13,000 Cyclists are Austin-Bound after Saturday Kick-Off of the 21st Annual BP MS 150 Bike Tour.

HOUSTON -- Thousands departed Houston-area this morning, raising millions in the fight against MS

WHAT

13,000 bike riders, including Lone Star State Governor Rick Perry, Houston City Council Member Carol Alvarado and State Senators Rodney Ellis and Jon Lindsay, began the 180-mile BP MS 150 Bike Tour this morning. The Lone Star Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society hosts the annual two-day Tour from Houston to Austin which raises funds to support research and programs for multiple sclerosis (MS). This year's Bike Tour is expected to raise more than $10 million that will benefit MS research and Chapter programs. To date, the Lone Star Chapter's MS 150 Bike Tours have raised over $47 million.

WHEN & WHERE

The 2005 BP MS 150 rolled out at sunrise today, Saturday, April 16, at Houston's Tully Stadium (I-10 and Dairy Ashford) and Rhodes Stadium in Katy (1733 Katy Fort Bend County Rd.). Cyclists will ride through the Texas Hill Country along a carefully-planned route. Participants will spend tonight in La Grange before starting the Ride's second leg to the State Capitol in Austin on tomorrow morning. This year's ride also features two alternate starting points in La Grange to ease congestion along the Tour route.

WHO & WHY

The 2005 BP MS 150 Bike Tour raises funds to support MS research and programs for those living with MS. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system, typically striking adults between the ages of 20 and 50.

The BP MS 150 Houston-to-Austin Bike Tour is one of three fund-raising rides that the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Lone Star Chapter hosts in Texas, including the Texas-to-Oklahoma FedEx Kinko's MS 150 Bike Tour, presented by Toyota and Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, on May 14-15 and the HEB MS 150 Bike to the Beach Bike Tour from San Antonio to Corpus Christi in October. All three are regarded by cycling enthusiasts as the premier rides in Texas, with experienced management, well-coordinated routes, and special attention to riders' safety and comfort.

Volunteer forms, donations and information: It's fast, easy and secure. Log on to www.ms150.org.

TEXAS MS 150 Bike Tours - A LONE STAR CYCLING TRADITION

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