Thanks for your interest in the 2008 bikeMS (formerly the MS150).

What is it?: A major fundraising event for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which will be attended by between 1500 and 2000 bicycle riders. The ride raises over $1 Million for MS research. Although some treat it as such, the bikeMS ride is not a race.

When is it?: This year's event runs on Saturday and Sunday, April 26 and 27, rain or shine. Where is it?: the short answer...it starts in Winter Haven at Cypress Gardens on Saturday, and ends in Orlando near Sea World. After an overnight stay in Orlando, the riders reverse course and head back to Cypress Gardens on Sunday.

Now for the long answer: There are three routes on Saturday: 50, 84, and 100 miles (approximately). Riders choose their preferred route. The more expreienced and aggressive riders typically do the 100 (also known as the Century Loop), while the more novice and leisurely riders opt for the 50-mile course. The Century Loop is offered on Saturday only--riders choose the 50 or 84 courses on Sunday.

Each route has a common start line and finish line. The 50-mile course makes a more direct heading for the Lake Wales area via Chalet Suzanne. Meanwhile, the 80/100 riders take a more meandering route through Polk County (with the 100 course heading further south into Polk County on Lake Buffum Road). In a near-circular route, they pass through the small towns of Alturas, Lake Wales, and Dundee (among others) before merging with the 50-mie riders. At Dundee, all riders continue on a common course toward Orlando. Riders continue north from Dundee, into Davenport, Haines City, and Loughman, before crossing into Osceola County near Kissimmee. At Poinciana, riders make a northerly ride toward Sea World, where food, fun, much needed rest, and a performance by Otis Day and the Knights await them. Sunday's route is a complete reversal of the course, except for the 100-mile route, which is not available.

Riders are supported along every inch of the route, in several ways:

1) Safety- the most critical part of the weekend. We must ensure that all riders are safe on the course, and are also cycling safely. Public roads are used for the event, and are still open to vehicular traffic. Volunteers and riders alike, must share the road. In the event of an incident, we will have a team of paramedics on hand, as well as quick access to the 911 departments for each of the three counties on the course. We will also have help from the three Sheriff's Offices, who will provide traffic assistance in key areas. As an additional safety measure, we alert riders to upcoming road hazards, such as construction (which we will unfortunately have to face in some areas).

2) Mechanical- A number of local bike shops donate their time and resources to provide basic repairs (like the inevitable flat tire). They will provide whatever services can reasonably be done in the field to help riders finish the ride on their own power.

3) SAG- This stands for Support and Gear. When either bike or rider get stuck, the SAG vehicles carry them forward, either to the next rest stop, or to the finish line. Bike mechanics will be on-hand at rest stops along the way, so the tired bike can often get repaired on site. Tired riders will be taken to the end, if they are unable to finish on their own.

4) Rest stops- There are eight mainline (84 course) rest stops, plus one on the 100, and one on the 50. These stops provide refreshments (snacks, power bars, water, Gatorade, etc), as well as comfort items like sunscreen, and portable toilets. Rest Stop #4 in Dundee will provide lunch for the riders.

5) Supply Trucks- The supply trucks (two refrigerated, four ambient) are critical to the weekend, as they transport supplies to each of the rest stops. After providing an initial supply to each stop, they also help to address shortages of supplies as the riders pass through, by moving supplies forward to later rest stops, as riders vacate the earlier stops. It's never wise to run out of food and water when over 1500 cyclists are depending on us, and the supply trucks provide valuable assurance that we will provide well-stocked rest stops, until the last rider passes through. Without these trucks, there is no event.

6) Mobile/stationary Spotters- Numerous mobile units provide additional support on the course, acting as the eyes and ears along the route, reporting the needs of the riders to the appropriate people. Stationary volunteers are staged at key areas, to make riders aware of upcoming safety hazards, and to keep them from going off-course.

With all of those positions, comes a need for a lot of help from the amateur radio community, doing what we do best.

-This year, a command post will be placed a still yet-to-be-determined location, which will act as a central hub for coordinating and dispatching SAG, maintenance, and rescue crews. We need several communicators who can keep up with the fast pace of calls coming in, which must be quickly routed accordingly.

