Day 8 - Final Day to EMD Serono near Boston

Replica of Mayflower II that carried The Pilgrims to the New World

This was our final day! Hard to believe – we were eager to finish, yet were sad to know that our fun ride and camaraderie was about to end. The Head of Marketing at EMD Serono, Scott Sherman and another Team Serono cyclist joined us on this final leg of the ride. EMD Serono discovered and produce Rebif ® one of the key disease modifying therapies that many people with MS use. EMD Serono was the 1^st and major sponsor of our ride and without them, the ride would have not been possible.

After 25 miles we reached Plymouth Rock where the Pilgrims landed in 1620. Quite an historic place in American history! Another 2 Team Serono riders also joined us having ridden initially from their site in Rockland, MA. We then rode the remaining 25 miles to EMD Serono’s site and received a warm welcome. I was thrilled that Caryn, my wife, was there to cheer me across the finish line. She had driven that morning from our home in Penn Valley (Philadelphia area). Serono invited all employees to a reception with snacks and drinks. Scott Sherman congratulated us and each cyclist received a plaque and medal.

Finally, I have to say a big THANK YOU to Mike and Cat for organizing this amazing ride, Joe, Jimmy and Line from Destination Cycling for expertly guiding us safely and making all the arrangements, Doug Rodriguez, our bike mechanic who made sure our bikes ran smoothly at all times, Howie for driving the 36 footer truck with our belongings and transporting bikes where it was not possible to cycle, and Teddy and Steve driving the lead van and always being there with water, bananas and snacks.

We had ridden 520 miles through 8 states in 8 days to STOP MS!!!

Day 7 - Beautiful Newport, Rhode Island

Dave and Ian receiving top fundraiser awards

We breakfasted early, but then made the decision not to ride until midday. I was relieved as riding in the rain is no fun. This was a wise decision as our ride was dry. We rode through Newport and by the grand mansions of the Vanderbilt’s, Berwind’s, etc. and these were only their summer homes! We hugged the coastline, saw many stone walls and quaint towns.

While making a stop at a gas station for bathrooms, a woman came up to us saying she had MS and was one of those in the clinical trials for Rebif®, EMD Serono’s product. She exhibited a very positive attitude to life. Just one of many people approaching us on the ride and expressing their support.

Finally due to the coaching of Joe, Jimmy and Line from Destination Cycling, we road as true team in a peloton of two across and drafted off each other. This was great riding and for one stretch we weaved through wooded areas at higher speeds. With brief stops for water and snacks we covered the day’s distance of 60 miles in just over 3 hours and the late start was not an issue. We crossed into MA, our 8^th State, and overnighted at Raynham.

We presented Mike and Cat , co-captains of The Great 8 Foundation and who pulled together this INCREDIBLE bike ride, with framed photos of the group of us at the Wellness Center in NJ. There was lots of emotion and tears by them and this reflected how close we had become since we started the ride as strangers apart from having a common mission. Dave Bethel and I were presented with trophies as the top fundraisers for the 8 States in 8 Days Ride.

Day 6 - Magnificent New England

Sunset at dinner in New London, CT

This turned out to be the best riding day - sunny, but relatively cool. We first crossed the long bridge over the Thames River and then hugged the coastline. We went through Mystic, CT where they were having a very large art and crafts show. Apparently this is one of the biggest in the country. The police lady said the road was closed, but we were able to gain her permission to ride slowly through. We also learned that the police lady’s grandfather had MS. The number of people who have come up to us and indicated that had a family member or knew someone with MS has been exactly what we had hoped for in creating awareness and getting support.

We went through several coastal towns, past beaches and vacationers and some magnificent homes in Westerly, RI. We completed 65 miles and needed to be transported over the 2 bridges going into Newport, RI as cyclists were not allowed.

Our dinner was Italian family style. Several of us had an opportunity to talk about why we ride and MS. David Bethel spoke about those who were close to him that had MS, Howie (driver of transport truck) and  Doug (bike mechanic) then spoke passionately about  the special friendships they had developed over the past few days and their admiration for the cyclists and learning more about MS. Then all the riders were presented with small biking gear prizes, roasting how we have come to know each other.

