Pedal Power As MS Ride Visits New London

It’s not every day you see hundreds of cyclists pedaling across the Gold Star Bridge but over the weekend, surprised motorists witnessed it twice. The break in the weather couldn’t have come at a better time for the roughly 900 cyclists participating in the 24th annual Ride the Rhode fundraiser for Multiple Sclerosis that took them from Narragansett, R.I., to New London and back again.

The 150-mile sponsored bike ride organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Rhode Island chapter drew cyclists from all over, with teams from New Jersey and even the United Kingdom. Cyclists left en masse on Saturday from Narragansett at 8 a.m., following a scenic coastal route to New London’s Connecticut College where, for the third year running, they were treated to a barbeque, beer tent, and musical entertainment before turning in for the night.

“Rhode Island’s so small we have to leave the state to do a long bike ride,” joked Thom Rafferty, 51, of Warwick, R.I., who was riding for the sixth year in a row. “The first day’s hard because it’s got a lot of hills and for people like me who have a fear of heights the Gold Star Bridge is really a challenge.”

The first riders crossed the finish line at Connecticut College at 12:15 p.m., with the final stragglers arriving at 5:15 p.m., but as organizer Ericka Tavares noted, “It’s not a race--it’s a ride.” Last year, the fundraiser raised a grand total of $805,000 for multiple sclerosis. This year, Tavares said, the Rhode Island chapter set out to break that record and hit the $835,000 mark.

“The competition is in the fundraising,” said Jerri Jaffa, captain of Nel’s Grey Goose, a team of riders that has raised close to $100,000 in the five years its members have been participating. Jaffa, a 49-year-old nurse from North Kingston, R.I., decided to ride in the fundraiser shortly after her husband, who had M.S., died in 2004. That first year, she rode a bicycle he had given her as a gift.

When it comes to fundraising, Liz Coccio’s team, Wheels on My Heels, is the one to beat. Coccio, a 48-year-old nurse from Cranston, R.I., is captain of the largest team. Its 62 riders brought in $32,500 this year. “I started riding a bike the first year I did this ride,” said Coccio. “Now, I’ve got 7,000 miles on it.”

Indeed, although many of the riders were veterans, the event included plenty of first timers too. “I bought a bike last week to do this,” said professional hockey player Jonathan Sigalet of the Springfield Falcons. “I had pretty much a starter bike. I train a lot but this is a long endurance thing.”

Sigalet--who trains in Warwick, R.I.—may be new to the event but back home in Vancouver, Canada, his family has been holding an annual fundraiser for MS since 2003. That’s when his brother, Jordan, a former Providence Bruin, was first diagnosed with MS.

Worldwide, this disabling disease of the central nervous system affects more than 2.1 million people, including 400,000 in the United States. Many of the people participating in the Bike MS Ride the Rhode fundraiser ride in support or memory of family members or friends who have been personally affected by the disease.

So what’s the toughest thing about such a long ride? Veteran cyclist Rafferty was quick with an answer to that question. “Getting back on your bike the second day!” he laughed.