A CHAIN of cyclists rode through the Dandenong Ranges last week, stopping for morning tea in Belgrave, in aid of the MS Celebrity Red Ride.
Paralympic Gold Medallist Carol Cooke and former AFL player and football commentator Michael Roberts were among the sporting notables who rode through the hills on Thursday morning, 7 March.
The MS Celebrity Ride was a challenging 1000-kilometre ride through regional Victoria to help raise vital funds and awareness for people living with Multiple Sclerosis.
Cooke, who won gold in the 2012 London Paralympics, is an MS Ambassador living with MS.
Last week she told the Mail it had been a fantastic ride so far.
“The riders have really surprised me with what I thought some would be able to do,” she said.
She said MS Ambassador Steve van Ruyven was “hoping” to do 700 km of the 1000 km but literally smashed that goal.
“Last night he thought he was at about 640 km I think he said, well today he did the entire 187, so he is well over 800 km already,” she said.
“The ride is more of a challenge and we’re trying to tell people that living with MS is a challenge so here’s a challenge to get through and raise some money for the association at the same time.”
She said the riders had even received donations along the way.
“We had little old ladies coming up to us and handing us money, telling us we were doing a great job,” she said.
The MS Celebrity Red Ride travelled the last 107 kms of the seven-day trip through the Dandenongs and arrived in Melbourne at around 1pm.
To find out more about the MS Celebrity Red Ride and to support the riders visit www.msredride.org.au
fact box
About MS
MS is a chronic disease that randomly attacks the central nervous system and is the most common neurological disease in young Australian adults.
Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 and experience extreme fatigue, chronic pain, visual disturbances, mobility issues and – in extreme cases – partial or complete paralysis.
