About the Ride

The Bike MS: Tour de Farms is a fund-raising event for the National Multiple Sclerosis, Greater Illinois Chapter. The bike tour takes place over two days and 175 miles and offers various route options for all levels of cyclists. This year’s event will take place at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb on June 12 & 13, 2010. To help bring us closer to a world free of MS, each event participant agrees to raise the minimum pledge of $300 (on average each rider raises $858.)

About the Cyclists

• 84% of our cyclists are on Family & Friend or Corporate teams
• Seven out of 10 riders are male. 51% of riders are aged 25-44.
• 78% of the money raised is raised by teams
• Tour de Farms is the longest running event of its kind in the state of Illinois.
• The top national team, BP America, raised over $1,041,000 last year.
• Nearly 100,000 people ride each year, from corporate leaders to friends and neighbors. These cyclists secure pledges from more than two million contributors.
• Last year, cyclists raised nearly $84 million to support MS research and programs delivered by the Society's 50-state network of chapters.
• Since the rides began as one ride in Minnesota in 1980, cyclists have raised $684 million to support MS.

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information from the brain to the body and stops people from moving. Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Symptoms range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS. Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, with more than twice as many women as men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

How You Can Help

There is no shortage of ways for you to join the movement toward a world free of MS. Sign up to ride the even, be a team captain or volunteer. We have many ways that you, your friends, family or your company to get involved. If you’re interested in getting involved please visit our website at www.bikeMSillinois.org or call Elle Ullum at 312.423.1172.