Frequently Asked Questions

Cyclists of all ages may participate in the tours and all participants must raise the $250 fundraising minimum. Cyclists under 18 must have a waiver signed by an adult.

Cyclists under the age of 18 must have an adult accompany them if they wish to participate in a 2 day tour and stay overnight in MS Society of Canada provided accommodations.

The MS Society will transport your luggage from Day 1 Start to Day 1 Finish, and back again the following morning. You can claim your luggage upon arrival at both locations.

Yes! We are always looking for volunteers to help out with all aspects of the RONA MS Bike Tours. Visit our volunteer page to find a volunteer position that interests you.

No, accommodations are not included. However, we encourage participants to book a room at our preferred accommodations location at Brock University. On Saturday night there is a welcome reception at Brock University so you can check in for the ride and mingle with your fellow cyclists and it is only a short drive to the start location on Sunday morning.

The room prices are as follows:
Adult 18+ $49.50
Youth 11-17 $40.50
Child $16.00

The cut-off date for guests to register at the discounted rate will be Sunday August 14th. After this date it will be subject to availability and at regular rates.

http://www.brocku.ca/conference-services/groups/school-tours/Rona-MS-Bike-Tour-reservations

Best Western Inn on the Hill in Georgetown is offering RONA MS Bike Tour participants, friends and families a discounted rate of $89.99 for Friday August 12 2011. The hotel is conveniently located about a 15 minute drive from the start/finish location, Prospect Park, in Acton.

365 Guelph Street, Georgetown, Ontario, L7G 4B6, CA
Toll Free Reservations: 800-563-2476

Yes, you can park overnight at all of our Start Locations for the two day Tours.

If you are one of the 100 Club members you will be able to park onsite at the start/finish line as long as you arrive before 7:45am.

There is additional parking located in the following locations in Acton. All parking areas are less than 1K from Prospect Park and there is luggage drop off at the parking area.

Fraser Direct Transport - Mill St

1. Take HWY 401 to Regional Road 25 North (to Halton Hills and Acton)
2. Turn right on Mill St. E
3. Fraser Direct Transport is on the right
   Halton Hills Hydro - 43 Alice Street

1. Take HWY 401 to Regional Road 25 North (to Halton Hills and Acton)
2. Turn right on Mill St. E
3. Turn left on Willow St. N
4. Turn right on Bower St
5. Turn left on Alice St
6. Halton Hills Hydro is on the right

The top 100 fundraisers from 2010 in each tour (top 50 in Toronto) are given special yellow bibs for the 2010 tour. The number on the bib corresponds to their rank in the 2009 tour. For example the #1 top fundraiser will have a yellow bib with the #1 on it.

Different tours will have different benefits for this special group.

You should receive your bib one month before your tour in the mail.

Yes, for safety reasons all riders must wear a bike helmet on route.

The ride will take place rain or shine. If the weather turns while on route and it is not safe to continue riding in we encourage you to use your own good judgment and seek shelter immediately.

A copy of last year's route map is located in the Cyclist Handbook. We are not expecting any major changes in the route this year however, due to road construction we may need to change the route at the last minute. Please ensure that you pick up a copy of this year's route map at the start line.

Dogs may attend the ride. Please note that we cannot transport animals in support and gear vehicles and animals cannot stay in MS Society provided accommodations overnight.

The length of time it will take you to ride depends on the route, if you plan on stopping and how long you plan on stopping for. The RONA MS Bike Tour is not a race and you can finish at your own pace. We ask that you stay on the route at all times as there will be a Tour Leader riding at the end of the route to ensure that no one is left behind.

Support and Gear vehicles travel along the route to assist riders if they feel they cannot finish or they need transportation to the nest rest stop. At most rest stops along the route there is a first aid station as well as bike mechanic. Tour Leader volunteers will be cycling with you on the route and can help out when needed.

Tour Leaders are cyclists that are volunteering their time to help riders on the route. They will be wearing either a green t shirt or green jersey or orange safety vest for easy identification. These volunteers can assist with minor first aid, help you change a tube and offer encouragement along the route.

If you would like to volunteer as a Tour Leader please contact your local office.

The RONA MS Bike Tour is for everyone from the novice to accomplished cyclists. If you are a new rider, we encourage you to train for the ride by attending one of our training rides throughout the spring and summer.

There is a lot of support along the route and volunteer Tour Leaders to encourage you along the way. Support and gear vehicles also travel along the route to transport you if you feel you cannot finish or stop and help you if you are experiencing difficulties.

There are rest stops every 15 to 20K along the route with water, Gatorade and some sort of snack. At approximately midway point there is a lunch stop with sandwich items. Dinner and breakfast are provided by the University Cafeteria at the two -day events. Each event has a finish line BBQ for you to enjoy at the end.

The 30K route in Toronto and 45K route in Niagara, do not have a lunch rest stop.

Please bring a water bottle(s) with you for filling up at the rest stops.

If you have dietary concerns you may want to bring your own snacks and contact your local MS Society office about dinner and breakfast options.

You can register up until the day of for any of the RONA MS Bike Tours. Please note that some accommodation options may not be available if you register later in the season.

TeamMS is a program promoting community involvement that is being implemented in communities and companies of all sizes across Canada! At the community level, it brings family, friends, relatives and neighbours together in a joint effort to support the local community. At the corporate level, it enables business associates to create teams with their co-workers, families, friends, suppliers, distributors, and participate in fun-filled events.

