Cyclist With Most Miles Gets Winery Tour, Lunch; City Managers, Mayors Will Prepare Meals Together at Food Banks In Cottonwood, Sedona

Verde Valley AZ (May 8, 2013) – Cottonwood City Manager Doug Bartosh and Sedona City Manager Tim Ernster have thrown down the gauntlet….kinda. Well…it wasn’t actually a gauntlet (whatever that is). And, no one really threw anything…up or down.

The truth is, these two guys really like each other, so let’s call it what it is: a friendly challenge to see who can ride the most miles in the upcoming 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 in and around Cottonwood and Sedona, May 18 and 19.

Proceeds benefit MS research, programs and services for the estimated 8,000 Arizonans with the disease. Last year, more than 800 cyclists raised over $600,000 in the single largest fund-raiser for the Arizona Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Maintaining the friendly spirit of the challenge, Ernster willingly offered to “slow down enough so Doug can keep up with me.” Bartosh responded in kind: “Tim: Ride as fast as you can. I don’t mind representing the tortoise: he did win the race….”

Makes you feel warm all over doesn’t it?

To make the event somewhat competitive, Javelina Leap Winery has offered the cyclist who rides the most miles over the two days a tour and lunch for two. But nobody really loses here, particularly the communities of Sedona and Cottonwood.

In addition to bringing attention to Multiple Sclerosis which interrupts the flow of information from the brain and stops people from moving and affects more than 400,000 people in the U.S., the event also will bring focus to the issue of hunger and poverty.

After Ernster and Bartosh have recovered from the cycling event, they will join one another and the mayors of their respective communities, Diane Joens of Cottonwood and Rob Adams of Sedona, in preparing food for the hungry at the Sedona Community Food Bank and the Old Town Mission in Cottonwood.

“Finding a cure for Multiple Sclerosis and helping those afflicted with the disease is the motivator for me to be part of the event,” Bartosh said.

Ernster agreed, adding that “this is also a chance for us to raise awareness of the challenges of hunger and poverty that affect men, women and children in every community in Arizona, including Cottonwood and Sedona.”

Details will be announced after Bike MS.

Bike MS: Ride the Vortex – Sedona Verde Valley, sponsored by Sam’s Club, starts and ends at the Verde Valley Fairgrounds, 800 E. Cherry St., Cottonwood.

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. The event is fully catered and features ongoing support, rest stops, medical care and expert bike maintenance and repair from supporting bicycle shops in the Verde Valley.

Riders can start or join a team or ride as individuals.

Registration is $100. The minimum fund-raising goal for each rider is $250.

Registration can be completed online at www.bikeMSarizona.org. Complete information about the event, fundraising, training and safety, bike shop partners, accommodations and sponsorship opportunities also are available on the website.

All riders between 12 and 17 years of age must submit a notarized waiver and be accompanied by an adult at all times, on and off the route. Cell phones, MP3 players and other digital devices are not allowed on the route during the ride.

For more information, visit www.bikeMSarizona.org.