Packet Pick-Up

Each participant must meet the $300 fundraising minimum prior to picking up a rider packet.

Prior to Packet Pick-up: We recommend that you convert cash donations to check, cashier’s check or money order payable to the National MS Society prior to arriving at packet pick-up.

In order to properly credit your fundraising account, write your name and Bike MS on the memo line of each check. If turning in a money order or cashier’s check at packet pick up, write your name and Bike MS on the money order or cashier’s check.

At Packet Pick Up:

• Turn in a completed Rider Acknowledgment form
• Turn in any donations (either to meet the $400 fundraising minimum requirement or additional donations)
• Collect your rider packet
• Receive an event t-shirt, goodie bag and Bike MS: Champions bandana

For riders 17 and under, submit a completed and notarizedUNDERAGE WAIVER AND RELEASE FORM (coming soon!). The form must be signed by a parent or guardian and must be notarized. (A notary will be available at each packet pick-up.)

If you are picking up a rider packet for a friend or family member, bring their completed Rider Acknowledgment Form with you (they must have met the $300 fundraising requirement to receive their rider packet).

• Packet Pick-up Schedule
• Packet Pick-Up FAQ
• Rider Packet Acknowledgement Form
• Underage Waiver and Release Form (coming soon!)
• How to Use Your Rider Numbers
• Why $300?

Packet Pick-Up Schedule

Friday, April 15 @ Bicycles Inc.
143 East Harwood Road - Hurst, TX 76054
4-7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 19 @ Plano Cycling and Fitness
605 E. 18th Street - Plano, TX 75074
4-7 p.m.

Friday, April 22 @ Richardson Bike Mart
1451 W. Campbell Rd. #100 - Richardson, TX 75080
4-7 p.m.

April 29 Friday Expo @ Embassy Suites
7600 John Q Hammons Dr, Frisco, TX 75034
Last packet pick-up before event!
3-8 p.m.

Each participant must meet the $300 fundraising minimum prior to picking up a rider packet. Each participant must also complete a Rider Packet Acknowledgement Form to pick up a rider packet.

Prior to Packet Pick-up: We recommend that you convert cash donations to check, cashier's check or money order payable to the National MS Society prior to arriving at packet pick-up.

In order to properly credit your fundraising account, write your name and Bike MS: Round-Up Ride on the memo line of each check. If turning in a money order or cashier’s check at packet pick up, write your name and Bike MS: Round-Up Ride on the money order or cashier’s check.

Bike MS: Round-Up Ride Packet Pick-Up FAQ

Do I have to attend the Packet Pickup?
YES! Every rider must attend a Packet Pickup and collect a rider packet. The rider does not need to be present to pick up a rider packet; a designated representative can pick up a rider's packet for them by completing a Rider Packet Acknowledgment Form (available at Packet Pick Up).

To participate in the 2016 Bike MS: Round-Up Ride and to receive a Rider Packet, each registered cyclist MUST turn in the required $300 minimum fundraising and complete the Rider Packet Acknowledgment Form.
Return the completed form at any Packet Pick-Up. These forms will be available at each packet pick-up location. The Bike MS: Round-Up Ride is a fundraising event, all donations to the National MS Society are tax-deductible (NOTE: For non-credit card donations, please submit your donations (checks or money orders).)

Can I pick up a rider packet for a friend or family member?
Yes, you can pick up a rider packet for a friend or family member. Be sure and bring their completed Rider Packet Acknowledgment form with you.

What is included in the rider packet?
The rider packet contains the credentials needed to participate in the Bike MS: Round-Up Ride. The packet includes bib number, bike frame numbers, helmet number, luggage tags and a wristband for meals. You will also receive your champs bandana, goody bag and participant t-shirt. Please have t-shirt sizes for those participants whom you are picking up rider packets.

Do I pick up a packet if I don't want to ride?
No; please contact us at fundraisingsupport@nmss.org to cancel your registration you are then not obligated to raise the $400. Please bear in mind your raised donations and your registration fee are non-transferrable.

Can I turn in donations at a Packet Pick Up?
At the Packet Pickup, cyclists are encouraged to turn in any donations raised to date at the packet pickup.

What is the minimum age to participate?
The minimum age to participate in the Bike MS: Round-Up Ride is 12 years of age by April 30. No exceptions. Riders 12 to 17 years of age must submit a notarized UNDERAGE WAIVER AND RELEASE FORM waiver coming soon! (with parent or guardians signature) before a packet can be picked up. A notary will be available at the Packet Pick Up locations.

