Sedona City Manager Anxious for Another Shot Next Year

Verde Valley AZ (May 23, 2013) – Despite battling some tough winds on Highway 89A, “the tortuous hills of Sedona and the brutal rays from the vortex,” Cottonwood City Manager Doug Bartosh managed to cycle about 25 miles more than Sedona City Manager Tim Ernster during last weekend’s Bike MS: Ride the Vortex – Sedona Verde Valley, a two-day, cycling event featuring options for all riders with routes ranging from 30 to 100 miles.

Bartosh covered 75 miles and Ernster managed about 50 alongside more than 700 riders who cycled through the Verde Valley over the two days. But both men came away with one thing in mind: next year.

“Coming back on Highway 89A was a challenge, and I believe I said some unpleasant things under whatever breath I had left about the folks at the MS Society and that I would never do this again,” Bartosh said with a grin. “But after getting to the (Verde Valley) Fairgrounds and resting for a little bit, I am ready to begin training for next year. All considered, it was fun and I met many great people.”

Ernster conceded …. gracefully. “I was able to do about 50 miles. Doug did about 75. Congratulations, Doug.”

The big winners, though, were the communities of Sedona and Cottonwood and the more than 8000 men, women and children in Arizona with MS because dollars raised at the event will be invested in research. There is no cure for MS.

Final numbers aren’t expected until early July, the fund-raising deadline for cyclists to collect donations from sponsors. Last year, the event raised more than $600,000.

As a result of Bartosh’s mileage, he and a guest will tour and have lunch at the Javelina Leap Winery. Both he and Ernster will then turn their attention to the men and women who are struggling to put food on their tables. The two city managers, along with Cottonwood Mayor

Diane Joens and Sedona Mayor Rob Adams will prepare food for the hungry at the Sedona Community Food Bank and the Old Town Mission in Cottonwood on a day and time to be determined.

“We’re incredibly grateful to the communities of Cottonwood and Sedona and the entire Verde Valley for their hospitality, support and, of course, their sense of humor, in helping make Bike MS a success,” said Jim Elfline, President of the Arizona Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. “We heard so much positive feedback from the people involved with this year’s event and we’re looking forward to making next year even better.”

Bike MS is Arizona’s premier bike ride and part of the nation’s largest national cycling series supported by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

For more information, visit www.bikeMSarizona.org.