an unforgettable ride. an unbeatable destination. a world free of multiple sclerosis. Voted Best Cycling Event of 2006, 2007 & 2008 by the readers of Competitor magazine. REGISTER ONLINE biketofinishms.com or call 800-486-6762 OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE 2009 BIKE MS BAY TO BAY TOUR
START - IRVINE San Onofre Crystal Cove Newport Beach Salt Creek Beach Park Dana Point Day 1 Rest Stop Day 2 Rest Stop Oceanside FINISH: Day 1 Carlsbad Solana Beach Crown Point Shores Park San Diego Torrey Pines Hill La Jolla FINISH: Day 2 Mission Bay San Diego Ride in the Bike MS sm bay to bay tour October 10 & 11 This fall, 2,500 cyclists ranging from amateur to avid will get in gear for the Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour sponsored by Land Rover Miramar scheduled for October 10 & 11, 2009. While training for the 30-, 100- or 150-mile ride, each cyclist will simultaneously make his or her mark on multiple sclerosis (MS) by raising vital funds. Four-hundred-thousand Americans and 2.1 million people worldwide acknowledge having MS, a chronic and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system with no known cause or cure. Voted Best Cycling Event the past three years by the readers of Competitor magazine, the Bike MS Tour is a fun-filled event open to all levels of cyclists. The Tour boasts one of the most scenic and beautiful routes in the country, featuring breathtaking ocean views and quaint beach communities. Along with a beautiful view, the Tour provides an all-inclusive fully-supported route complete with staffed and stocked rest stops every 15 miles, Support and Gear (SAG) vehicles, first-aid stations and catered meals. Intermediate Cyclist: Two-day 100-mile route On Day 1, cyclists will begin in Irvine, in the heart of Orange County, and ride about 50 miles* along coastal scenery, through Camp Pendleton and into Carlsbad where they and their supporters will enjoy a celebration village at Westfield Plaza Camino Real including a lifestyle expo, children s fun zone, food, drink and entertainment. Party into the night to live music and dancing before retiring at a variety of local hotels; entertainment, cyclists food, bike security and hotel shuttle transportation are courtesy of the Tour. On Day 2, cyclists return to the party site in Carlsbad for a catered breakfast before heading out for another 50 miles down the coast, up the infamous Torrey Pines hill, and on to the finish line in Mission Bay, surrounded by cheering supporters, camaraderie and celebration. Advanced Cyclist: Two-day 150-mile route including Day 1 Century Challenge The Bike MS Bay to Bay Century Challenge is one of the most challenging century rides in the state. Century Challenge cyclists will put their endurance to the test beginning in Irvine and riding about 50 miles south along the coast through Orange County, Camp Pendleton and Carlsbad. The second 50 miles of challenging hills and turns begins with an inland stretch through San Elijo Hills and the Elfin Forest. Cyclists loop back through Rancho Santa Fe to Solana Beach and then finish with a cool ocean breeze as they head north up the coast to Westfield. On Day 2, after a catered breakfast, Century Challenge cyclists head back out for another 50 miles down the coast to the finish line in Mission Bay where they and their supporters will enjoy celebration and a catered lunch. Known as Southern California s Premier Cycling Event, the Bay to Bay Tour has limited registration available 2,500 cyclists maximum and is expected to sell out. Register now! www.biketofinishms.com Beginner Cyclist: One-day 30-mile route This year the 30-mile, singleday route returns with an anticipated 300 cyclists gathering in Carlsbad on Saturday morning, October 10, to begin their coastal loop to Solana Beach and back.* After their trek, 30-mile route cyclists will join the celebration with the 100- and 150-mile cyclists, friends and family at the overnight celebration village. *Route details (subject to change) will be released each morning of the Tour. REI Gear Junkies The REI Gear Junkies Bike MS cyclist team is led by Kalia Guheen, who was diagnosed with MS at age 20 (though she d experienced widespread numbness since age 16). Kalia s efforts like training rides and matching Gear Junkies jerseys brought the team to 30 riders who raised $14,441 in 2008! Kalia, now 30 years old, is active in cycling, rock climbing and more, and recently began training for a triathlon. I occasionally experience fatigue, but my other symptoms have stayed dormant thanks to my treatment. It s amazing to ride with all of your friends and I am going to keep doing the Tour for as many years as I can. REI bike techs will be available to assist cyclists at Bike MS start lines. Learn more at www.biketofinishms.com. As an Official Bike Shop of the Bay to Bay Tour, Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) offers Bike MS cyclists free bicycle safety inspections and 15% off bike gear. Additionally, registered Bike MS cyclists can join REI Outdoor School Cycling Classes at 25% off. Restrictions apply. Visit www.rei.com for details. START/OVERNIGHT CELEBRATION Encinitas 30 MILE ROUTE Solana Beach Carlsbad TACOS & BEER! 2007 REI Gear Junkie team; Kalia is crouching in the front. For more than a decade, Wahoo s Fish Taco has generously provided Day 1 lunch for the 100- and 150-mile route participants. The Wahoo s family of owners and restaurant employees serve their signature fish or chicken soft tacos, rice and beans to riders. Our riders love this tasty Day 1 highlight! Take a break from riding this summer to check out the cool Hawaiian north-shore vibe at your local Wahoo s restaurant, listed at www.wahoos.com. BJ s Restaurant & Brewhouse began supporting the Tour in 2001 and has been a proud sponsor ever since. They donate a variety of BJ s fresh and flavorful beers at the overnight celebration such as BJ s Brewhouse Blonde TM and Jeremiah Red all proceeds benefit the Tour. BJ s beer tastes great after a long day s ride! Stop in this summer to cool off with a BJ s beer or enjoy signature deep-dish pizza, bountiful salads, or Fish n Chips dipped in batter made with BJ s Brewhouse Blonde. Find the BJ s location closest to you at www.bjsrestaurants.com. Coming this fall: BJ s Carlsbad location!
