Bike MS: Ride Across Minnesota raises over $400,000 to help find a cure for MS

WADENA — Over 300 people rolled into Wadena on the morning of Tuesday, July 25, for the annual Bike MS: Ride Across Minnesota. Fresh off their 60-mile trek from Fergus Falls, bikers were welcomed into the city with the help of many local volunteers coordinated by the Wadena Area Chamber of Commerce, who served as host for the event.

The Bike MS: Ride Across Minnesota teams and individuals raised $404,753, which will go toward finding a cure for multiple sclerosis.

The chamber worked with local businesses and volunteer organizations from the community to provide a wide variety of accommodations including live music, food, rides to and from downtown, luggage hauling and more.

Many people took the shuttle buses — which were provided by Wadena-Deer Creek School District — from Sunnybrook Park to downtown Wadena, the Maslowski Wellness and Research Center, AmericInn, Walmart and also to Perham, where about 50 riders were staying due to AmericInn being full.

Bike MS Upper Midwest Chapter President Kathleen O’Donnell said this was her first time in “our neck of the woods” and was extremely grateful for the work that the chamber and volunteers had put forth to help make the event a success.

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“The chamber has been incredible. We have had them here since before dawn, from the eldest to the youngest in the community, setting up, welcoming us, making food, serving food, greeting us, having information, cold water, cheering for riders as they come in," O’Donnell said. "This is one of the most beautiful parks I've ever been in. It's so incredibly lovely."

The Bike MS route included the cities of Ottertail, Fergus Falls, Wadena and Long Prairie. Each team of riders raised money that goes to help fund cutting-edge research and delivers critical services to help the MS community live their best lives.

“It's a great community and some of them see each other once every year," O’Donnell said. "This is almost like a family reunion. We've loved the red carpet that you guys have laid out for us. Dana's (Cantleberry, Wadena Chamber director) pretty amazing. There's nothing she won't do, from tying knots to flipping pancakes to whatever. It's been a great partnership and we're really grateful to be here.”

Expressing the importance of fundraising, O’Donnell said the average cost of MS medical disease-modifying therapy is $96,000 a year. The funds raised go toward a wide range of servicesm from helping to cover the costs of prescription drugs to research to providing hands-on services, including designated MS navigators for both individuals and families.

“Our MS navigators are there to help people anywhere on their journey with MS, whether they're family members, friends or people who live with MS. We provide financial assistance," O’Donnell said. "We help people navigate workplace issues. We hook them up with physicians. We do professional development for all health care providers who want to learn more about MS.”

For many Bike MS riders, the memories they make during the annual fundraiser are just as important as the money raised.

One of those riders making memories was Andrea Britz, 14, who described this year's ride as "amazing" after finishing the ride in Ottertail on Friday, July 28. This was Britz's third year participating in the Bike MS Ride. She rode with her grandpa under the team name SpongeBob Bicycle Pants. The team raised $2,285.

"I like it, I like helping people," Britz said.

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Another rider at the finish line, Rolf Sumstad, also enjoyed this year's ride. "The roads were excellent and they just generally do a wonderful job," he said.

Sumstad and his wife first rode in the Bike MS Ride in 2005 and have done it about 14 or 15 times since. His team, The Young and the Rest of Us, raised $4,099, smashing the $1,000 goal listed on the Bike MS website.

For more information on MS and the Bike MS: Ride Across Minnesota, visit www.nationalmssociety.org.

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