Sydney to gong ride
OK All you Sydney biker guys and girl,, Get you biking bum into gear and get on your bike,, we have the M.S. Sydney to gong ride coming up on the 7th of November.. I have had a chat to them and if you are am M.S.er we can get in for free(no registration fee)...
So if you want to come I will be making a team, so stay tuned as we get it all on the way.....So it's Time to start training...
Disclaimer
Disclaimer please read!
Please Note: Any advice given on OzMS must not be taken as medical advice, it's merely advice given by members from their own experiences of living with Multiple Sclerosis. Always check with your GP or Neurologist or other medical professionals, it's the smart thing to do and only logical! If you have something to contribute please do so, everybody has something to offer.
Comments
bikes
Good luck with it- I can ride a bike, but haven't touched ours since coming out nearly two years ago, so won't be joining in this one.
Ok guys the team is up and
Ok guys the team is up and running, we will be doing, the shorter 58KM but if you want to do the longer one we can meet you along the way..
So if you want to join me on the Sydney to gong ride the team is ozmser, so start training and get on your bike and join us...
a bit insensitive
I thought this bike ride was for able bodied people to raise money for MS research.
Trying to get us interested when it is physically impossible to be involved is a bit rich.
Barb
Hey Maddog, my brother did
Hey Maddog, my brother did this last year, and said it was gr8. Wish I lived closer so I could join the team, good luck and gr8 effort!!
cheers Kristy
Life is like a box of chocolates.... never know what your going to get
Barb, Richard has MS and is
Barb, Richard has MS and is doing the ride, he is letting us know about it and the OzMS site is happy to support him even if it is just to let people know about it. Many participants in these types of events are quite often the families and friends of people that have MS, so he isn't necessarily trying to recruit people that have MS, he is trying to gain support by letting people know about it.
Personally I would be lucky to ride 100 metres without falling off, but good on those that can do the ride.
I actually really do want people to post about these things, we don't get enough posts like these. Ya never know Barb people may be able to help by donating $5.00 if they can.
So lets encourage news like this, whether we can help, participate, donate or just wish them well.
Cheers.....;o)
Multiple Sclerosis Portal | Australian MS Info
reply
I'm sorry Darin but I find it a bit insensitive.
That's my opinion.
Barb
Hi Barb: Everyone's MS is
Hi Barb:
Everyone's MS is different, so if Richard is able to hop on a bike and raise awareness, money and support for those of us that can't, good on him I say. I can't ride a bike due to balance issues, so to show my support for what he's doing, I'll make a donation to his ride again this year
Do you have issues with all events that people take part in, or just the bike ride? A few of us on here take part in the Mega Swims,
Read-A-Thons, and Travel Challenges...just because we have MS doesn't mean we cant be active in the fund-raising events. At the end of the day it benefits all MS suffers.
Anyhow...that's just my opinion
Deanna
Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes.
There's too much fraternizing with the enemy.
MS and its manifestations
Hi all
Am thinking the issue is that when people get out there and do cycling marathons (or any other active pursuit) it is kind of degrading to the MS cause, in general.
Reason: many people can't cycle at all (due to fitness levels), so, you could argue that by Richard's participation..he could be saying 'hey, I've got MS, and I'm alright...'.
Am I making sense?
Thing is MS, affects people in different ways. I can walk. Many people can't.
Good on you Richard. I've often wondered about going on the MS Walk - but wasn't sure if it was suitable or not.
I'm really sorry that his post has cause offence. I know that he did not intend too. We can only participate as we are able to participate.
Julie
gong
Has been around for yonks.
A Sydney institution.
A big day in the cycle fraternity calendar.
I have no issue with the MS swimathon as that was organised by people with MS not the MS society which organises the gong.
Barb
For me the issue here is,
For me the issue here is, whatever helps to raise money to help stop MS or help those living with it is a good thing. It doesnt really bother me who organises it, who can participate in it etc, so long as the support is there, and the money is raised.
Life is like a box of chocolates.... never know what your going to get
gong
I just took exception to the suggestion to do the short ride of 50km.
That's about equal to asking someone with MS to swim to NZ.
