Jen Garvin – Lined Up for Our First #BikeMS Event

When I found out that Alexandra had MS, I thought she would never be able to do those athletic things that we had always loved to do together. Six months after her diagnosis, we formed a team that could have been called the “bad news bears of cycling” dressed in baggie shorts and running shoes, equipped with old, borrowed bikes, mp3 players, and skateboard helmets, lined up to roll through our first BikeMS event as “The Alexandra’s Angels”. To my surprise, we didn’t fall, we didn’t take out a peloton and we saw Alexandra crush a 50-mile bike ride with style and grace. The best part? Loving a special girlfriend, who on a hot September 2013 day, in a cold hospital room, where most of us would have heard “you need to quit”. Alexandra heard “You need to rise”. That’s why I ride.