Niwot supports Bike MS: Colorado Ride

The rest stop at Whistle Stop Park was brimming with bicyclists Saturday morning, June 24, to raise awareness and money for the Bike MS charity, dedicated to helping victims of multiple sclerosis. The ride took place on a gorgeous summer morning when all of the flower boxes down Second Avenue were in full bloom, and many locals watched from the coffee shop patio as the endless stream of bicyclists zipped by.

Other Niwot community members helped out the riders at the Whistle Stop Park rest stop.

Niwot's local bike shop, Niwot Wheel Works, contributed to the event, filling tires with air and helping with other small repairs the bicyclists might need before continuing on the ride.

Eric Bergeson, the owner of Niwot Wheel Works, said, "We're welcoming the riders as well as visitors that are coming to watch them, relatives, friends and so forth. We want to help them realize what a wonderful place Niwot is... We're handing out these bags that have coupons that are good until the end of August, little flags for people to wave, and a list of events happening in town, and a map of the town, just trying to attract people back to Niwot."

Niwot's Local Improvement District provided funding for Niwot's business community to support the riders and their friends and families.

The Bike MS event lasted around three hours in Niwot, according to the volunteers who ran the tents at the rest stop in Whistle Stop Park. Volunteers handed out snacks to the bicyclists along with information about the town and five-dollar coupons that are valid until the end of August, provided by the Niwot Business Association before sending them across the Diagonal Highway toward Longmont. Live music was also provided at the rest stop so riders could take a while to rest before continuing on.

This charity is important to many of the locals in Niwot. Bergeson added, "Millions of people are affected by MS. I don't have the statistics off the top of my head, but I know I have two family members that are affected by it. And it can be a horrible disease, so we need to support research to try to eradicate it."

Bruce and Susan Warren donated to their friend Ale Spray's ride in memory of Susan's sister, Joyce Brewer, who died of complications from MS in 2004. "MS research and treatment has come a long way since 2004," Bruce Warren said, "but we still have a long way to go to find a cure."

The Colorado chapter of Bike MS has raised approximately two million dollars for multiple sclerosis so far through the 2023 ride with the help of their riders as well as Niwot's residents and businesses.