Cyclists ‘roll’ in more than $400K
Published 12:00 am Sunday, October 2, 2016
LaGRANGE — Cyclists chugged water as music filled Sweetland Amphitheatre on Saturday evening after they raised more than $400,000 for charity.
A1A, the official Jimmy Buffett cover band, played for cyclists at the amphitheatre as part of Bike MS: COX Atlanta Peach Ride 2016. The $429,495 raised for the ride goes toward research and education on multiple sclerosis, an often debilitating disease that targets the nervous system.
Many of those involved in the ride have personal connections to the disease that push them forward in their fundraising efforts for the ride.
“When I took over as team captain (for Team Noodle) in 2003, in honor of my wife, Emily, we had five riders, and that year we raised $6,700,” said Steve Webb, who spoke at the event. “Over the years and the several years up and coming, we grew our team in numbers and in strength. … This year’s ride is our 15th anniversary. So far this year, we have raised $11,000. … I’m so proud of our team. In just five years, we’ve raised almost $100,000, and this brings our total raised by Team Noodle for the MS Society to a total of over $313,000. Not bad for a small and mighty team.”
LaGrange’s own Golden’s Bike Shop team raised $5,365 for the MS Society this year with the help of Pat Hamby, who is fighting the disease and rode in this year’s ride.
Regular exercise may actually help manage the symptoms of MS and could possibly slow MS’ progression, according to a study published in the 2012 review of “Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders.”
The ride also creates a sense of community among participants, reminding them that they are not alone in their experiences with the disease.
“As you ride along, you start a conversation,” said Rick Brock of Golden’s Bike Shop in an earlier interview. “Hey, where are you from? What brought you here? Why are you connected and all. And (they’ll say) oh, my mother has MS. My sister died from MS. Or you know, I’ve got a friend of mine whose mother has MS. … It brings people together.”
The Georgia part of the MS Ride finished on Sunday in Newnan. Additional donations toward the ride and MS research can be made at nationalmssociety.org.
