Over 70 members strong and 10 years long!

Co-captains Marion and Sharen are no strangers to the MS Bike. Team Doug and Marion’s MS Erasers formed 10 years ago and has been growing in number ever since! The team currently has an extraordinary 78 members, and they are hoping to reach 100+ in time for the tour. When asked how they grew their team so large, the enthusiastic Team Captains say it is a matter of friends asking friends and the momentum carries on from there, “We invite someone once and they usually get hooked! It’s kind of addictive team members invite a friend and that friend invites a friend and so on. There are so many smaller groups/families within our team, but once we are at the ride, we all join together and have a blast.”

Marion and Sharen also believe that a contributing factor to their ever-growing team is in large part due to the emphasis they place on having a good time and enjoying the whole experience of the event, “We have lots of fun and great laughs. We aren’t competitive or have eligibility criteria other than raising the fundraising minimum, but as a team we end up raising more! We are also very welcoming of new participants, and have a few team members with MS who add an extra level of motivation for us."

The team has another great recruitment tool as Marion and her husband own Doug and Marion’s Bike Sales and Repairs, a cycling shop based out of Strathroy. “We have members from the Strathroy, London, Waterloo Region, Guelph, Fergus, Woodstock, Barrie and Hamilton area. Doug and Marion’s is great for recruiting new members as they are always promoting the ride in their store. They are so dedicated to giving to the community in everything they do they promote the MS Bike to every customer that comes in,” says Sharen.

For more tips and information on participating as a team, check out the Team Tools page on msbike.ca

Today is “wear your jersey to work day”!

Are you spreading the word about multiple sclerosis and MS Bike by wearing your jersey to work? Have you received any pledges from coworkers? Let us know on our Facebook and twitter accounts!

Wear your jersey to work & spread the word about MS!

We’re a week away from the MS Bike’s “wear your jersey to work day” – Friday, May 24! Take advantage of casual Friday at your office to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis and your participation in MS Bike. When your coworkers ask about it, tell them about the event and why you’re participating. It’s a great opportunity to earn some pledges or recruit new members for your team.

Five ways to make your bike part of your Halloween costume

 

Still scrambling for an idea for your Halloween costume? Why not incorporate your bike and ride around town in the spirit of the day? Here are five ideas sure to make people smile as you cycle past them.

1. ET

 

Who could forget this iconic image from Steven Spielberg’s classic film? Wear a red hoodie and attach a blanket-wrapped stuffed toy to the front of your bike to recreate the Elliot and E.T. escape scene.

2. Napoleon Dynamite

In the 2004 comedy, Napoleon Dynamite’s primary mode of transportation is his bicycle. Once you’ve recreated his hair and glasses, make yourself even more recognizable by wearing the character’s famous “Vote for Pedro” t-shirt.

3. Anne of Green Gables

 

 

 

As a slightly more refined – and Canadian - choice, dress as Anne of Green Gables from the second of the series of films inspired by Lucy M. Montgomery’s classic novels.

4. Wizards on Brooms

 

 

 

 

A group of LA cyclists had a lot of fun dressing up as characters from Harry Potter and turning their bikes into brooms for the occasion. With enough friends you might even be able to play a quick game of Quidditch!

5. Turn your bike into a noble steed

 

 

For an annual Halloween race in Wisconsin, one rider turned her bike into a horse. But why stop there? With a little construction skill you could transform your bike into an elephant, a shark or a dinosaur and amaze passersby.

The sky’s the limit for costume ideas once you start to think outside the box. You can even get your entire team involved in the fun and ride in costume during the 2013 MS Bike Tour – registration opens in November! Just remember to design your costume so that the motion of you or your bike is not disrupted, and your vision is clear.

Whether you’re incorporating your bike or not, let us know what you’re dressing as for Halloween in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter. And if you do ride your bike in costume, send us a photo and we might share it with your fellow riders.

