Cycling club hits the road for good cause

SWAMPSCOTT – The Beach Bluff Cycling Club is hitting the road – 175 miles of road to be exact – to raise money to help find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.Team Captain Myles Brown said the group started when residents of the Beach Bluff Neighborhood started riding together informally years ago.”In 2005 I made my first ride for Multiple Sclerosis,” he said. “The next year I got the rest of the club involved. It has been a great experience and it’s such a worthwhile cause.”The cycling enthusiasts began raising money as a group to participate in the Cape Cod Getaway, which is organized by the Central New England chapter of National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Since then the team has grown to more than a dozen members, representing five communities including Swampscott, Marblehead, Lynn, Salem and Boxford.Co-Captain Philip O’Sullivan said The Beach Bluff Cycling Club formed team “Gourmet Garden” in 2006 to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.”In 2006, we raised over $10,000 for MS and had nine registered riders,” he said. “The team has grown to 13 in 2008. So far, we have raised more than $13,000 and we are well on our way to reaching our goal of $20,0000.”Brown said the ride gets underway on June 28 and he expects the team to be ready.”We’re getting up at 5:30 a.m. to get in an hour of training every morning before heading off to work,” he said. “We’re doing longer rides on the weekends to get prepared.”Brown admits the ride is grueling for the club members, who are juggling careers, family obligations in addition to trying to train properly.”We’re not professional cyclists and when we cross that finish line we’re exhausted and sore from head to toe,” Brown said. “But the truth is that it’s nothing compared to the pain of living with MS.”Those interested in making a donation can do so online at http:// mam.nationalmssociety.org