MILES FOR MUSCLES – Cure Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy

Finding a cure for Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy (MMD) is a big goal – but we can do it. The same is true about riding a bike 100 miles in one day. The keys are commitment, having fun, and steady progress. Experienced volunteers supporting the Miles for Muscles ride who have trained for 100-mile rides and raised funds for worthy causes will be there to support you the whole way.

Each week, the training ride location and start time will be posted on the Miles for Muscles blog on this site. Training season runs throughout the summer into the early fall in preparation for the October 9, 2010 ride.

For each training ride, a rider must have:

A bike in good operating condition.
A safety certified helmet which must be worn at all times when on your bike.
Materials needed to fix a flat tire – a spare tube or patch kit and some sort of air pump.
Two water bottles or a Camelback filled with water or sports drink.
A fully charged working cell phone.

Riders can join the Miles for Muscles team at any time, although cyclists new to riding are encouraged to start early so as to give yourself a couple of months of training time. The goal is to increase riding distance 8 to 10% each week until we get to about 70-80 miles in one day.

As needed, we will schedule professional bike techs from shops supporting the Miles for Muscles ride to conduct workshops on the basics of bike repairs, including how to

change a flat tire. Yes, believe it or not, you can do that. We won’t leave you behind on your own.

More details on bikes and how to maintain them, training nutrition and how to avoid “bonking”, and rules for safe riding with a group will be shared on the Miles for Muscles blog.

Your Fundraising Message...

The two keys here are writing a personal fundraising message that describes why riding in the Miles for Muscles ride is important to you and then sending that message (email and/or letter) to everyone you know. Again, we will work with you to prepare your letter/message and plan out

your fundraising. The $650 minimum is a goal and can be met and exceeded if you start early with an effective fundraising message.

Your fundraising message needs to be a personal statement by you on why your ride is important to you and why you want to do it. Here are the basic characteristics of an effective message. It should be no more than 4 paragraphs long.

Tell the reader what you will be doing on October 9, 2010.
Tell them why this is important to you – perhaps you have Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy, are affected by it, see the need to make an important contribution to others, or like the physical challenge.
Tell them what is involved in the training.
Describe a bit about MMD and that their support of the research at UVA will help expedite a therapy or cure. Let your supporters know that 100% of their donation is tax deductible and will be donated directly to Dr. Mahadevan’s MMD lab. See information on this website for specifics.
Refer them to www.milesformsucles.com for more information. Ask that they pass along information about Miles for Muscles to others.

Again, we will work with you all along the way to develop your message and plan your fundraising efforts.