Land Rover Miramar Supports Our Community When sales guide Matt Deep got his employer Land Rover Miramar involved in the bike tour several years ago, he naturally became captain of their team of cyclists. Over the past three years, Matt has grown the team from 7 to 25 members including long-time friend, Tricia Chandler, who rides the 30-mile route on a motorized Optibike which helps postpone the onset of fatigue caused by her MS. The cyclists gain satisfaction from completing the physical challenge but the whole company takes pride in being a part of something that benefits the community. Getting behind a cause we care about really brings us together as a team, says Larry Suarez, Centre Manager. Land Rover Miramar also provides a custom-designed, beautifully wrapped Land Rover used to promote the Tour during the summer and fall months. Land Rover vehicles will be on display both at the overnight celebration and the Day 2 finish line in Mission Bay. Visit the Land Rover Miramar showroom near Pioneer Centres on Clayton Drive, or for more information visit www.landrovermiramar.com. About Multiple Sclerosis Multiple sclerosis interrupts the flow of information within the brain and between the body and stops people from moving. 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 at least two to three times more women than men being diagnosed with the disease. MS affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.1 million worldwide. Team Land Rover enjoys their team tent at the overnight. Matt is seated, fourth from the left. Team 24 Hour Fitness pose for their group photo. It s Time for Fitness on Your Terms 24 Hour Fitness Team Captain Roland Hoffman will be celebrating his twenty-second Bike MS Tour this fall. Over the last four years, Roland has expanded 24 Hour Fitness presence nationwide! Twenty-six different Bike MS events are held in 24 Hour Fitness market areas annually. Last year, 24 Hour Fitness formed teams in six of these areas; Roland s goal is to reach ten teams this year! Roland has taken a significant role in developing www.24hourfitness-ms150.com, produced videos to help recruit cyclists and continues to create newsletters to keep registered cyclists informed and excited. Inquire at your local 24 Hour Fitness about how to join Team24 Pacific, or visit www.biketofinishms.com/24hourfitness. Everyone wants it to be fun to get fit, and stay fit. That s what fitness on your terms is all about. The Bike MS Tour is a great way to achieve this while giving back to the community, says Roland. But you don t have to join a 24 Hour Fitness team in order to train. They host a program for cyclists to prepare for the Tour for beginners or experienced cyclists, whether or not you re a member of 24 Hour Fitness. Free training rides are held every Saturday morning all summer long. Inquire at your local 24 Hour Fitness about how to join Team24 s training, or visit biketofinishms.com/24hourfitness.com. From left: Emmett Miller, Michaela Pereira and Sam Rubin. KTLA Morning News Rides! Sam Rubin, honorary chair of the Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour and entertainment reporter for KTLA Morning News, is looking forward to riding his eleventh year in the Tour. Sam rides with a team of about ten cyclists, often including other anchors and reporters such as Emmett Miller, Michaela Pereira and Eric Spillman. Each year at the Tour I meet more people with MS (including other cyclists) and learn a little more about what the National MS Society does from programs and services to help people live better with MS, to funding research to find a cure, comments Sam. Sam is consistently a Top Fundraiser and member of the 150 Club. Learn more and register to ride at www.biketofinishms.com/ktla. Official Training Partner Bryan Hill, CEO of Rehab United, plans to ride in the Bike MS Tour for his fourth year this fall. As Official Training Partner of the 2009 Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour, Rehab United will organize and host weekend group training rides as well as provide a free training calendar available for download at www.biketofinishms.com. Bryan s goal for the partnership is as much social as it is training-related. What we re trying to do is connect people, says Bryan, because people are inspired by each other. Our rides get people together to train, learn safe cycling practices, stretching and injury prevention strategies. Group rides also blend the fun social aspect with the mission behind the ride. Rehab United s Sports Performance Center TM (SPC) is a strength and conditioning company designed to provide the athletic community with functional and sports-specific training facilities. Visit www.rehabunited.com for or details on gym memberships, weekly classes, training calendars and physical therapy questions. About the National MS Society MS stops people from moving. The National MS Society exists to make sure it doesn t. We help each person address the challenges of living with MS. Last year alone, through our national office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted over $136 million to programs that enhanced more than one million lives. Locally, the Pacific South Coast Chapter provides programs and services designed to help the 18,000 people and families affected by MS in San Diego, Orange and Imperial counties move their lives forward. To move us closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested approximately $50 million to support 440 research projects around the world. Nearly $4 million is spent on MS research in our area annually. We are people who want to do something about MS NOW. Join the movement at www.mspacific.org. REGISTER TODAY! www.biketofinishms.com
