Over the past decade, Greg Van Tighem has clocked tens of thousand of kilometres cycling across North America on a quest to help find a cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system.
The fire chief’s recent challenge brought him and a handful of Albertans together to ride from South Jersey to Hammonton, N.J., for the MS Society’s City to Shore bike ride Sept. 23-24. The 180-mile trek was an invite only race for the society’s top fundraisers—those who collect more than $12,500 annually for the society.
“Every year there are a handful of people that qualify from the Edmonton area and I’m one of them—every two or three years I’ll opt to do it,” Van Tighem said. “It’s a great opportunity because you get to explore a new place and meet a lot of like minded people that are all working together for the same thing.
“Plus it was really fun to travel with a good group of Canadians—I usually do these kinds of events by myself.”
Prior to the ride, Van Tighem and his crew of seven took the opportunity to explore other cities on the east coast. Rather than fly into Philadelphia—close to the event’s start location—the group opted for Boston and spent the week biking roughly 550 km to South Jersey.
“The plan was to take seven days and stop in New York City and have a bit of an adventure,” Van Tighem said. “I knocked a bunch of stuff off my bucket list so that was good for me.”
During the week-long trek, Van Tighem’s crew averaged about 100 km a day, stopping at Boston’s Fenway Park to catch a ball game, touring New York City’s Central Park and checking out Ground Zero, the former site of the World Trade Center.
“Usually when I do an MS event I’m alone and camping on the side of the road in all kinds of weather,” said Van Tighem, adding that despite some rain the weather was perfect. “This trip was a bit of luxury because we had mapped out hotels to stay in for the night.”
Once they arrived in South Jersey, it was time to take on two more days of riding with 7,000 other participants from across North America for the official MS Society event. Hours before the ride, Van Tighem swapped his road bike for a fat bike—his usual choice for MS fundraiser rides.
“In Philly a lot of people had never seen a fat bike before so I had all these people looking at me like what is that guy riding,” said Van Tighem, adding that he specifically uses fat bikes for MS events because of their increased road resistance. “They’re a lot slower and heavier—the analogy I use is that by riding a fat bike it puts me on par with someone living day-to-day with MS.
“I get fatigued and my hands start to cramp up.”
MS causes extreme fatigue, lack of coordination, weakness, tingling, impaired sensation, vision problems, bladder problems, cognitive impairment and mood changes.
“Nobody knows why you get—it’s still a mystery and I find that intriguing,” Van Tighem said. “There are a lot of other illness where we’re seeing cures and treatments being discovered, but MS is still basically an unknown.”
To date, Van Tighem has raised more than $350,000 in a little under 10 years. This year his goal is to raise $30,000. With a month left of fundraising, Van Tighem already has more than $25,000.
“I’ve had friends with MS and I still do so that really motivates me,” Van Tighem said. “There are so many people who are extremely sick and tired of living with MS and I want to see that end.”
Aside from cycling fundraisers, Van Tighem raises money through annual fairs, barbeques and various other local events.
To help him reach his goal of raising $30,000 or to see more photos from his ride, visit www.endms93.com.
“I am positive that in my lifetime we will see some major strides and ultimately find a cure for MS,” Van Tighem said.
Kayla Byrne
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