The annual bike ride that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society puts on each year has been one of my favorite biking events for a long time.
Not only does it help raise money for a great cause, but it also brings a ton of people together that have an interest in kicking multiple sclerosis’s butt, and that’s awesome.
The ride was held in New York City over the weekend and it was a massive success. The ride closes down a few major roads in the city and it’s one of the only times you ever get to ride on the West Side Highway along the Hudson, or a number of other streets, and the views are simply spectacular.
That’s me at the end of the ride.
When you receive your rider packet you get a few different numbers and bibs to wear, and one of the bibs asks that you write down the name of the person you are riding for. The first time I wrote a name down on a bib years ago it was the name Ryan; read more about that here.
But this year was much different.
First I wrote down Ryan. Then Whitney. Then Jason. Then Lisa. And the names just kept coming. Why? Because as I’ve received emails from people that are either living with multiple sclerosis or know someone that is, those names have stuck with me and I wanted to ride in their honor this year. It just felt appropriate.
As always, the ride provided a great opportunity to meet some amazing people, and more importantly, raise a substantial amount of money to, as previously mentioned, kick multiple sclerosis’s butt!