Day 5 - The Long, Long Island

Mother with MS, Husband and 2 Daughters

We were transported to Babylon on Long Island. We started out with breakfast at International House of Pancakes As we were leaving a father came over to us, noticing our MS Great 8 bike jerseys, and wanted to thank us as his wife had MS. We then met the mother and their 2 beautiful daughters. They said Mommy has MS, but we don’t have it. This gave Cat and I goose bumps as the mission of our ride is that these girls and others should not have to deal with this terrible disease. The mother was expecting her third child, and said that during pregnancy she never felt so good while having MS.

The ride was flat and we were able to pick up the pace. We lunched at a vineyard and were able to meet Cat’s brother, Peter, who has dealt with MS for 20 years and now is in an electric scooter. Peter was extremely engaging and offered all his support for my daughter. Also present was Cat’s other brother John and her Mom. Mike’s parents-in-law were also there and his daughter Sam, had accompanied us from Babylon and took many photos.

I felt really energized and set a good pace for my group as headed to the ferry from Orient Point. We had completed another 85 miles. Our transport vehicles went on a separate slower ferry and we had the opportunity of taking the hydrofoil to New London, CT. Nice to rest up and take in the view as we crossed the Long Island Sound.

Day 4 - The Big Apple

Sam joining us riding in Central Park

Although this was supposed to be a rest day, most of us wanted to ride in Central Park. It was a picture perfect day weather wise. I was thrilled that Sam, my daughter’s boyfriend, was able to join us. Sam is from Brooklyn and took the train to meet us. We did 2 laps through Central Park, then we headed to World Financial Center / Ground Zero, hit the bike trail along the Hudson River, saw the USS Intrepid, past Chelsea Piers and then went further to Battery Park for a great view of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. By the time we got back to the Marriott Marquis at Times Square we had done 25 miles.

We then had a feast of a brunch at Juniors, world famous for their cheese cake, across from the hotel. Soon after, several of us went for a massage and then took a leisurely walk from 47^th Street to 57^th. This was most needed – we came out totally relaxed. We walked back along 5^th Avenue and enjoyed window shopping the great stores for most of us. Dave Bethel attended Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral. For dinner we headed to Restaurant’s Row and found a neat place. Afterwards, some folks paid a visit to some of the bars and did karaoke. 

Day 3 - Crossing the Delaware River and ending up at MS Wellness Center

Arrival at MS Wellness Center, Freehold, NJ

The weather was threatening rain and we were making contingencies to have our truck transport us if it became a downpour. This never materialized, however we did encounter some light rain several times. Our route called for crossing the Delaware River at Washington Crossing.  We arrived at the bridge only to find it was closed due to construction. We then rerouted to New Hope further north and added about 10 miles to our journey. We were treated to lunch by David Johnston, our fellow cyclist at Wawa where he is the Chief Operating Officer. Those riders not familiar with Wawa were impressed with capability to personalize your order on a computer terminal, the speed of receiving your sandwich and the great smoothies!! We then crossed the Delaware River and were required to walk over the grated bridge to Lambertville, NJ. We then ascended the steepest hill of the ride for almost a mile and then many more hills. Tough to do after lunch!

After 85 miles we arrived at CentraState Medical Center's MS Wellness Center in Freehold, NJ with Dene O’Connor leading the way into his home chapter . We rode through an MS arch with cheering folks from the NJ Metro Chapter of the MS Society, workers and volunteers at the Center. We had chills to receive such a warm welcome. There was a small ceremony where Joe Revello spoke about  how much the Wellness Center had helped live with MS. We were awarded with medals and a plaque and likewise presented a plaque to the Wellness Center for their excellent work. We then took a tour of the center facilities, which include a pool for strength training and facilities for yoga, Tai Chi and nutrition classes. It most interesting to see this holistic approach to helping people deal with MS and lead better lives. Please see article that appeared in Asbury Park Press http://www.app.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20108120356

Day 2 - Tackling the Hills of Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania

Fox Chasers with MS Great 8 Cyclists

Given the heat and humidity of the prior day, we decided to start as the sun was rising at 6.30 am. This meant being in the hotel lobby at 5.45 to check out and eat breakfast. We were rewarded with some of the most spectacular scenery through the countryside. We climbed a total of 6,750 feet which is significant to most bikers.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at a park in Centreville, Delaware. This is a 19th century Delaware village listed in the National Register of Historic Places and surrounded by superb Country Estates. Centreville is located near the northwestern "arc" border that divides Delaware from Pennsylvania. The rolling hills, wooded terrain and steep slopes characterize a departure from Delaware's otherwise flat terrain.

