These days, wordplay between "fun" and "fundraiser" is ubiquitous (almost as much as "friend" and "friend-raiser). However, when a "fun" claim is backed up with a pleasurable activity like biking to the Jersey Shore, it's hard to begrudge any organization for taking poetic license—especially after learning that Bicycling magazine named BIKE MS: CITY TO SHORE RIDE the “Best Cycling Getaway in NJ.”

1. MORE
THAN
A
RIDE
These
days,
wordplay
between
"fun"
and
"fundraiser"
is
ubiquitous
(almost
as
much
as
"friend"
and
"friend-­‐raiser).
However,
when
a
"fun"
claim
is
backed
up
with
a
pleasurable
activity
like
biking
to
the
Jersey
Shore,
it's
hard
to
begrudge
any
organization
for
taking
poetic
license—especially
after
learning
that
Bicycling
magazine
named
BIKE
MS:
CITY
TO
SHORE
RIDE
the
“Best
Cycling
Getaway
in
NJ.”
Naturally,
it
is
easier
for
organizations
to
raise
critical
funds
when
the
associated
events
combine
attractive
features
such
as
recreation,
fitness
and
laid-­‐back
social
interaction.
Bike
MS
is
a
shining
example
of
how
this
tactic
works.
Says
Ian
Harris,
a
nine-­‐year
veteran
of
City
to
Shore,
“It’s
the
best
way
to
show
support
for
the
people
we
love,
living
with
MS—in
our
own
circles,
and
also
to
the
14,000
people
diagnosed
with
multiple
sclerosis
in
the
Delaware
Valley.”
The
ride,
which
takes
place
September
28-­‐29,
is
as
much
pleasure
as
it
is
purpose.
“From
the
pre-­‐ride
pasta
dinner,
to
bike
prep,
to
the
gorgeous
stretches
of
New
Jersey
countryside,
to
the
large
number
of
fans
who
come
out
to
urge
us
on
along
the
way,
and
the
final
feast
when
it’s
all
over,”
says
Harris.
“The
ride
is
a
gratifying
and
unifying
experience.”
Not
everyone
views
a
150-­‐mile
ride
in
unpredictable
weather
as
"fun,"
but
those
who
do
(7,000+
cyclists),
find
inspiration
in
the
people,
and
the
cause,
they're
riding
for.
This
quote
lifted
from
Screens
'N'
Spokes'
team
page
states
this
perspective
very
memorably:
"We've
formed
a
team
for
Bike
MS
because
we
know
that
riding
150
miles
is
nowhere
near
as
difficult
as
confronting
a
lifetime
with
multiple
sclerosis."
In
case
you're
not
sure
what
"a
lifetime
with
MS"
looks
like,
here's
a
not-­‐so-­‐pleasant
primer:
✓ Currently
in
the
Delaware
Valley,
there
are
14,000
people
diagnosed
(and
experiencing
symptoms)
with
MS
✓ There
are
currently
between
350,000
to
500,000
people
in
the
US
who
have
been
diagnosed
with
MS,
and
200
people
are
diagnosed
with
the
disease
every
week

2. ✓ Most
people
are
diagnosed
between
the
ages
of
20
and
50,
very
active
years
in
a
person's
life
✓ Drug
treatment
(Disease
Modifying
Drugs
or
DMDs)
costs
average
$62,000
a
year
nationwide;
around
$45,000
here
in
the
Delaware
Valley.
As
you'll
read
here,
DMDs
are
critical
for
MS
patients
✓ About
85
percent
of
those
who
are
newly
diagnosed
have
the
relapsing-­‐remitting
form
of
MS.
✓ Without
disease-­‐modifying
therapy,
about
50
percent
of
those
diagnosed
with
relapsing-­‐remitting
MS
will
become
progressive
at
10
years.
✓ Without
disease-­‐modifying
therapy,
about
one-­‐third
of
those
diagnosed
with
relapsing-­‐
remitting
MS
will
be
using
a
wheelchair
at
20
years.
✓ There
are
only
three
FDA-­‐approved
oral
drugs;
the
rest
necessitate
injections.
One
of
the
more
recent
drugs
is
Tecfidera,
which
cost
several
hundred
million
dollars
to
develop.
✓ Mental
side
effects
(such
as
depression,
loss
of
confidence,
a
sense
of
lost
bodily
control)
often
go
undiagnosed
✓ Spending
for
breast
cancer
research
is
approximately
8x
that
of
MS
✓ There
is
no
cure
for
MS,
only
treatment
to
slow
down
the
disease's
progress
Diagnosing
MS
is
not
easy.
Many
people
experience
symptoms
that
don't
get
labeled
as
multiple
sclerosis
until
years
later.
Some
can
go
months
or
years
without
experiencing
symptoms.
Not
knowing
when
another
spasm,
episode
of
blurred
vision,
loss
of
balance,
numbness
or
tingling,
or
sensation
of
weakness
in
an
arm
or
leg,
will
occur
can
cause
anxiety.
In
some
cases,
it
can
also
hold
people
back
from
enjoying
their
favorite
physical
activities.
But
despite
the
doom
many
MS
patients
and
their
loved
ones
feel,
good
things
are
happening
and
a
growing
number
of
MS
patients
are
living
satisfying
lives.
Much
of
this
is
due
to
the
advances
in
research,
made
possible
through
donations,
sponsorship
and
fundraisers
organized
by
the
National
Multiple
Sclerosis
Society
(NMSS)
and
similarly
aligned
nonprofits.
The
positive
energy
emanating
from
men
and
women
who
have
been
fortunate
enough
to
continue
leading
fairly
normal
lives,
makes
the
fight
for
increased
research
dollars
and
reduced
medication
costs
worthwhile.
Mind
over
matter
doesn't
lesson
the
burden
and
discomfort
of
MS,
but
it
does
make
the
ride
feel
manageable.
In
2012,
Bike
MS
cyclists
have
covered
5,396,000
miles
across
the
country
and
raised
$83.6
million.
This
is
critical
because
without
a
constant
supply
of
funds,
finding
a
cure
for
MS
would
be
even
more
impossible
than
it
already
is.
Locally,
riders
are
making
an
impact.
In
2012,
City
to
Shore
raised
$5.6
million
the
campaign
is
predicted
to
raise