Why $300

The National MS Society makes a concerted effort to utilize each dollar raised to help people living with multiple sclerosis. In order to help continue making an impact on the lives of those living with MS through our fundraising efforts, the National MS Society requires all registered participants to have met the $300 minimum fundraising requirement prior to picking up their packet.

Examples of how fundraising helps those living with MS:

• $50 could provide round-trip transportation to a medical appointment
• $100 could help purchase a walker or shower chair
• $250 could fund a transport chair, accessible transportation to a medical appointment or a portable ramp
• $500 could help fund a college scholarship for a high school senior who is living with MS or whose parent is living with MS
• $1,000 could pay for a hospital bed, provide half the cost toward a standard chair lift, or rental assistance to two people living with MS
• $43,000 could fund a research grant (average cost)

While participants are required to meet the fundraising requirement prior to picking up their packet, we encourage the fundraising to continue! Don’t stop at just $400 set your goal high and keep raising funds after you experience the ride of your life April 16-17!

What to wear

What to pack

What to wear

We are delighted to welcome Primal Wear as the official apparel of Bike MS and invite you to check out the special offers they have in place for our cyclists.

So what should you wear for Bike MS: Round-Up Ride?

• Helmet - of course! You should wear one every time you ride, and you must when you ride in the Bike MS: Round-Up Ride. Modern helmets are lightweight, airy, and stylish as well.
• Jersey - a cycling jersey with rear pockets is handy for carrying snacks, your wallet and other items. Summer jerseys are usually made from a material that wicks moisture way from the skin, keeping you drier and more comfortable. Plenty of casual riders simply pull on a T-shirt, but realize that sweat (or a rain shower) makes cotton heavy and clammy.
• Shorts - cycling shorts are no joke. They are key to minimizing chafing and other discomforts when sitting on a saddle for any length of time. Good shorts have a large, smooth, lightly padded liner ("chamois”). If you don't care for the skintight look of Lycra, opt for the "baggie” mountain bike style that look like casual shorts but still has a liner. Being a loose fit, though, means they could bunch uncomfortably during long rides.
• Gloves - short-finger cycling gloves absorb perspiration for a safer grip, protect against raw spots and blisters, and pad your palms to reduce road shock. Most have a terry back that gives you a way to wipe sweat from your eyes or energy drink from your chin.
• Shoes and socks - dedicated cycling shoes, either for road riding or mountain biking, are the best choice. The reason? Very firm soles that let you press as hard as you want without feeling uncomfortable pedal pressure. You can use mountain bike style shoes with or without toes clips and straps, or with clipless pedal systems. Plenty of casual riders simply wear running shoes, but their softness makes them less suitable for longer distances. Socks are important for comfort and sweat absorption. Choose the low-cut style if you're worried about a funny tan line.
• Sunglasses - it's best to use a sports model with unbreakable lenses that have 100% UV protection. The wraparound style will reduce bothersome wind, important if you wear contacts.

Cycling Apparel 101, by Primal

Packing List

Let us transport your luggage for free!
It's simple:

On Day 1 simply drop your bags off at one of our official luggage trucks at one of the official start. Then, pick them up at Texas Motor Speedway at the Bike & Luggage Compound.

Then on Day 2, drop your bags off at the Bike & Luggage Compound at Texas Motor Speedway. They'll be transported to Sundance Square and left at the Bike & Luggage Compound next to the Shower Trucks.

Packing List

• Each rider is allowed 2 pieces of luggage.
• No more than 25 lbs. each.
• Put a luggage tag on each luggage piece (printed with your Rider Number)
  • Luggage tags are included in Packet
• Include personal tags with name and cell phone.

En Route

• Helmet – REQUIRED
• Rider Numbers and wristband – REQUIRED
• Padded bike shorts and jersey
• Cycling gloves and shoes
• Sunglasses, lip balm and sunscreen
• Tire patch kit, spare tubes and tire pump
• Air Cartridge
• Medical Insurance Card
• Identification (driver’s license)
• Emergency cash and credit card
• Water bottles/hydration pack
• Jacket/rain poncho
• Camera

In Overnight Bag

• Tent (optional)
• Sleeping bag and pillow
• Travel alarm clock
• Towel for shower
• Toiletries, including medications, soap and shampoo
• Change of clothes for Saturday evening
• Plastic cover for bike seat on Saturday night
• Riding clothes for Sunday
• Change of clothes for bus trip home
• Comfortable shoes

Eat Like a Cyclist

Be smart about food to consolidate your gains on the bike. Here's how.

written by Selene Yeager with Leslie Bonci, MPH, RD, courtesy of Bicycling Magazine

So you want to get fit and fast, and feel great? The riding is the key to reaching that goal, but your eating habits might need to change, too. Accounting for the food you take in is the necessary first step. Too often people want to overhaul their eating but don't have a clue about what they are currently doing. They don't think about how many times a day they eat, or where, or how fast they plow through lunch, and so on. The answer: Write down what you consume.