We proceeded through Ridley Park in Pennsylvania. Near the end of the day, we rode through the hills of Lower Merion and I shared with the other riders that this is where I do my training rides. Finally we rode into Plymouth Meeting with me leading the way as this was my home territory.

We were then treated to a great dinner hosted by Tom and Kim, good friends of Betsy Wolford, one of our riders. Their team for the MS City to Shore ride are the Fox Chasers and many of the team members were present. This was a great an opportunity to talk about The MS Great 8 Foundation and the mission of our ride through 8 States in 8 days to create awareness of MS and increase our fundraising efforts. Mike spoke about how he has personally dealt with MS over the past 12 years where bike riding has been a big part of it. Cat then spoke about being a primary care giver for her brother. I then spoke about my daughter, who was diagnosed with MS at age 20 and her boyfriend. They founded Screens ‘N’ Spokes where screen prints have created pro bono by over 20 artists and then sold for the benefit of the National MS Society. http://screensnspokes.blogspot.com/ and http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes

Day 1- Setting off from The Nation's Capital

MS Great 8 Cyclists Viewing Lincoln Memorial

Finally we were ready to begin our epic bike journey! I had done many miles of training over the past weeks and hopefully was ready for the challenge. The prior evening everyone arrived in Washington DC with lot's of nervous energy.

This was the first time to meet everyone. I sensed it was a good group of folks committed to the mission of the ride - increase awareness for MS and do significant fundraising. Riders came from different MS Chapters in Maryland (Dave Bethel), Greater Delaware Valley / Philadelphia area (David Johnston, Betsy Wolford, Lorinda Yorlano and me), New Jersey Metro (Dene O’Connor) and New York (Mike Zimits, Catherine (Cat) Tsigakos, Paul Hasenfus) and Suzanne Perry from Ireland.

The prior evening we had our first group dinner. We were to be led by Destination Cycling (Joe, Jimmy and Line from Denmark). We reviewed safety, signed waivers and other logistics information re our bags, time to start, etc. Doug Rodriguez was our resident mechanic and gave every bike a once over before we set out and found many issues to our surprise. Howie was to drive a 36 footer truck to transport our belongings and bikes when it was not possible to cycle in and out of NYC and the bridges into Newport, RI where cyclists are not allowed.

As we ventured outside early in the morning, you could barely part the humidity. We started with a unique tour on bike stopping at the Washington Monument where we had a spectacular view of the Reflecting Pool and all the monuments. We then stopped at the National World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial, and had a very informative tour courtesy of David Bethel, our retired Officer of The Marine Corps.  The last stop was the Lincoln Memorial before we set off along the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway as we left DC and headed into Maryland.

The extreme heat of 105 ° F and humidity was challenging despite proper hydration and plenty of snacks. After 60 miles we arrived at the Maryland MS Chapter, with David Bethel leading us in to his home chapter and we were hosted to a late lunch. Joe, our biking leader, proposed calling it a day given our long ride over the next 6 days. He noted that the riders were slowing down and if we continued, it would take another 4 hours to do 30 miles plus having to contend with traffic. So we were transported to Bel Air, MD and then enjoyed a good Italian dinner. 

The Challenge

I have been invited to participate in a special bike ride to raise awareness of the many challenges associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). My decision to do this ride is inspired by my daughter and many other people who have to deal with MS every day. 

In August, twelve riders will start from Washington DC and ride through 8 states, ending in Boston 8 days later. We will ride over 500 miles (800 kilometers), and along the way meet with the various chapters of the National MS Society (NMSS), the press, and others to highlight the aspects of this disease. This will be an extremely challenging ride for me, but nothing compared to what those with MS have to deal with every day. For more details about the ride please visit The MS Great 8 Foundation.

The National MS Society performs various functions.  They fund both fundamental research into the causes and progression of the disease as well as research into possible therapies to combat the disease.  They also help people who currently live with MS, by offering critical services and educational support on how to overcome the disease’s physical, social and financial effects. 

I have followed the activities of the National MS Society closely for a number of years now and I believe in the work they do. I also serve as a Board Member of The Greater Delaware Chapter of the NMSS.  More and more people are being diagnosed with MS every day and your support can help those living with the disease live a more independent and better life.  Of course, the ultimate goal would be a cure.