OKLAHOMA CITY –<\/p>\n
At 15 years old Chip Minty discovered his passion and his place of peace riding his bike, but a few years ago he found his purpose in riding his bike.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve raced and then I\u2019ve done triathlons,\u201d said Bike rider Chip Minty.<\/p>\n
Minty has always been drawn to any challenge involving long distance riding.<\/p>\n
\u201cI rode 400 miles in 24 hours in 1987,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n
But there is one ride that has always been on his radar.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis TansAmerica trail, I\u2019ve always wanted to ride. You know it was established in 1976, to commemorate the bicentennial, and I was 15 and I dreamed of doing this ride,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n
But then Minty got some news that may have ended his riding indefinitely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was diagnosed in 2005 with MS,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n
Multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. And while it did sideline him for a while, it wasn\u2019t enough to keep him from riding forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cVery fortunate in the medicine that I\u2019m taking is so improved over what I was taking when I was first diagnosed. It\u2019s amazing the progress we\u2019re making with MS,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n
And Minty will finally get to make that TransAmerica ride with a greater purpose, through the bike the US for MS ride.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought, well that must be a God thing because I have MS,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n
About 40 bikers will start on June 14th in Yorktown Virginia and we\u2019ll finish up in San Francisco, sixty-five days later.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat will be about 3,800 miles, distance. We\u2019ll average about 65 miles a day,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n
The ride will raise awareness and money for MS.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a group, we\u2019re approaching four hundred thousand dollars that we\u2019re raising for research and for patient services,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n
Minty has already raised around sixteen thousand dollars on his own, and he actually the only rider on the ride diagnosed with MS.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can persevere through MS, and you can be active, and cycling is the perfect exercise for people with MS,\u201d said Minty.<\/p>\n