Barb
I think this is a misunderstanding
Hi Barb,
I don't think that Richard is expecting anything. He's just asking people if they are interested. Clearly he has said that they will be taking the shorter (not short) route of 58km as there is obviously one that is longer than this. Obviously this is not short to quite a lot of us. I certainly don't think that Richard was meaning that everyone should be able to do it.
I understand from which point of view you are coming from, because every six months or so I receive a plea from the MS Society for donations, just because every now and then I have given money. They've even harassed me by phone, which I hate. I have told them point blank that I am one of the people who is financially affected by this illness so they should be supporting me, not asking me for money I don't have to spare. They really should be marketing to people without MS in my opinion, and I will donate when I feel able to, but I hate being harrassed. At the moment I don't donate because I am saving every penny for a decent home with my partner in the future.
So I get how you feel about this, but I really don't think Richard meant it to be offensive by any means as he does have MS, but may not find the fatigue or balance issues to be a problem for him with bike riding. There are probably others who are the same.
Cheers,
Jodi.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
ok
OK Jodie, I take your point.
The Gong is totally organised by MS Society.
They are trying to fund raise in the non MS community.
They did give me good support 12 years ago with a physio and neuropsychologist but otherwise I find they are a very conservative organisation.
I became a life member years ago but they have repeatedly refused my requests to put a link to our site on society site or in any publications.
They can't control us so they ignore us and shut us out.
They have done no research about successful programs like Jelinek's.
We actually help ourselves a lot more with our lateral thinking as they act like a big business in the way they operate.
So I do not feel at all like supporting the Gong as they have their own agenda.
Barb
Hi Barb One can assume by
Hi Barb
One can assume by reading your previous post that, your problem isn't with Richard doing the ride, it's actually with the MS Society????
Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes.
There's too much fraternizing with the enemy.
yes
Probably.
Barb... What’s with the bee
Barb... What’s with the bee in the bonnet?
Yes, I have MS
OK, at the moment I’m well enough to do the ride, but it will still be a bit of challenge for me. Besides, why should able bodied people have all the fun? I’m sure that there are some people on this site that CAN do the ride, and if not, maybe their spouse, sister or brother can join our team. Although it might be physically impossible for you to do it, I would like to give other people a chance to join in.
Yes, we will do the shorter course of 58km. It starts in Engadine which is a lot more downhill riding, than uphill... it’s as easy as I can make it. I’ve put the team down for completing it in 6 hours which is less than 10km/h. I’ve also asked them to waive the registration fee for people with MS. Should a rider get tired, there’s a bus that will come and pick them up.
We’ve organized swims and walks with MS’ers in the team, so why not a bike ride? At the last swim, we had 5 people with MS in the team, yes we came last, but we were there and we raised money for our fellow MS suffers. At the Macquarie swim last year, Deanna raised over $3700!!! The swims are run by the MS Society, and the money raised from the swims goes to the "Go for Gold Scholarships" which ‘provides scholarships to people living with Multiple Sclerosis to aspire and achieve to the best of their ability and also contributes to Financial Assistance Programs to provide direct and immediate support for people living with MS’
I have MS
I can ride a bike.
I like a challenge.
I loathe this mongrel of a disease and I will spit it in the eye at every chance I get.
Now if someone would like to or knows someone who would like to join us in a nice ride down to the gong........
P.S. There is a link on the MS Society web site that directs you to the OZMS web site...
Good for you
I personally dont have an issue with who organises an event that is aimed at raising funds for ms, $$ are $$ regardless of if the ms society organises it or people with ms do.
I think its a shame that such a positive post with the opportunity for others or their friends/family to join in or support too.
As for using this post to moan about the ms society dont think that is fair to Richard or others that are able to do the ride or support it. The ms society do offer a lot of help if you ask for it & it is realistic.
Enjoy the bike ride & I hope you get a lot of support too Richard.
Breathing in, breathing out, I return to my own blessed center.
I am ready to receive miracles!
I think it's great you're doing the ride!!
Hi Richard,
I had written a lengthy reply here before but lost the bugger before posting and gave up, but have come back on now and seen your post which says a lot of what I was going to say.