3. another
$5.6
million
in
2013.
The
power
of
pedaling
is
being
felt
here
in
the
Delaware
Valley,
and
across
the
country.
Just
this
week,
the
US
Food
and
Drug
Administration
(FDA)
has
approved
a
new
clinical
trial
of
a
groundbreaking
strategy
using
stem
cells
for
the
treatment
of
MS.
It's
this
transformation
of
a
simple
act—riding
a
bike—that
keeps
riders
like
Montgomery
County's
Harris,
active
all
year
long,
and
year
after
year.
Over
the
past
nine
years,
Harris
has
joined
the
Great
8
team,
and
fellow
riders
locally,
for
Ride
MS
events
across
the
country.
Like
many
participants,
he
has
a
group
of
friends
who
come
together
annually
to
tackle
the
turf,
catch
up
on
life
happenings,
laugh
(through
the
grunting)
and
honor
those
suffering
from
this
debilitating
disease.
Earlier
this
month,
he
pedaled
his
way
around
Lake
Ontario
(one
of
many
Great
Lakes
Breakaway
rides),
and
after
the
upcoming
City
to
Shore
Ride,
he'll
hit
NYC
in
October
for
another
Ride
MS'
fundraiser.
Because
City
to
Shore
is
on
his
home
turf,
Harris
has
been
able
to
include
family,
as
well
as
a
close
circle
of
friends,
in
the
weekend,
renting
a
house
at
the
Jersey
Shore,
so
that
everyone
can
be
together
and
share
the
experience
as
a
rider
or
a
spectator.
“I
like
to
think
of
it
as
a
family
reunion
with
a
twist,”
he
says.
“It’s
an
incredibly
uplifting
time,
and
every
year
our
circle
extends
a
little
bit
further
to
include
the
new
families
we’ve
met.”
As
with
many
NMSS
supporters,
Harris
joined
the
cause
after
learning
that
a
family
member
had
been
diagnosed
with
the
disease
at
age
20.
Unable
to
"fix
it,"
Harris
reached
out
to
others
familiar
with
MS,
and
also
researched
local
organizations
that
would
help
him
and
other
family
members
quickly
understand
the
disease's
physical
and
emotional
impact.
The
Greater
Delaware
Valley
Chapter
proved
to
be
a
valuable
resource.
So
much
so,
that
Harris
became
an
active
volunteer
and
later,
in
2008,
a
board
member.
And
though
he
doesn't
feel
too
good
about
boasting,
his
cycling
participation
has
earned
him
recognition
as
one
of
the
organization's
highest-­‐totaling
fundraisers.
Says
Harris,
"MS
is
a
different
behaving
disease.
Often
people
don't
understand
it,
because
in
most
cases,
you
can't
see
what
the
patient
is
feeling
inside.
But
when
you
meet
someone
with
a
progressive
case,
it
turns
your
whole
perspective
around."
One
of
the
ways
Harris
and
his
teammates
have
sustained
their
own
participation
and
been
able
to
contribute
substantial
dollars
to
local
and
national
MS
fundraisers
is
by
"thinking
like
a
business."
And,
he
points
out,
connecting
with
young
patients
and
their
circle
of
supporters.
Working
under
the
moniker,
Screens
'N'
Spokes,
the
team,
along
with
some
of
the
finest
rock
poster
artists
in
the
country,
has
created
a
line
of
vibrant,
edgy
screen-­‐printed
posters
(and
race
jerseys)
helping
them
gain
attention
by
graphics
enthusiasts
who
see
the
value
in
the
power
of
"awesome
art"
to
promote
a
good
cause.

4. Created
in
2007
to
benefit
the
Screens
'N'
Spokes
bike
team
in
the
MS150
City
to
Shore
ride,
this
tiny
non-­‐profit's—"2
people
and
their
families
and
friends"—mission
is
"raising
awareness
and
money
for
the
National
MS
Society
through
art,
music
and
bike
riding."
Since
printing
its
first
poster,
Screens
'N'
Spokes
has
raised
approximately
$10,000
a
year.
For
Harris,
this
is
just
a
start.
"Each
time
I
go
to
our
annual
[NMSS]
meeting,
I
meet
incredibly
sharp
people
who
can't
do
as
much
because
of
being
immobilized.
They
have
great
minds,
but
are
being
held
back
physically.
It's
easy
to
understand,
if
there
is
any
bitterness
or
anger.
Yet,
each
time
I
attend
these
meetings
or
participate
in
a
ride,
everyone
I
meet,
is
gracious
and
thankful.
MS
is
such
a
debilitating
disease.
Researchers
need
to
find
a
cure."
—
For
more
information
about
Screens
'N'
Spokes
team
member
Ian
Harris
and
the
rest
of
the
2013
Great
8
team,
visit
msgreat8.org.
To
keep
up
with
all
the
teams
participating
in
September's
Bike
MS:
City
to
Shore
ride,
click
here.
Registration
is
still
open,
so
if
you're
ready
to
Ride
for
MS,
NMSS
is
ready
for
you.