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‘The Ride Across Minnesota’ approaches, expected to raise $1 million to help end MS

July 7, 2008

Contact: Emily Wilson
612-335-7931
ewilson@mssociety.org

Approximately 1,000 cyclists will ride 250 miles on Minnesota’s Iron Range and North Shore July 20 to 25 as part of Bike MS: Star Tribune TRAM Ride. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Minnesota Chapter anticipates The Ride Across Minnesota will raise $1 million to support multiple sclerosis research projects around the world and programs and services for the estimated 9,000 people living with the disease in Minnesota and western Wisconsin.

The 19th annual ride kicks off Sunday, July 20, in Grand Rapids, Minn. Monday, July 21, cyclists begin riding along the Mesabi Trail toward Chisholm, Minn. Day two features a loop through George Washington State Forest and Superior National Forest and back to Chisholm for a second overnight.

Wednesday, July 23, cyclists ride to Biwabik, Minn., before heading to Lake Superior Thursday, July 24, for the final overnight in Two Harbors, Minn. The final leg of the ride takes cyclists along Highway 61 down the scenic North Shore of Lake Superior, crossing the finish line at the University of Minnesota Duluth campus.

The fully-supported ride offers cyclists a chance to experience the best of scenic Minnesota while supporting the movement to end MS. A registration fee and $300 minimum pledge are required to participate. For more information, visit http://www.mssociety.org/ or call 1-800-582-5296.

About Bike MS
The National MS Society, Minnesota Chapter organizes three Bike MS events each year. The Star Tribune TRAM Ride is the last of three rides in the Bike MS series. The Minnesota Chapter expects the 2008 cycling series will raise nearly $4 million total. 

About multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information between the brain and the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

About the National MS Society
MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn’t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS through our 50 state network of chapters. We fund more MS research, provide more services to people with MS, offer more professional education and further more advocacy efforts than any other MS organization in the world. The society is dedicated to achieving a world free of MS. We are people who want to do something about MS now. The Minnesota Chapter represents an estimated 9,000 people with MS in Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Join the movement at nationalmssociety.org.

Studies show that early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can reduce future disease activity and improve quality of life for many people with multiple sclerosis. Talk to your health care professional and contact the National MS Society at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/ or 1-800-344-4867 to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.

 

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