Bike MS: Bay-to-Bay Tour to cycle through Del Mar

By Kristina Houck

Hundreds of people are expected to bike Oct. 18-19 to benefit multiple sclerosis in the annual Bike MS: Bay-to-Bay Tour. Starting in Irvine and ending in Mission Bay, participants will be coming through Del Mar from roughly 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 19.

In a unanimous vote, the City Council on Sept. 2 opted to co-sponsor the event in order to reduce permitting fees for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a nonprofit that mobilizes people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of people affected by MS. The $2,000 fee was reduced to $200, which will cover the administrative costs of issuing a permit.

Cyclists were originally slated to cycle across Coast Boulevard, but now participants will take Via de la Valle to Jimmy Durante Boulevard.

Councilwoman Sherryl Parks pulled the item from the council’s consent calendar, a list of items approved with a single vote and no discussion, to suggest a different route.

Before the meeting, Del Mar resident Nancy Stoke submitted a letter to the city asking the council to consider rerouting the ride before making its decision. In her letter, Stoke referenced “the nightmare that was the Ragnar Relay,” a 200-mile overnight relay race that went through the community on April 5, as a reason why Bike MS should be rerouted.