Barb, I think you're taking this all the wrong way. Richard is announcing a team for OzMS with Darin's approval, just like that we've done in the past for the swim. It doesn't matter whether it's a swim, fun run (which also people have posted on here about), walking steps (another person from WA was doing this), a readathon, a bike ride or whatever it is, we should all equally have the right to post information on here to spread the word for either help with sponsorship and/or other team members to come on-board. Or to just inspire people!!!
One has to remember that everyone is a different levels with this disease and there are many people on here who are newly diagnosed and still live a full active life and are not affected by MS too badly inbetween attacks. There are also people on here that after many years with the disease are able to do certain things. I couldn't do the swim event this year because I physically cannot do it anymore, it takes far too much out of me. But riding a bike, for example I find easier, easier then walking in fact (except for hills).
We all understand there are also many people who can no longer do any of these things. Some cannot even walk or even fend for themselves. But how wonderful it is when people with MS can stand up and help while they can for all the others who cannot!!! No-one knows when or what this insidious disease will throw at us next, or when, or whether one will recover fully or to what degree. So why not get out there if you can and if you want to... I remember you quoting to me a few weeks ago that one should focus on what one can do, not what one cannot do, and Richard can do this and did do this last year. If I recall correctly the race last year is something that actually made him strong as he worked toward the goal of riding in the race and he found riding suited him - correct me if I'm wrong here Richard.
So everyone has different things they can and cannot do. Richard isn't expecting everyone on here to sponsor him, nor is he putting pressure on people to ride. He's just expressing the fact he's put a team together and those who are able, those who maybe want to give it a go, or those who may have friends or family who do it, or want to do it, can have the opportunity of joining the team.
I have said to Richard myself that if I am well enough and can get some training in before then that I may attempt it. I have no idea whether I'd make the distance (probably not) and know I'd probably have to very slowly walk up any hills, but I'd give it a go if I am well and strong enough at the time. It will knock me about well and truly if I do it, but that'll be my decision if I do it. But there are many many people on this forum who are members or ones who just come and read and don't contribute that may also decide to take up the ride.
As for the fundraising side with the Gong race, the MS Society would be finding it very hard to survive if it wasn't for this race. It is the biggest influx of fundraising dollars they get. Part goes to research, part goes to those programs like physio, respite care etc;, part goes into other education programs etc; that are constantly being run in NSW/VIC.
This event is huge and people come from all over for it and I'm quite proud to know that we have people with MS who ride in it, and also proud of the others that do it on behalf of all of us as well.
I know we all get frustrated about we don't have a cure yet. We also get frustrated at times about the lack of certain things the MS Society provides, but we also have to remember they are a not for profit organisation and they reply on donations and events of this kind. We are lucky they are still afloat, they had to amalgamate in order to still be able to provide us services, rather than possibly closing down in some states. It's rides like the Gong that actually get media play and that raises some awareness, that hopefully turns into more dollars that gets us closer to a cure.
With any luck Richard may get some media attention??
After this reply!
After this post the only discussion allowed will be about the event, now I reckon ya's know what I mean when I say keep it on topic, I am not upset by anything anyone has said, I just think it's time to concentrate on what Richards post is about.
I believe in free speech and I know Barb was not what we call trolling (deliberately causing trouble to garner a reaction), she has a view and she is allowed to have that view, people have replied with their views and that's fine as well. So let's now move on, or we could call it "moving forward" in this election year ;o)
Maybe Barb was doing some viral marketing lol, so it wasn't such a bad thing, the post has had 375 views at the time of this reply.
Multiple Sclerosis Portal | Australian MS Info
Well Richard, Loads of luck
Well Richard,
Loads of luck with it. Hope you raise a fortune. Now this is really being generous considering we banana benders beat you in the State of Origin lol
Have a great time.
Cheers,
Jodi.
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
viral marketing
Not quite sure Darin. Does it mean my comments increased publicity?
Barb
Good on you Richard. Id join
Good on you Richard. Id join in a heartbeat if I had a bike.
Its great to see you have such a positive attitude towards not only raising funds for research and people living with MS but also being active and enjoying your life and all things it brings.
*Richard gets the YAY of the day from me*
Luv ya
from a fellow ACTIVE MSr
Meegan ;p