Bike MS Ride

Friendship-driven ambition: Rider sets lifetime goal of $2 million to fight MS


Southfield, MI – Bill Ogden of Lapeer and Tanya Roycraft of Farmington Hills have a friendship that has lasted more than two decades. They met while attending high school and have stayed in touch through the years, most recently participating in the Bike MS Ride as teammates. Tanya was a participant in the Bike MS Ride for ten years before she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She continues to participate in the ride and is also the team captain of, Circle of Friends, a group of family and friends who together have raised over $35,000 for the 2009 Bike MS event.

In 2007 Ogden, who is a partner in the Metamora litigation firm of Kohl, Harris, Nolan, McCarthy, Turkelson & Ogden, set a lifetime fundraising goal to support his friend Tanya and to fund research to find the cause and a cure for MS. Ogden states “At first I considered a goal of $1million, but that almost sounded too cliché. So, I decided I would try and raise $2 million over my lifetime.”

Tanya’s motto about the Bike MS event is that “It’s more than just a ride”, a motto she demonstrates everyday. Whether she is recruiting new team members, fundraising, or helping to design the route for the upcoming ride at Island Lake Recreation Area she devotes herself and sets the standard for others.

Tour de France inspires local business to form cycling team

Southfield, MI – August 31, 2009 – Tricia Bailey and Matthew Ronan started TAB Massage and Fitness in Howell, Michigan in 2008 with the goal of providing their clients with a way to create happier, healthier lives. Two months ago, inspired by the Tour de France cycling race, the business partners took their vision one step further and formed a cycling team at their company to help promote healthy activities, while also supporting local charities.

One of the first charities to benefit from the newly formed TAB Massage Cycling Team will be the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Michigan Chapter. Ronan, who has a relative living with multiple sclerosis (MS), is heading up a team that will participate in the Bike MS Fall Breakaway Ride on September 12th at Island Lake Recreation Area in Brighton. Bike MS is the premier fundraising cycling series in the nation.

“Cycling is a great fit with our business philosophy,” Ronan said. “I’m heading up a team for Bike MS and will recruit riders to join me and help raise funds to support the National MS Society, which is also a part of our philosophy – giving back.” TAB Massage and Fitness will also donate services for the Bike MS event and will have massage therapists on hand at the finish line.

Bike MS is the premier fundraising cycling series in the nation and the Michigan Chapter of the National MS Society will be hosting their next event of September 12th. The event offers fully supported road routes of 12, 24, and 45 miles to choose from, along with 5 and 9 mile mountain bike trails. The event is open to individuals 13 years of age and older. There is a $20 registration fee and a $250 fundraising minimum is required per rider. First-time riders can register for free. For more information and to register for the Bike MS Fall Breakaway Ride, call 1-800-FIGHT-MS or visit www.bikemsmi.org 

Bike MS 2009 is made possible by the following sponsors: Comcast, Ford Motor Company, Meijer, Priority Health, HOUR Detroit, Q106 FM – Lansing, MY18 TV-Lansing/Jackson. The National MS Society is a collective of passionate individuals who want to do something about MS now—to move together toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. Funds raised through Bike MS will help to provide life-enhancing programs, services and support to the more than 18,000 people living with MS in Michigan and their families. Visit www.nationalmssociety.org for more information.