RICHMOND, Va. — The Bike MS: Colonial Crossroads 2024 raised nearly $470,000 to fund research to find a cure for multiple sclerosis.
Some riders traveled 75 or 100 miles Saturday morning from Varina High School in eastern Henrico to Williamsburg. Others turned around and did the same thing back to Richmond Sunday morning. Others enjoyed a 33-mile family ride in Williamsburg on Saturday.
Each rider raised money for research into MS and to provide services for people in our community suffering from the disease.
The disease attacks the central nervous system and over time erodes the myelin sheath that covers nerve endings.
There is no cure but in the last five years, new therapies have vastly improved the quality of life for those with MS.
"We feel very confident with all of our scientific research that we will have a cure in our lifetime, my lifetime, which is getting closer," Sherri Ellis, president of the National MS Society's Virginia-West Virginia chapter, said. "We're seeing the great therapies for people that live with MS that are helping them to manage their disease. The journey that people are being diagnosed now is faster and we're closer to finding the cure."
There are more than a dozen riders on Team CBS 6 this year.
Bill Fitzgerald, whose mother-in-law died of complications from multiple sclerosis, is taking part in his eleventh ride.
"It's events like these that raise money for that crucial research and to help people in our area who need those services," Fitzgerald said. "It's a labor of love."
Team RABA ranked first with more than $61,300, the Capital Ale House team was second with more than $49,500.
Team CBS 6 ranked fifth with more than $36,700 raised and Bill Fitzgerald placed second as one of the race's top fundraisers, collecting more than $18,500.
If you would like to contribute, you can donate to the squad itself or to individual team members; either way, your donation will be put to use in helping people and researchers in our area.
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