The 2023 Olympic Peninsula Loop organized by Bike the US for MS is now officially finished. Those of the 33 riders who are local to the Seattle area are home; most of the other riders are flying home today. But three of them are still in town because tomorrow they begin the Pacific Coast Route—riding from Seattle to San Diego. Some of the seven route leaders from the Olympic Peninsula Loop will also continue with the PacCoast team.
The totals for the 2023 Olympic Peninsula Loop are: 375 miles ridden; 17,247 feet of elevation climbed; and most importantly, $71,328 in donations raised.
At the post-ride celebration on Saturday, the Olympic Peninsula Loop team presented a check for $15,000 to the Swedish Multiple Sclerosis Center in Seattle.
Seventy-five percent of all donations received by Bike the US for MS go to patient care, largely in the form of donations to three major MS centers in the country: the Swedish Multiple Sclerosis Center in Seattle; the MS Achievement Center in St. Paul, Minnesota; and the James Q. Miller Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. The remaining 25% of the donations cover administrative costs and the support team of route leaders essential for every trip. The riders cover all their own expenses for travel, cycling and camping gear, and food.
If you’d like to experience this adventure firsthand, you can register for any of the BTUSFMS cross-country, coastal or multi-day regional rides. You can also register to ride just a segment of any of the rides. Either way, it’s a journey you’ll never forget.
To learn more, please visit the organization’s website at http://www.biketheusforms.org.
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