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Monday, June 25,
2007

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'This is why we ride'
Cyclists hit the road to raise money for multiple
sclerosis
By ROBERTA REDFERN
News Herald
correspondent

About 12 years ago, Martin White watched multiple sclerosis take
over his young brother-in-law's body.

"First he started dropping stuff. Then he started falling and had
trouble walking," White said of Rod Ferguson. White watched
Ferguson's body deteriorate further until he was bed-ridden.
Ferguson died five years after being diagnosed with the disease --
he was in his mid-40s.

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Since then, White watched a
friend die of the same disease, and has a second friend who still
battles it. So, for this 54-year-old Toledo resident, getting on a
bicycle and riding 75 miles to raise money and awareness for the
disease was the least he felt he could do.
"It's something small
I can do," said White. "This year is a special one for me, too,
because I had a hip replaced."

White was just wheeling his bike into the Port Clinton High
School grounds Saturday afternoon, after the first day of the Reeves
Northrup Memorial Bike-to-the-Bay. The well-known cycling event in
its 18th year raises money for treatment and research for the
disease in Northwest Ohio.

It remains to be seen how much was raised this year for such
things as financial assistance, aquatics and other wellness programs
and neurology benefits -- riders have until July 24 to turn in
raised funds -- but last year's event brought in $370,000, said
Tricia Tischler, director of media and MS bike tour promotions.

But this year 1,054 participants -- the most ever -- rode from
Maumee to Port Clinton and back over the two-day event, so
organizers expect to top last year's fund-raising figure.

"$400,000 is a nice round number. We have high hopes," Tischler
said.

Most who participated knew someone with the disease. Peggy Lenz,
63, of Toledo, rides with a group of friends who call themselves
"The Team on your Right." Written on the back of her shirt in large
letters is "I Ride for Bill" -- her husband who has been battling
the disease for 19 years. She raised more than $4,000 this year for
MS.

"MS is a disease that takes all. It's not just my husband's
disease, it's our disease," she said. Her team stays positive during
the lengthy ride, encouraging each other throughout to achieve their
goal of finishing the race and having fun. This year, they "adopted"
rider Richard Watkins, a 72-year-old Perrysburg resident who has
participated in all 18 Bike to the Bay events. He has known four
people with the disease, and this year, raised $1,480 to help fight
it. His wife, Irene, meets him at the finish line to provide moral
support.

The ride started Saturday morning at the Lucas County
Fairgrounds. From there, riders cover scenic back roads as they make
their way to the first day's finish line, Port Clinton High School.
There, they received a free pasta dinner provided by The Olive
Garden, and a free ticket on the Jet Express for the rest of the
day.

Sunday morning, riders made their way back to the fairgrounds
where the ride concluded with a barbecue chicken dinner. Riders had
four different route options that took them either 35, 50, 75 or 100
miles each day.

Saturday afternoon, riders from all walks of life descended on
the Port Clinton High School grounds at varying times. Many pitched
a tent and took advantage of the high school's shower facilities
with plans to head over to the islands. Others decided that after
riding almost 100 miles, they were going to stay in a local hotel
room or bed and breakfast.

Holly Branstner, 50, of Toledo, and her kid brother, Todd
Branstner, 44, of Lansing, Mich., took on the ride this year for the
first time. They finished the first day of the ride before 4 p.m.,
and pitched tents side by side in the grassy expanse of the school's
lawn. They planned later to either take advantage of the trip to
Put-in-Bay, or head downtown to relax and look around.

"I've known some people over the years who had the disease and
it's a tough one," Todd Branstner said of his decision to join his
sister. "Plus, it sounded like fun."

Although both White and Watkins know someone who has died from
MS, death is not the norm for this disease, Tischler said. Funds
raised go to programs that improve the quality of life for the
afflicted.

"People with MS are expected to have a normal life span," she
said. "It is a disease you live with, not one you die from."

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Originally published June 25,
2007
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Polly Ann Bauman/News
Herald correspondent

Ken Rose, 59,
of Northville, Mich., rides on the sidewalk with his
wife, Marge, 56, Saturday at Port Clinton High School.
The couple are participating in the annual
Bike-to-the-Bay fundraising event. The Roses' rode 50
miles of the 75-mile trip and made it in four hours.

BIKE-TO-THE-BAY

The Reeves Northrup Memorial Bike-to-the-Bay
is held every year in June to raise money and
awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. The event's
motto is "We can make a difference. This is why
we ride."

For information, call the Northwestern Ohio
Chapter of the National MS Society at
800-368-7459 or 419-897-9533, or go online at http://www.nationalmssociety.org/
or http://www.jointhemovement.org/.

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