just want people to stop judging by what they see, because a lot of things that go on with people aren’t seen physically,” said Verhulst. “Like mental health, chronic disease, anything really, I know the struggle with MS.”