Celebrating 10 YEARS of Bike MS Cycling Lloyd s Lagers After riding the 1997 Bike MS Tour with several friends, Georgette Sleeth asked friend Todd to join them. The very next year, Todd s father, Lloyd von Sprecken, was diagnosed with MS. Cycling didn't seem possible for someone with walking and balance problems, Lloyd recalled. But the team kept encouraging him ride. In 2000, Todd turned up with an old tandem bike he'd found, and Lloyd became a cyclist. Team Captain, Georgette, confesses that Lloyd inspires her to keep riding year after year. Lloyd doesn t have the option of not dealing with MS. So how can I not do the Bike Tour? I ll do anything I can to keep another family from having to go through what Lloyd s has, she says. "Tandems are heavier than other bikes," Lloyd says. "We'd have to walk it if it wasn't for a few 'animals' on the team who grab the back of our bike and help push us up those hills with their pedal power." At 71, Lloyd maintains that biking has helped his general health, his fatigue and even slowed his disease progression. "You meet great people, have fun, and feel good. I take a great satisfaction that with my age and my disability people can look at me and say, 'If he can do it, then so can I.'" Lloyd s Lagers is hoping to reach 100 members this year in celebration of their tenth year riding as a team. Learn more, donate to Lloyd s Lagers or register to ride at www.biketofinishms.com/loydslagers. Lloyd and son, Todd, trek along the Bike MS Tour route. Team Disney For more than eight decades, the name Disney has been preeminent in the field of family entertainment from humble beginnings as a cartoon studio to today s global entertainment company. In a shorter but still impressive history, Team Disney first joined the Bike MS Tour in 2000 with just four Cast Members raising $3,000. Over the past nine years the team has grown to nearly 200 riders annually and has raised over $650,000 toward a world free of MS. Walt Disney knew how important it was to give back to our community. We re proud to keep Walt s legacy alive as we strive to make a difference in our community and in the lives of those with MS, says Team Captain, Dorothy Wilson. Now in its tenth year on the Bike MS Tour, Team Disney has set a fundraising goal of $150,000 and hopes to yet again have 200 Disney Cast Members and their family and friends on the team! Team members include individuals from the Disneyland Resort and all over the Walt Disney Company some have even traveled from Walt Disney World to participate in the ride. The ride brings people together from all areas of our company and gives us the opportunity to have fun, focus on health and wellness and the best part--to make a difference! says Dorothy, who hopes that this Tour is the best and biggest in Team Disney s history. Learn more or start a team at www.biketofinishms.com. A New Spin on Teambuilding Especially in these difficult times, companies are committed to their employees and the communities in which they live and work. Building strong teams and employee camaraderie is a sure way to boost morale. According to Mayo Clinic Staff, aerobic exercise (such as bicycling) boosts your mood, keeps excess pounds at bay, increases stamina, reduces health risks and more. Recent studies from the America Journal of Health Promotion show that a physically active employee will save you approximately $400 per month as compared to an inactive employee. Companies like FedEx, Sony, Disney, Wal-Mart, Mitsubishi, Union Bank, Qualcomm, KPMG and more have leveraged Bike MS to build teams and the benefit the health of their employees with little or no company cost and a hugely positive effect on their business. Start your team today at www.biketofinishms.com or contact Jenny Dittmore at (760) 448-8408 jenny.dittmore@mspacific.org. Or plan to volunteer as a group! Every hour in the United States, someone is newly diagnosed with MS, an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. Team Disney members stop along the coast to commemorate the ride. Mitsubishi s Champion Long-time cyclist, David Brooks, rode his first Bike MS Tour 11 years ago. I had done a lot of T-shirt rides but the Bike MS Tour was on another level. The great route, the phenomenal support I felt like a rock star for a