Now recording

Several kinds of food journals are available; you can find them online and in the book we're excerpting here. Keep a log daily if possible, to identify patterns then pick the areas you want to work on.

The more detail you provide, the more you'll get out of this. Just writing "sandwich" is not nearly as revealing as "turkey and cheese on whole wheat with lettuce and tomato" or "meatball hero." And that goes for amounts, too. A glass could be a vat, and a handful could be a small jar. Use measuring cups and spoons. Often when people try to lose weight,portion control is the biggest barrier. After three days, use the log to adjust your eating habits going into the following week.

Time of day

Are your calories spread evenly through the day? If so, good. If not, it's probably true that like many people, you're eating most of your food at night. Think about how you can redistribute those calories for energy all day long, starting with your morning meal.

Where

Location is more of a factor than you might think. If you always eat in front of your computer and find yourself snacking soon after your meal, that's a flag that you're not registering that you just ate because you're distracted. Eating should be an event in and of itself.

Rate

Winning the award for grab, gulp, and go? The "prize" is generally excess pounds. If it takes you less than 20 minutes to finish a meal, work on slowing down to prevent overeating.

How much

Your plate should be filled with reasonable portions. Three ounces of meat is about the size of a deck of cards. Grains, potatoes, pasta, and rice should be about the size of one tightly balled fist. The correct portions are probably a little smaller than you think they should be because we, as a society, have been supersizing for more than a decade. Start cutting down to the right sizes. You won't miss the excess.

How and When to Hydrate

Everything you need to know to stay hydrated-before, during and after a ride.

- written by Marianne McGinnie, courtesy of Bicycling Magazine

Sipping fluids before and after a hot-weather workout is just as important as drinking during a ride. Here we turn to the experts for the when, how and what of staying quenched.

Time it right

Hydrating before pedaling helps you avoid drying out on the road. For best absorption, sip 12 to 16 ounces of water four hours before hopping onto your bike; two hours before, sip another 12 ounces. While riding, drink enough to match the intensity of the exercise, the heat of the day and your body's needs-the average recommendation is one 16-ounce bottle per hour in cool weather, up to as many as four bottles per hour in extremely hot weather, based on a 150-pound cyclist. Afterward, your goal is to replace lost fluids and electrolytes. If the ride was easy or moderate, sipping water and having a small meal within an hour of finishing should be sufficient, but if the ride was long and intense, use the weighing method below to determine your drinking regimen.

Customize

People sweat at different rates, and rides vary in terrain, speed and distance, but hydration goals are the same regardless. "Your aim is to minimize fluid and electrolyte loss or gain," says Douglas Casa, Ph.D., the director of athletic training education at the University of Connecticut, at Storrs. The best way to learn your individual sweat rate: Step on the scale before and after a long or hard ride. If you weigh less afterward, you should be drinking a bit more; if you weigh more, you should cut back to avoid overhydration.

Keep it simple

"On easier rides, stick with water. You'll get the mother lode of electrolytes, calories and fluids from the meals and fluids you consume prior to, and after, your ride," says Casa, who's been researching hydration and exercise issues for more than a decade. When a ride is intense, pushes past an hour, or is in hot weather, consider a sports drink. "I recommend staying away from the stuff with 9,000 ingredients," says Casa. "You just need the essentials-fluid, carbohydrates and electrolytes."

Try and try again

The only way to find what drinks work for you is by testing them. "Some products may not taste good to you, while others may sit in your stomach in a bad way," says Casa. If you're the type of salty sweater who finds white streaks on your jersey after a ride, you may need a drink with more sodium. For extreme salt sweaters, Casa suggests adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt to 16 ounces of sports drink (that's 600mg of sodium). If you find that a sports drink upsets your stomach, try diluting it with water. "Just never start a big event with a new product in your bottle," says Casa. "That's a recipe for disaster."