MS Bike Tour to raise money, awareness

One day 20 years ago, Forest Hills resident Kristy Carreo remembers seeing her uncle Ulysses Torres fall to his knees, but she did not know what happened. She always saw him as a strong man who worked as a building superintendent most of his life, but as she grew older, she began to realize her uncle suffered from Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
In less than two weeks, Carreo, 28, will participate in her eighth New York City Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Bike Tour in order to raise money and awareness for the disease her uncle and 6,500 other New Yorkers suffer with everyday.
&#8220I thought it would be a cool thing to do,” said Carreo, whose father owns a bicycle store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. &#8220I love my uncle and being able to ride and make money for something that will hopefully benefit him and others seemed like a win-win situation.”
The 22nd annual MS Bike Tour will take place on Sunday, October 15 with more than 5,000 cyclists expected to participate making it one of the largest one-day tour events in the United States.
The cyclists will have the choice of three routes - 30, 60 and 100 miles respectively - starting from Pier 94's Unconvention Center at West 54th Street and 12th Avenue throughout Manhattan, New Jersey and into Rockland County for the skilled riders, all with the hope of reaching this year's goal of $2.1 million.
While it is important to raise money to fight the disease, the tour has another goal.
&#8220The mission of the MS Bike Tour is to raise awareness and funds for New Yorkers impacted by MS,” said Barbara Evans, Vice President of Development & Corporate Sponsorship for the NYC Chapter of the National MS Society.
Carreo will participate in the 30-mile ride and be thinking of her uncle, who is currently living in Florida coping with the disease.
&#8220Every year I just like to create awareness that people get this disease for very weird reasons, and it is a disease that has no cure,” she said.
To ride in the MS Bike Tour, the registration fee is $35 or $50 on the day of the tour. Riders are asked to pledge a minimum of $50 for the 30-mile route, $75 for the 60-mile route and $100 for the 100-mile route. Cyclists can ride individually or they can form a team (four or more people).
&#8220If you aren't able to ride, there are still plenty of other ways to make a difference,” Evans said. &#8220We encourage people to come out and volunteer both on the day of the tour and the weeks leading up to the event - there are plenty of opportunities to get involved.”
For more information, to register, or to volunteer, go to www.nycmsbiketour.org or call 212-463-9791.