Press
Hundreds Ride for Multiple Sclerosis from Camarillo to Santa Barbara
at the 2007 Southern California Start to Finish MS Bike Tour
10/29/07 - The Southern California Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Society held its Start to Finish MS Bike Tour, from Camarillo to Santa Barbara on Saturday & Sunday, October 20 & 21. More than 750 cyclists rode through the beautiful Ojai Valley to breathtaking Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara, aiming to raise a record $600,000 for local MS services and programs and to support national cutting-edge MS research.
Shemar Moore, his mom Marilyn Wilson Moore and Paget Brewster
at the Start to Finish MS Bike Tour from Camarillo to Santa Barbara.
photo © Brian Hodes
Criminal Minds’ star Shemar Moore said, “Every hour of every day, someone is diagnosed with MS -- eight years ago that someone was my mom.” Moore participated in the Start to Finish MS Bike Tour, for the second time. Minds’ Joe Mantegna, Paget Brewster and Kirsten Vangsness cheered on their castmate as he crossed the finish line, completing a 100-mile ride. Shemar continued, “I've made it a priority in my life to help raise awareness and the much needed funding for the National MS Society.”
photo © Brian Hodes
Chris Carmichael, who coached Lance Armstrong to seven Tour de France wins, and Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan were two more of the famous faces out on the route. Participants opted for one or two days of cycling, ranging from 30 to 175 miles. On Saturday, all cyclists enjoyed themed rest stops every 10 to 12 miles and a festival on the beach in Santa Barbara, complete with massages, an expo, entertainment and a BBQ feast by La Salsa. On Sunday, many began the final 75-mile leg along the ocean with spectacular views. However, due to high winds, the route closed in Ventura and cyclists were shuttled safely back to Camarillo.
Carmichael Training Systems, Clear Channel, EMD Serono, La Salsa, Venoco, Time Warner Cable and The Walking Company were the lead sponsors, without whom this event would not be possible. From the monetary donations that help underwrite the costs of this event to the in-kind donations that helped stock rest stops and feed cyclists – their support allows more dollars to directly support our mission – to end MS.
The goal for this year’s Southern California Start to Finish MS Bike Tour was to raise $600,000 to move us closer to a world free of MS. Last year, 400 cyclists raised $430,000. To date this year, 75 teams and more than 750 cyclists have already raised nearly $700,000 and donations are still being received daily. Money raised from this weekend’s bike tour funds programs and services for 13,500 Southern and Central Californians (including nearly 700 Ventura County residents) living with MS and their families, and supports important MS research worldwide.
Established in 1980, the National MS Society’s MS Bike Ride is the country's largest organized charity bicycling series. Nearly 100,000 people ride in MS Bike Tours each year, from corporate leaders to friends and neighbors. These cyclists secure pledges from over 2 million contributors. This year cyclists will raise a projected $70 million to support MS research and programs delivered by the Society's 50-state network of chapters. Since the series began as one ride in Minnesota, cyclists have raised nearly $510 million to start to finish MS.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to 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
The National MS Society helps 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. Join the movement at www.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 www.nationalmssociety.org/cal or 310.479.4456 to learn about ways to help manage multiple sclerosis and about current research that may one day reveal a cure.
