Carlsbad CA— The population of Carlsbad will increase by about 2,500 cyclists this weekend thanks to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s 35th annual Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour, a two-day, cycling fundraiser, Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 21 and 22, from Irvine in Orange County to Crown Point Park in Mission Bay.
National MS Society officials said the cyclists will help raise about $3 million in donations for MS research and programs and services for people affected by MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the brain and body. Cyclists will include people living with MS, as well as friends and family members of people who have MS.
The fundraiser will feature four different cycling rides of 25, 50, 75 and 100 miles.
On Saturday, Oct. 21, a two-day, 50-, 75- or 100-mile ride will begin at the Irvine Transportation Center and continue along the Pacific Ocean coastline, to the Sheraton Carlsbad Resort & Spa, 5480 Grand Pacific Dr., Carlsbad.
The Saturday ride will begin with a staggered start between 7 and 9 a.m. at the Irvine Transportation Center, 15215 Barranca Parkway Irvine. The Saturday route will continue south through Laguna Hills, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Laguna Niguel, Dana Point, San Clemente, past San Onofre, through Camp Pendleton and Oceanside and end in Carlsbad at the Sheraton hotel, near the Legoland California theme park. Riders are expected to begin arriving at the Sheraton hotel at around noontime on Saturday, Oct. 21. Activities at the hotel will include a health expo, live music, refreshments and beer garden.
The next morning, on Sunday, Oct. 22, the ride will resume starting at the Sheraton hotel and will conclude at Crown Point Park, 3700 Crown Point Drive, San Diego. The 50-mile Sunday route will head south through Carlsbad, Leucadia, Encinitas and Cardiff. After a rest stop in Solana Beach, the cyclists will proceed up the grueling Torrey Pines Hill to North Torrey Pines Road, down the steep La Jolla Shores Drive and through La Jolla and Pacific Beach, including such streets as Crown Point Drive, Pacific Beach Drive and Mission Boulevard. The riders are expected to conclude their pedaling trek starting around 10:30 a.m. at Crown Point Park.
A single-day, 25-mile ride set for on Saturday, Oct. 21 will depart from the Sheraton hotel at 9 a.m. Lunch for this ride will feature Chick-fil-A food served at Buccaneer Park in Oceanside.
Registration fee is $60 per rider and each donation minimum is $400 per rider for any of the four rides. Information and registration is available at www.BikeToFinishMS.com, or call (855) 372-1331.
The minimum age limit for riders is 12 years. The fundraiser is open to all levels of cyclists ranging from beginner to expert. Riders raising the highest dollar amount will be eligible for a variety of incentives and prizes.
Bike MS is supported nationally by premier National Sponsors including Primal and Bicycling Magazine. Bike MS Bay to-Bay is presented locally by Hansen Beverage and Monster Energy Company.
People living with MS can also participate in “I Ride with MS,” a special program supported nationally by Biogen and Primal that recognizes Bike MS cyclists living with the disease.
Bike MS, hosted by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, attracts nearly 100,000 participants nationwide in more than 80 rides. To date, Bike MS cyclists, volunteers, sponsors and donors have raised more than $1 billion so people affected by MS can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what’s been lost, and end MS forever.
National MS Society officials said Bike MS brings people together as individuals and as teams to conquer a challenge and share an unforgettable experience with friends, family and coworkers—while raising money to make a difference in the lives of people affected by MS.
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s San Diego-based Pacific South Coast Chapter serves more than 51,500 people affected by MS living in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties, as well as the Hawaiian islands. MS, the most common neurological disease leading to disability in young adults, is typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, although an estimated 8,000-to-10,000 children under the age of 18 also live with MS. Two to three times more women than men have been diagnosed with MS. An estimated 2.3 million people live with MS worldwide.
MS symptoms can range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis, as well as blurred vision, loss of balance, poor coordination, slurred speech, tremors, numbness, extreme fatigue and cognitive deficits. Symptoms might be permanent, or they might come and go. By eating away at the coating that allows nerve cells to transmit messages, MS can lead to restrictive or awkward movements and mental gaps, among other problems. Studies indicate that genetic factors may make certain individuals more susceptible to the disease, but there is no evidence that MS is directly inherited. For more information about the National MS Society’s Pacific South Coast Chapter, visit www.MSPacific.org.