With perfect weather all weekend long, the 22nd edition of the MS 150 Bike to the Breakwater wheeled off this weekend starting Saturday at 7:30 a.m.
The event is the biggest annual fundraiser for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. The first 75-mile leg of the 150-mile, two-day route took bicyclists out to Buxton and Cornish on Saturday. On Sunday, cyclists headed to Pine Point Beach in Scarborough.
Bicyclists from around the Lakes Region, greater Portland and around Maine and New England rode the 150 miles to help raise money for the Maine chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, based in Portland. Similar rides were being hosted concurrently at 58 other MS Society chapters around the United States.
Maine’s chapter president Russ Anderson said 420 riders registered and about $300,000, although final figures are not yet known, was raised.
Saint Joseph’s College was the title sponsor this year. Bicyclists stayed in dorms or tents overnight at the college and enjoyed healthy, carbohydrate-filled meals at the school’s cafeteria.
According to Anderson, a quarter of the money raised goes to national level of the MS Society for research. Three-quarters of the money will go to help about 3,000 families in Maine that have a family member who has Multiple Sclerosis. The Society provides education for newly diagnosed individuals, counseling, support groups, direct cash grants for medical needs, and help with state bureaucracy.
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