All Teams have a minimum requirement of 3 members plus a Team Captain to be eligible for specific TeamMS rewards, prizes, incentives and awards. There is no maximum to team sizes.

All teams have a Team Captain who is the main contact person with team members. The Team Captain liaises with the MS Society for registration, pre-event, event day and post-event day activities.

As the team leader, you will establish recruitment and fundraising goals and post them on your team fundraising page. The page is easy to create and personalize. Your fundraising page will help to promote your fundraising initiatives and be the perfect vehicle for providing regular updates with your team members.

There are resource materials available online. MS staff are also available to help.

Teambuilding will develop teamwork, unity and pride as you work towards a common goal ... joining in the fight to end MS. Participating as a Team will create a fun, social opportunity that promotes health, fitness and social well-being. And the larger your team, the more stories you will share!

In addition to creating a truly memorable event because you are surrounded by people you have selected to become members of your Team, the MS Society has special incentives to reward you for taking a leadership role. These include:

• Team photo on event day
• TeamMS special event day awards
• Team Captain gift
• TeamMS Village

Your registration fee includes access to the rest stops along the route, support and gear vehicle support, a BBQ at the Finish Line and access to your personal online fundraising page. In the two day tours it also includes accommodations, linens, dinner and breakfast.

In 2011 the participants in Toronto are piloting a new system. Your friends and family can search you, they just need to look specifically in the RONA MS Bike Tour - Toronto directory. You can also provide a link directly to your page by sending an email directly from your personal page or by copying and pasting the URL that is located at the top of the email template.

Registration fees are not tax receiptable.

The minimum pledge for all riders is $250.

On the day of the event if you have not reached your minimum pledge we will ask you for a credit card to cover the difference. You will have until one month after the ride to continue fundraising and then you will be notified of the amount remaining, your credit card will be charged and you will receive a tax receipt.

You must raise a minimum of $250 per RONA MS Bike Tour. However if you would like all of your fundraising to go all to one online fundraising account to make it easier for you to fundraise and for prize allocation just let your local office know.

Offline donors will automatically be issued a tax receipt for donations over $20 if the MS Society is provided with their full name and mailing address. If a donor would like a tax receipt for amounts less than $20 they should indicate it on your pledge sheet when making the donation. All offline donors will receive their tax receipt by mail.

Online donors will be given the option of selecting whether they would like a tax receipt or not and the tax receipt will be emailed to them immediately.

Please have the donor contact us directly. We will need to know who they donated to, which event it was for and the amount. As soon as we verify the donation we will be able to supply them with a duplicate tax receipt.

Prior to the ride you can mail your donations and pledge sheets to our secure mailbox.

PO Box 37 Station F, 50 Charles Street East, Toronto Ontario, M4Y 2L4. Be sure to specify which RONA MS Bike Tour you are donating to on the front of the envelope. In order to ensure our records are accurate please ensure to include a completed pledge sheet with the donations.

Otherwise your donations can be handed in at Check In

If you are unable to attend the Tour it is helpful to let us know so that we do not incur more costs as many of our costs are determined on a per head basis.

Registration fees are not refundable.

If you have already started fundraising your funds you have the option of leaving the funds as is and collecting a fundraising prize if you are eligible or you can transfer those funds to one other person. If you do not indicate which you would like to do we will leave the funds where they are and issue you a fundraising prize if you are eligible.

We do not organize rides to the Start/Finish locations. However we encourage you to join our facebook page to find others in your area who may also be looking to ride share.

Please indicate on your pledge envelope what prize you are requesting. Or send an email requesting your prize. Prizes will be mailed starting in October if we have a prize selected for you.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord. The disease attacks the protective myelin covering of the central nervous system, causing inflammation and often destroying the myelin in patches and at times the nerve fibres (axons) themselves. In its most common form, MS has well defined attacks followed by complete or partial recovery. The severity of MS, progression and specific symptoms cannot be predicted at the time of diagnosis.

Multiple sclerosis can occur at any age. It is usually diagnosed between the ages of 15 to 40, when people are finishing school and starting careers and families. It can make its first appearance in young children and in older adults. MS is more than three times as likely to occur in women than in men and is seen most commonly in people of northern European background.

MS symptoms are unpredictable and vary greatly from person to person. Symptoms may include: vision disturbances such as double or blurred vision; extreme fatigue; loss of balance; problems with coordination; pain; depression; stiffness of muscles; speech problems; bladder and bowel problems; short-term memory problems, and even partial or complete paralysis. Please keep in mind, not all people with MS will experience all symptoms and often the symptoms will improve during periods of remission.

We do not know as yet what causes MS. Most researchers believe that MS is an autoimmune disease. For reasons that are still unclear, the body's immune system malfunctions and starts attacking the myelin which protects the central nervous system. There is some evidence that a common virus may trigger MS, and that certain people are more susceptible to developing MS because of genetic factors. There is no evidence, however, that MS is a directly inherited disease. A number of genes are probably involved in making some people more susceptible to MS.

An estimated 55,000 to 75,000 Canadians have MS. Prevalence rates range from 240 cases of MS per 100,000 population to 350 per 100,000 across the country. Canada is a high-risk area for the disease. Multiple Sclerosis occurs more often in countries like Canada that are further away from the equator. The MS Society estimates that approximately 1,000 new cases of MS are diagnosed each year, which means three more people are diagnosed with MS everyday in Canada.