Five impressive bicycle world records

Last week, the Toronto Star wrote about 100 year-old cyclist Robert Marchand, who rode 100 kilometres in just over four hours.  His achievement inspired us to search for some other impressive biking records from the Guinness Book of World Records.

 

 

Tallest rideable bicycle – Pictured above. In 2004, Winnipeg’s Terry Goertzen built and rode a bicycle over 18 feet tall!

 

These bikes at the 2012 MS Bike Tour – Grand Bend to London weren’t quite as tall, but their riders score extra points for style!

Most steps climbed by a bicycle - Three separate riders climbed 2008 stairs on New Year’s Eve 2007, in recognition of the upcoming 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Longest distance cycling backward in 24 hours – In 2004, American Darl Bonnema cycled 180 kilometres – backwards! – in a single day.

Fastest crossing of America by bicycle – Rob Kish made the journey in only 8 days, 3 hours and 11 minutes back in 1992.

Fastest circumnavigation by bicycle – The United Kingdom’s Alan Bate circled the globe – starting and finishing in Bangkok, Thailand – in 127 days, a total distance of nearly 30,000 kilometres.

We may not set any new world records during the upcoming 2013 MS Bike Tour, but we are already North America’s largest cycling series! We hope many of you will set new personal or team bests and share your goals in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.


 

Now that’s dedication!

Check out these photos of MS Bike Tour participant Anne showing her commitment to #end MS! Thank you to Anne for gearing up for the third time to end MS!

Top Memories from the 2011 MS Bike Tour

As we begin planning for this year’s MS Bike Tour, let’s take a minute to remember some of the highlights from the past Tour season. Here are our Top Memories from the 2011 MS Bike Tour:

Biggest Tent Village to date. In Grand Bend, we had our biggest tent village ever. It was great to see our returning teams grow in size and welcome many new teams. It will be a challenge for all MS Bike Tours to top last year’s numbers in Grand Bend, but let’s see who takes the top spot in 2012!

New BBQ for Top Fundraisers. The 100 Club Barbecue was a new initiative at the 2011 MS Bike Tour. The BBQ was added as an upgrade to the VIP areas for our amazing top fundraisers, who are recognized by their special yellow rider bibs. The BBQ included an exclusive menu of pulled pork or BBQ Chicken and a selection of salads.

Tasty lunch in Niagara. Participants still remember the delicious corn brought by RONA, the MS Bike Tour’s long-time, now former title sponsor. The MS Society of Canada would like to recognize and thank RONA Inc. for more than a decade of committed sponsorship of the MS Bike Tour.

New stops along the Acton to Waterloo route. Cyclists in the Acton to Waterloo Tour enjoyed two gorgeous new stops along their way. In the Brian Carrigan Century Loop, riders took a serene break at the Starkey Hill Conservation Area, a spot that is popular among hikers and birdwatchers. And on Day 2, took in the sites at the Warren Greenhouses during their lunch break in Kitchener.

Extreme Weather. Many of the Tours in 2011 were hit with crazy weather. In Grand Bend to London, riders experienced a hot, sticky heat wave.  Cyclists in the Acton to Waterloo and Niagara Tour all powered through torrential downpours. But Toronto riders were left unscathed, ending off the season with fabulous summer weather!

Enhanced online fundraising system piloted in Toronto. It was great to see the enhanced online fundraising system be put to use for the first time in Toronto in 2011. The system is now being used for all MS Bike Tours, making it even easier to register, create your personal fundraising page and get started on your fundraising.  New features allow you to upload personal email lists, post a photo or video, monitor and share your fundraising progress, track offline pledges and much more.  Visit msbiketours.ca to check it out today!

Thanks again to everyone who made the 2011 MS Bike Tour such a success! We look forward to seeing you and many new faces in 2012! Register today!

Did we forget something? Have another great memory to share? Leave us a wall post on Facebook or a tweet on Twitter! We’d love to hear about your favourite memory from the 2011 MS Bike Tour.