A determined group of 105 cyclists and 17 teams raised $104,111 for multiple sclerosis research by going out out in some of the worst weather possible, with heavy downpours soaking riders as they departed on a tour of the area that began and ended at the Thunderbird show park.
On the 26th anniversary of the 2024 MS Bike – Fraser Valley, Environment Canada reported 17.9 mill of rain fell on Langley, as moderate showers turned into heavy rain.
A dripping-wet Langley Township councillor Tim Baillie described it as “a beautiful ride in the sunshine.”
Baillie, who was marking his 21st year as a participant, explained what keeps him coming back.
“It used to be my mother,” Baillie told the Langley Advance Times.
“She passed away at the end of December last year, after about 40 some-odd-years of MS. And now, since we haven’t got a a cure for MS it’s for everyone else. You don’t just stop riding for one person. You ride to find a cure and and see if we can beat this stuff.”
Baillie was a member of the top Fraser Valley MS Bike team, the Easy Riders, who raised just over their goal of $26,000.
Another Easy Riders member, Marilyn Lenzen, beat her individual goal of $5,0000 to raise just over $6,300.
It was her 10th anniversary of riding for Lenzen, who has MS.
She was planning to celebrate by riding in back-to-back MS cycling fundraisers, the Fraser Valley ride followed by an even longer ride in Alberta.
Lenzen recently had to transition from using a regular bike to one with an electrical power assist.
“I’m still pedalling but the battery is making it easier for me to get up those hills,” Lenzen said.
She credited her success to advancements in MS treatments, thanks to research.
“Canada is home to some of the world’s top MS researchers,” she noted.
“There are over 90,000 Canadians living with MS and the need for information, resources and support programs provided by MS Canada, is as urgent and critical as ever.”
MS (multiple sclerosis) is a neurological disease of the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.
MS Bike is the largest cycling fundraiser in North America.
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