MS Mountain Bike Challenge: ADRENALINE, COMMUNITY, PHILANTHROPY

By Mont SUTTON - Published on 2 August 2023

“I was a very active man and enjoyed a variety of sports. One day, after a ski descent at Mont SUTTON, I felt a weakness in my legs. I thought it was strange, but the feeling went away and I stopped thinking about it,” says Jean-Sylvain Ouellette, founder of the MS Mountain Bike Challenge. A few months later, other symptoms appeared and grew worse.

After a battery of tests, he was finally diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It was to ensure that people like Jean-Sylvain could count on a cure following an MS diagnosis that the MS Mountain Bike Challenge was created.

As a part of this fundraising event for Multiple Sclerosis Canada, participants are invited to raise at least $300 and race down the trails of Mont SUTTON on August 19.

“I wanted to organize a fundraising event so that I could be part of the solution and contribute, in my own way, to research efforts. Without funding, research cannot progress. In Quebec, we are fortunate to be able to count on world-renowned research teams in the field of multiple sclerosis. We can be proud of that,” says Jean-Sylvain.

No cure, but 21 disease-modifying drugs

For the moment, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but sufferers are offered drugs that act on the progression of the disease to slow it down. It is hoped that with these drugs, whether oral or injected subcutaneously or intravenously, relapses will become rarer, less intense and leave no after-effects.

Combining the useful and the pleasant

The funds raised by the MS Mountain Bike Challenge will enable significant investments in research, programs and services. “A lot of people around me are mountain bikers. If I could practice this sport, I would often be seen on the trails of Mont SUTTON! Mountain bikers like to get involved socially, and I thought some of them might be interested in this unique fundraising experience,” explains the founder, who no longer counts the hours he devotes to the event.

You can help build a world without MS by taking part in the MS Mountain Bike Challenge on August 19. Hit the trails, enjoy the speed, join in the festivities at the foot of the mountain and go home with a sense of accomplished duty. A fundraising platform is at your disposal to make your philanthropic experience a pleasant one. With just a few clicks, you can personalize your page, promote your fundraising on social networks, send emails to your friends and family, and thank your donors.

“Finding a cure would represent a concrete solution for the 90,000 Canadians suffering from MS. As far as I’m concerned, it could lead to a return to a physically active lifestyle and the practice of sports such as downhill skiing and mountain biking“, add Jean-Sylvain Ouellette.