Darren Kramer (center), Madison, poses with Kelly Dannahey, (left) Rocky Hill, and Mike Stacy, (right) Rocky Hill, just before the start of the 2012 Bike MS: Red Thread Ride+Steelcase Ride in Windsor. Kramer, who served as the event’s grand marshal for a sixth year, is an evening news anchor at WTNH News 8. His mother-in-law, Barbara Fratamico, battles multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease. Kramer is team captain for the News 8 fundraising team. Kramer has been supporting the National MS Society walk and bike events since 2006. The New Haven-based station, WTNH News 8, has been partnering with the chapter since 2000. Dannahey rode on the Banana Bike Team with team captain, Mike Stacy, an on-air personality at Lite 100.5 WRCH in Farmington. For more information on Bike MS: Red Thread+Steelcase Ride, presented by Louis Dreyfus Commodities, or to donate, visit www.bikeMSct.org.
FAIRFIELD, CT - The 32nd annual Bike MS: Red Thread+Steelcase Ride, presented by Louis Dreyfus Commodities, will be held Sunday, June 2, in Windsor and Sunday, June 9, in Westport. Although there are two separate rides, there is only one destination for these cyclists — a world free of MS.
Cyclists at the Windsor location will gather at Griffin Land and ride across the Connecticut countryside, opting to cycle 2, 10, 25, 50 or even 100 miles.
In Westport, the ride will begin at Sherwood Island State Park and travel along the Connecticut shoreline. Route options include 10, 25, 50 and 80 miles, as well as a Kiddie Ride.
Last year, Bike MS attracted more than 950 cyclists and raised more than $500,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter. This year, the chapter hopes to raise $539,000.
Finish line festivities include a barbeque lunch, live entertainment, local vendors offering product samples, free massage therapy and more.
Darren Kramer, evening news anchor for WTNH News 8, will serve as the grand marshal of Bike MS: Red Thread+Steelcase Ride. Kramer, of Madison, has a personal connection to multiple sclerosis and has worked closely with the chapter since 2006, when he joined News 8.
“National MS Society events are especially important to me and my family because my mother-in-law battles the effects of multiple sclerosis,” says Kramer. “News 8 is dedicated to helping different charities throughout Connecticut.”
The registration fee for this year’s ride is $25 prior to March 31, and $35 thereafter. The minimum fundraising amount per registered rider is $125.
Community partners include WTNH News 8, The Fox 95.9, and WRCH Lite 100.5, which has supported and promoted the ride for more than 26 years.
More than 6,000 Connecticut residents are affected by multiple sclerosis, a potentially debilitating disease. The cause is unknown and there is currently no cure for MS. Symptoms can include numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, loss of mobility and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted.
Funds raised by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Connecticut Chapter, through events such as Bike MS, ensure ongoing scientific research to find better treatments and a cure, as well as help to provide vital programs and services offered by the chapter to those in the state living with multiple sclerosis. For more information on Bike MS: Red Thread+Steelcase Ride, presented by Louis Dreyfus Commodities, or to donate, visit www.bikeMSct.org.
