MS bike tour organizers hope to raise $400,000

Susan McCormack

This weekend more than 1,150 bicyclists from Orange and San Diego

counties are expected to bike about 150 miles from Newport Dunes to San

Diego’s Mission Bay to raise $400,000 to fight multiple sclerosis.

The 16th annual event is sponsored by the National Multiple Sclerosis

Society and is the local chapters’ largest to date.

Last year, 900 local riders raised $365,000, said Tara Keithley,

spokeswoman for the society. To participate, riders must raise at least

$150. Proceeds help chapter programs, such as outreach days to help newly

diagnosed patients, and exercise and wellness activities, Keithley said.

Newport Coast residents Terri and Jim Koberstein have participated in

the event for the past three years. The two originally joined the ride in

honor of Terri’s father, Ted Gaydon, who suffers from multiple sclerosis

and is confined to a wheelchair.

The first year, the Kobersteins raised $700 in pledges. Last year, the

couple’s team, PacifiCare/Team Ted, grew to include 37 family members,

friends and colleagues who raised $32,000. This year, Terri Koberstein

said, the 55-member team is hoping to raise $40,000. This year’s team

also includes several riders and volunteers who suffer from the disease.

Terri Koberstein said two things motivate her to participate in the

event year after year: medical progress fighting the disease and her

father’s positive outlook.

“Even as the effects of multiple sclerosis continue to wear away, [my

father] never ever has had an ounce of self-pity. He says, ‘You know

what, Terri? Other people have it worse that I do,”’ she said.

The ride begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday. Participants will enjoy a party

and spend the night in Carlsbad campgrounds and hotels. Rest stops will

be posted every 10 to 15 miles and 500 volunteers will provide medical

support, meals and massages as riders make their way to San Diego’s

Mission Bay.

Officials with the society said about 3,000 Orange County residents

are affected by multiple sclerosis. The disease attacks the brain and

central nervous system, causing numbness, paralysis and blindness. There

is no known cause or cure for the disease.

For more information about the event, call (800) 486-6762.