Austin bike ride set to raise money for multiple sclerosis

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An estimated 6,500 bike riders will hit the streets in Texas on Saturday, April 27th as part of an effort to raise money for a cure for multiple sclerosis.

The 150-mile ride from the Texas Capitol to La Grange, and then onto College Station is part of a nationwide series of rides. More than 50,000 riders from 5,000 teams are fundraising across the country as part of the MS 150 ride.

Among them is Austin’s Sarah Reed. Doctors diagnosed Reed with MS when she was 25 after first experiencing symptoms in college.

“You can’t tell that I have multiple sclerosis,” she said. “Unless I tell you, you can’t feel my tingling my numbness.”

This year’s ride will be Reed’s sixth overall and second starting in Austin. Now in her late 30s, Reed said the progress made since her diagnosis has been significant.

“When I was 25, there were only a few disease-modifying drugs available in the market,” she said. “My first five years I didn’t have anything, and that was hard. The doctor said I probably wouldn’t be walking in a few years, and here I am 14 years later riding a 150-mile ride.”

The MS 150 ride is the 7th largest charity ride in the country, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. To date it has raised more than $1.4 billion.

Riders to College Station have already raised $5.2 million ahead of this year’s event.

If you’re interested in riding, you can learn more by visiting the Texas MS 150 website.

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