Bike MS: how one local rider gets creative to raise money for multiple sclerosis research

“My grandmother got MS at 60,” Micheal Roberts explained on a recent afternoon in his office at Chattahoochee Harley-Davidson (3230 Williams Road, Columbus).

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, “MS is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and the body.” Many famous people who suffer from MS, including television personalities Montel Williams and Neal Cavuto, use their platforms to broaden awareness and raise money for MS research, which affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S. alone.

But you don’t have to be a celebrity to help.

“It’s all about the people,” Michael said. “My pain is one day; [people with MS] suffer every day.”

Michael is referring to his participation in the annual Bike MS Cycle to Shore event (bicycles, not motorcycles), a two-day fundraising event during which more than 2,500 riders and 90-plus teams raise money and ride over 150 miles to support MS research and practical help for those with the disease, such as providing wheelchairs and ramps.

Even for Michael, who is in good shape, a 150-mile bicycle ride is a grueling course, yet he and thousands of others, at similar events all over the country, make the ride and raise millions of dollars for the cause.

To participate in one of the Bike MS rides, a rider must raise a minimum of $250, and, as Michael admits with a grin, “it’s not easy to pester people for money.”

In his first year, Michael raised a whopping $3,500, mostly by selling old car and bicycle parts. This remarkable haul put him in the elite fundraising group called the 50 Phenoms (as in phenomenal). That was in 2012. In each subsequent year, Michael has been a top 50 fundraiser, primarily by selling various crafts made from castoff bicycle parts. His blend of creativity and tenacity comes from a passion for raising money to help others.

The ride itself provides a visceral connection to the cause. Michael remembers riding against a 15 mile-per-hour headwind on both legs of the course—for a full 150 miles—in his second year riding. For Michael, the event is “not about the pain the riders endure.” Instead, the challenge of the ride helps connect riders to those with the disease.

On the course, Michael passes many riders with MS, and for them he has a special gift: dragonfly pendants he makes in his unique style.

This year, Michael will participate in two Bike MS events, an Oct. 6 & 7 ride out of LaGrange and the Oct. 13 & 14 Florida ride. To help Michael raise money, visit http://bndfr.com/9ZPjn. For more information about these and other Bike MS events and all of the efforts of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, please visit nationalmssociety.org.