BOSTON -- For 25 years, the Cape Cod Getaway MS Bike Ride has offered cyclists one of the best supported and most fun bicycle rides in New England, and has raised millions of dollars to help create a world free of multiple sclerosis.

On June 27 and 28, more than 2,000 cyclists, including family and corporate teams, are riding 150 miles from Marina Bay on Boston Harbor to Provincetown on Cape Cod.

Organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Central New England Chapter, riders agree to raise a minimum of $500 (due before or on the day of the ride), plus a $55 registration fee. Starting at 7:30 a.m., the Saturday route follows the scenic South Shore coastline and overnights at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy on the shores of the Cape Cod Canal in Bourne, where riders enjoy live music, great food, and good people.

Sunday’s ride crosses the Bourne Bridge, and explores the unique beauty of the Cape en route to Provincetown, where riders board the Provincetown II ferry, and dance their way back across Cape Cod Bay. Well-supplied rest stops, staffed by enthusiastic volunteers, are located approximately every 12 miles.

Register to ride or volunteer at by clicking here to take advantage of online fundraising tools and to create a personal Web page with a photo and why you ride.

“Watching the cyclists persevere, mile after mile, and knowing they’re doing it because their mother or wife or sister who has MS and for whom balance, mobility, and vision might be issues. It just makes you want to work even harder to overcome this disease,” said Lori Espino, Executive V.P. of Resource Development at the Chapter.

Bright GIS, Brightroom, Chappaqua Crunch Granola, Data Associates, Poland Spring, Landry’s Bicycles, Premier Education, South Shore Music Circus, and Wachusett Brewery are generous sponsors that make the ‘Getaway’ possible.

“We share our customers’ belief in helping others,” said Jack Johnson of Landry’s Bicycles. “For a cyclist, what could possibly be better than a great ride for a good cause?”

Cape Cod Getaway cyclists enjoy excellent roadside service during the ride, provided by Back Bay Bicycles, Cycle Loft, Eastern Mountain Sports, Goodale’s Bike Shop, Landry’s Bicycles, Papa Wheelies, Ski Market and Wheelworks.

MS interrupts the flow of information between brain and body and can stop people from moving forward in their lives. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.

Most people with MS are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but teenagers and even young children can have the disease. More than twice as many women as men have MS, which affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., and 2.5 million worldwide.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society helps each person address the challenges of living with MS. In 2007, through our home office and 50-state network of chapters, we devoted nearly $138 million to MS education, support, and advocacy and invested more than $48 million to support 440 research projects around the world.

Early and ongoing treatment with an FDA-approved therapy can make a difference for people with multiple sclerosis. Learn about your options by talking to your health care professional and contacting the National MS Society at www.MSnewengland.org, or 1-800-344-4867.