ST. PETER — Elliot Hoekstra is combining two of his loves — bike riding and fundraising for a good cause — on June 13-14 with a 150-mile ride for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The Nicollet County Fairgrounds in St. Peter will be the start and end spot on June 13 for Bike MS: MS 150 Minnesota, which is estimated to draw upwards of 3,000 riders. After spending the night, day two will bring the riders from St. Peter to their end point in the Twin Cities.
“It’s going to be an amazing ride,” said Kathleen O’Donnell, the Society’s upper midwest chapter executive director. “We’re really excited about the region and how scenic it is. It’s at the heart of Minnesota and it gives people that sense of community and all of that.”
The Society has an ambitious $2.75 million fundraising goal for this year’s ride. Hoekstra has set a $25,000 fundraising goal for himself this year, which will be his sixth year riding.
The Gustavus Adolphus College graduate has raised $100,000 since 2021. He expects this year to be as successful as his past fundraising exploits. He’ll ride with a team of about 25 people.
“I’m about $33 away from my $25,000 goal,” Hoekstra said. “We’ll hit that goal no matter what. I might have to go up to $35,000. We’ll see.”
Hoekstra rides in part, he said, because his wife was diagnosed with MS in 2019. He rides his bike three to four times a week so feels prepared for the 150-mile Bike MS event.
In the U.S., one million people are living with MS, said Ryan Vesey, a member of the National MS Society’s upper Midwest board of trustees. His dad is included in that figure.
Funds raised from the upcoming ride will primarily go to fund MS research, he said. The ride got its start more than 40 years ago.
This is the first year this MS ride will include St. Peter. And people are thrilled.
Not only does the Bike MS ride bring people to the town itself, but those visitors will infuse the local economy throughout Greater Mankato too, said Ashlee White, director of Visit Mankato.
“This is very exciting,” she said. “People will be visiting hotels, dining, shopping and supporting our local small businesses. It really does have a ripple effect when we bring in these big events.”
Ed Lee, director of the St. Peter Area Chamber of Commerce, agrees with her.
“They’re just a month out, aren’t they?” he said. “We’re incredibly thrilled they decided on St. Peter. We know a lot of hotel and motel rooms in town will be booked by bicyclists and we greatly appreciate that. They’ll sample and enjoy our shopping and dining scene with unique things they can only find in St. Peter. We have a warm hospitality feeling to share here.”
“To start and to have an overnight in St. Peter is pretty big,” said Vesey, who lives and works in Mankato. “It’ll bring more attention to our region rather than if they were just passing through.”
To register for the June 13-14 Bike MS ride, go to bikems.org.