-We want to have as many vehicles as possible accessible via amateur radio. Past experience has proven that our systems work in areas where cell phones and Nextel units won't.

-Supply truck drivers are badly needed. You don't need a CDL, just be at least 21 years of age with a valid driver's license. These trucks will also have a passenger to assist with moving supplies. Either the passenger or the driver will be a ham, but both will need to move supplies throughout the day. Be prepared for a lot of heavy lifting.

-We need drivers for SAG vehicles. If you have a suitable vehicle that you would like to use, we welcome your help. We also have nine four-passenger pickups, donated by Greenway Ford in Orlando for the event. Those will need drivers, preferably by licensed hams, so we don't have to fill a second seat for support, that could be used to transport a rider. In addition to the regular SAG vehicles, we will have two "Super SAGs" on hand for the weekend. These are buses which will transport large numbers of passengers off the course in the event the ride must be cut short (bad weather, for example). These buses will also transport riders from the finish line to the hotel on Saturday. These buses will have certified drivers, so we just need radio support on these vehicles.

-We will need a large number of spotters along the way, both mobile in your own vehicle, and at stationary posts. Mobile operators can volunteer for a portion of the route (covering the space between two rest stops), or for the full route. -We also need radio communications at each rest stop, to report the needs of each stop, keeping them replenished throughout the day. There will be other non-ham volunteers here as well...you won't be on your own.

-For those planning to stay in Orlando on Saturday night, please be advised that you must provide your own accommodation. If you will be joining us out there on Saturday night, please reserve a room as quickly as possible, while rooms are available at somewhat reasonable prices. From my own experience, I've booked at a nearby Sleep Inn every year. It's about $80 per night after tax (subject to change), and one of the more affordable hotels within a short radius of the finish/start line. The official hotel for the event is the Rosen Center, where dinner where be served Saturday night. A special rate is available there, but rooms may be sold out by now. Whatever you decide, don't wait. COMMUNICATIONS PLAN: The bikeMS tour will operate on several frequencies:

-The NI4CE Network (Pebbledale, Verna, and Riverview will be available along most of the course) - N4HHA/R in Orlando (443.100, PL 103.5) - Echolink will tie the two systems together, just like it does for the Thursday AMSAT nets.

- Secondary repeaters will be used (TBA) to handle less critical communications.

- Some have asked about D-Star. Due to the limited number of radio owners, and of a connected D-Star machine in Orlando, our communications will be analog this year.

WHAT YOU NEED: Since we rely heavily on UHF repeaters, you will need a radio capable of UHF. A high-power mobile is preferred, especially at the midpoint of the course. There are plans to move the antenna on the Pebbledale tower to the east side of the tower, now that Riverview is in place to serve Hillsborough and points west. If that happens, it will greatly improve the coverage that NI4CE already provides. APRS is a very useful tool in an event like this. We would like to have as many people as possible visible on APRS. If you don't have it, that's OK. Please don't let that stop you from joining us.

We will have a limited supply of spare radios for anyone who might not have one of their own. If you have a spare that you are willing to lend for the weekend, please let us know. Spare antennas are needed, too.

HOW TO HELP: Signing up is easy! Send an E-Mail to me at jason@ni4ce.org and/or to Paul at na4ar@ni4ce.org We'll make sure that you receive E-Mail announcements on the Yahoo! Groups reflector created for the event.

Let us know what position(s) you are interested in, as well as the days you are available. Even if you're not available for the full weekend, we still welcome your help for either day. You can also help by spreading this message!

If you know fellow hams who might be interested in helping us, in either the Tampa or Orlando areas, pass this message along to them. We need at least 50 volunteers this year, so there's plenty of room for anyone who wants to join us.

The bikeMS is a way for us to use our hobby to support a worthy cause, and have fun at the same time. It's challenging, inspiring, and lots of fun. You can't ask for more than that. We look forward to seeing you April 26 and 27. 73 de Jason, KD4ACG For more information, contact me at jason@ni4ce.org