weekend, says Dave. Even if I don t do any other rides this is the one I do every year. Everything else gets put on hold. This fall, Dave will once again ride the Tour, joined by his team of 8 years, Mitsubishi Motors. About half of us have some direct relationship with MS, but it s my goal to get everyone involved, says Dave. A few years ago, a Society team coach suggested an MS Champion for the team. That Champion was Frank Austin, a local man who has been living with MS for over 25 years. Frank jumped in with both feet and registered as a Virtual Rider on the team. Dave included Frank s story and thoughts in the team s email newsletters. On the day of the ride when Frank joined us for our team photo, our whole team realized that this ride is really about making a difference for people with MS, recalls Dave. Frank brought everyone together toward a common goal. Team Mitubishi smiles for their group photo. Dave is far left in the first row, Frank is center holding the team sign. Dave continues, Frank taught me how to be a volunteer. He s engaged, involved, vocal he does everything that he can. Even with MS, he has so much energy, drive and focus. It s really cool to call him a friend of mine. Learn more, donate or register to ride at www.biketofinishms.com/ MitsubishiMotors. Team KPMG members stop and pose along the route. KPMG All Stars Avid cyclist, Chris Paskach, first became interested in the Bike MS Bay to Bay Tour seven years ago when his firm established an official team, KPMG All Stars. I joined because it s a great cause, I enjoy cycling and I wanted to get better acquainted with my KMPG colleagues, recalls Chris. Before the next year s Tour rolled around, one of Chris friends was diagnosed with MS; the cause had just become personal. Last year Chris became KPMG s Team Captain and engaged co-captains to help him recruit team members, encourage fundraising and more. Finding additional enthusiastic co-captains from each participating KPMG office and practice will help the team achieve this year s goal of 100 members and $75,000! Over their 8-year history, the KPMG All Stars have raised over $350,000. The team s fundraising website explains To be a member of our team all you need to do is BELIEVE. BELIEVE in a world free of MS, and help us make the hope become reality. This is why we ride. Chris says that the team brings employees together from all areas of KPMG. I think people feel good about doing good, says Chris. Plus it s such a beautiful ride! One co-worker commented to Chris after his first Bike MS Tour last fall, My only regret is that I didn t do it five years ago when you first asked. Learn more, donate or register to ride at www.biketofinishms.com/kpmgallstars. REGISTER TODAY! biketofinishms.com
Sponsored By Presenting Platinum Volunteer Diamond Help us support 2,500 cyclists as they make their way down the coast. Individuals and groups will enjoy assisting with many aspects of the Tour ranging from set-up and tear-down of sites and rest stops, to cheering at start & finish lines. Visit www.biketofinishms.com and click Volunteer Registration or contact Linda Ingram at (760) 448-8416 or linda.ingram@mspacific.org. R E G I S T E R AT B I K E T O F I N I S H M S. C O M GOLD MS Team FedEx In 2004, Chino Hills resident, John Hinckley, learned that a colleague of his had been diagnosed with MS. I care about MS, and I m an avid cyclist, so when I heard about the Bike MS Tour, I joined, recalls John. That year, the local MS Team FedEx reached nearly 10 members. John and co-worker Willie Macias completed their very first century ride that October; the Bike MS Century Challenge. In 2005 we recruited people from other FedEx centers and operating companies, and it started to grow, says John. It s very much an employee-supported effort. The team has exceeded 50 members per year in recent years. Additionally, FedEx supports the Tour by providing the luggage trucks and other transportation. Of his and co-captain Ray Ramirez recruitment success, John says, We saw the opportunity to get other FedEx team members and friends involved, and we now have a great core group of riders. Excellence in Massage Therapy Education since 1994 SILVER Over the next few years, John s colleague s mobility decreased and he soon relied on a cane. Eventually he had to stop working, says John. I know more people who have MS now, and it really touches me. I place their names on my bike every year. Bronze Since 2001, MS Team FedEx members nationwide have raised $1.7 million, with cash and in-kind donations from FedEx bringing the total to over $2 million donated to the Society. Their goals for 2009 include participation in 50 Bike MS rides across the country with 1,500 total team members and $500,000 raised. Learn more at www.biketeam.fedex.org, or donate or register to ride at www.biketofinishms.com/msteamfedex. Supporting East County Herald News FuserBay/Diesel Mix Gotein LaraBar Melissa s Popchips POWERADE Presidio Sentinel RoadID Sweet Leaf Iced Tea