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BY JACQUELINE SMALL

In print | Published April 15, 2010

Lindsey Yanez, the owner of Swarthmore Cycles, works as a mechanic at many bicycle marathons for charity, but Bike MS, which raises money and awareness for multiple sclerosis, has affected her the most.

“Of course, I’m not saying that others who have lung cancer or diabetes or breast cancer and other issues aren’t brave, but people with MS really make you feel humble, like ‘You need to get off your ass and do something,’” Yanez said.

Yanez said that Bike MS inspired her to talk to both students at Strath Haven High School and Julia Luongo ’10, who are bicycle enthusiasts who often spend time at Swarthmore Cycles. The group organized a team of three people, including Luongo, for the event, to ride 150 miles in the Chesapeake Challenge, which will be held on May 22 and 23.

Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease that destroys the nervous system, severely harming quality of life. It has no known cure and commonly affects people in early adulthood. Women are affected by it more often than men.

“It’s a pretty horrifying disease, and it’s just so brutal because it affects everybody very differently,” Yanez said.

“I know all these people now [from the biking events], and some of them, when you see them each year, they’re worse off and more sick than they were before. It makes me really sad and it makes me angry, but anger is what makes change happen.”

The students who participate in the Chesapeake Challenge will ride fixed gear bikes 100 miles on the first day and 50 miles on the second.

These are bicycles that are built in such a way that the pedals are always in motion as long as the bicycle is, so riders cannot coast. Each bike has only one gear, so riding cannot be made easier when going uphill.

Some of the riders in the Challenge have built or worked on the bikes they will use, choosing to ride more difficult bikes in order “to challenge [themselves] and make a statement,” Luongo said.
She added that they hope the extra difficulty will get people’s attention and encourage people to donate more generously.

“The odds say these kids probably won’t finish the 150 miles, but the ride will be in Chestertown, Maryland, which is pretty flat, shore-type country,” Yanez said.

Luongo was enthusiastic about the prospect of attracting donations.

“We placed some bins around the Ville, in the Co-op and the toy store and the bike shop, so that’s probably a couple hundred dollars that way,” she said. “And there’s also a $300 entry fee per rider, a donation really, so each of us will definitely raise that much, hopefully more. We’re also hoping to raise more money during the Fun Fair in the Ville this Sunday.”

Yanez urged students to contribute to the drive.

“Every single Swat student should scrape up just one dollar out of their piggy banks and put it in an envelope and give it to Julia or in the bin in the bike shop,” she said.

She has also contacted Maurice Eldridge ’61, vice president of the College, for a donation. With his approval, the College bought the jersey that Luongo will use and made a contribution.

“It’s a pretty small amount of money, but it’s a way to be supportive of a local merchant who’s doing some really great community service,” Eldridge said. “[Multiple sclerosis] is a majorly debilitating disease, but maybe these events will change something in a good way.”

He reflected that other diseases, including polio “which was a serious concern when [he] was younger,” have been eradicated through charitable efforts like the March of Dimes.

The riders on the team from Swarthmore and Strath Haven will wear jerseys with the Swarthmore College logo on the back “as a way to pay homage to the college’s generosity,” Yanez said.

She added that the students from Strath Haven see Luongo as their team captain.

“Julia was captain of the soccer team at the college, and she’s really a very natural team leader. So when it comes to corralling 15, 16 or 17-year-old boys, they really look up to her and respect her,” Yanez said.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosts rides nationwide throughout the year, with 15 in the month of May alone.

The NMSS website describes the rides as “the premier cycling series in the nation” and says that they are for all “cyclists seeking a personal challenge and a world free of MS.”

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