"Why don't you switch gears?" The question for him is not an uncommon one, says Brent Curran, a Green Lake resident and six-year veteran of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society's Bike MS Ride. "A couple of years ago [during an MS ride in Seattle] I was just grinding up this hill, and a guy next to me was like 'switch gears!' And when I told him I was riding a single-speed, he looked down [and swore]," Curran recalled. "That's when I realized that people with MS don't have the option; they can't just change gears and make it easier. My job is to remind people why we're out here doing this." The symbolism, Curran will tell you, is rich. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that attacks the central nervous system, often causing loss of vision, reduced mobility and even paralysis. So the ability to ride in the Group Health Bike MS Ride is a privilege that many with MS don't have - many, including Curran's uncle, Steve Brewster.A FAMILY PASSIONBrewster was diagnosed with MS 12 years ago. Soon after, he sold his business - a sporting-goods store in Bellingham - he had owned for 45 years. "I opened the store when I was 21 years old," he said. "It was a lot easier back then to do that kind of thing. Selling my business - that was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do."Curran remembers tuning up skis part-time in his uncle's store when he was younger. He also remembers long bike rides with his uncle and sister. Cycling is a passion of Brewster's. "The last big trip I took [before being diagnosed] was down the West Coast. I started just south of the Columbia River and rode until we were just across the California border. I'm glad now that I don't have to say I wish I would have done that trip."Brewster currently gets around in a wheelchair. He still lives independently in Bellingham, though, and regular swimming and physical therapy have replaced cycling and skiing. "I used to really love to ride my bike," Brewster said. "I used to ride, and Brent and my niece used to ride with me. We used to ski, too. I hate to say I can't anymore because I like to say I will [ride] again in the future. Brent rides my bike, so it's still riding." The single-speed that Curran rides in the MS Ride - affectionately dubbed "Big Red" by Curran and his fellow cyclists - is the same bike that Curran's uncle rode to California just before he was diagnosed.'KEEPING THE BIKE ACTIVE'When Curran rode in his first MS Ride, in Denver in 2002, he rode Big Red. Two years and two MS rides later, Curran moved to Seattle, where he converted Big Red to a single-speed. He rode his uncle's converted single-speed in his first Greater Washington Chapter Group Health Bike MS Ride in 2005. "I'm just keeping this bike active until [my uncle's] able to get back on it," said Curran, who estimates he rides the bike for commuting purposes about 100 times per year. "I start riding Big Red about halfway through the summer to prepare for the ride in September."In 2005 (the first year Curran joined the Washington ride) he rode with just two others: his sister and a friend. Since then, Curran has captained an exponentially growing corporate team. The team, Merriman Berkman Next, had 70 riders last year. Although he no longer works for Merriman Berkman Next, Curran will continue as team captain at this year's Group Health Bike MS Ride to help keep momentum going. Curran's team will have 75 riders. They've already raised around $48,000. This year, the ride will beginSept. 13 and end Sept. 14 at the Skagit County Fairgrounds in Mount Vernon, Wash. MAKING CONNECTIONSAccording to Rosanna Snyder, development manager for the Group Health Bike MS Ride, 82 percent of the money raised by all teams goes to the National MS Foundation for research, programs and services that improve the quality of life for MS patients. While there is no known cure for MS, medications have been found that mitigate the disease. The National MS Foundation uses funds raised by the MS Ride and other events to provide U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved medications to MS patients. Funds raised by teams like Curran's also provide scholarship programs for students with MS, exercise programs and respite care, among other programs."The overall appreciation we feel for cyclists [who participate] is huge," Snyder said. "It's so important that people are using bike riding to directly impact their community. Some people, when they start doing the ride, may not have any connection to MS, but when they finish they have 10 or 15. Just because of the prevalence of MS in our region, it's so important to make those connections, and we're really excited to be a part of it."One thing I've found when I'm fund-raising is if you say 'Hey, I'm doing a ride for MS' there are shocking amounts of people who know people with MS," Curran said. "I'm genuinely shocked by how big [my] team has gotten.... And it's just friends, family and clients."BIKE MS RIDESaturday, Sept. 13 and Sunday, Sept. 14Register: (800) 344-4867, press 2; or www.MSwashington.org[[In-content Ad]]
