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Fergus residents join in MS Bike Ride benefit
Published 01:28 p.m., June 23, 2009
Kim Rosentreter and Steve and Sandy Rufer of Fergus Falls joined over 3,000 other participants who rode their bicycles from Duluth to the Twin Cities June 13-14 to help raise funds for Muscular Sclerosis (MS) research and support people living with MS. The route covered 150 miles, with an overnight stop at Hinckley, the halfway point.
“This wasn’t a race, and a rider could bike at one’s own pace,” said Rosentreter. “There were hundreds of volunteers along the route, and every one of them had a smile on their face and were ready to help.”
This year was the 30th year for the Weekend MS Ride from Duluth to the Twn Cities. The amount raised by this weekend bikers was $2.6 million.
“The weather was excellent, but it was still a lot of work,” said Steve Rufer. “It was nice to have many volunteers helped at intersections and rest stops.”
Friday was spent registering and being shuttled to the starting line in Proctor.
“We slept on the gymnasium floor in the Proctor High School the first night (Friday, June 12), so we’d be ready when the sun came up,” said Rosentreter. “We had the Hinckley High School gymnasium the second night (Saturday, June 13). The gym floors were lined with sleeping bags.”
Saturday’s ride took cyclists from Proctor near Duluth to Grand Casino Hinckley on the Willard Munger State Trail. Saturday rest stops were at Carlton, Mahtowa, Moose Lake, Willow River (lunch stop) and Finlayson. They were up at 4:30 a.m. Sunday, packing their gear. After breakfast, it was off for the final 75 miles to the Twin Cities. Sunday rest stops included Pine City, Rush City, North Branch (lunch stop), Isanti and St. Francis. Sunday’s ride finished at the Northern Threshing Show Grounds.
About 25 miles of the route was on the Willard Munger state trail, and the remainder was on public roads.
“It takes a lot of organization,” said Rosentreter, “especially with 3,200 riders together in one area.”
The Rufers are already looking ahead, to 2010.
“After the ride, we were reluctant to sign up for next year,” said Steve Rufer, “but come January, participating in the 2010 ride might start to seem like a good idea. We encourage others from this area to join in, as well.”
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