Photo by Samantha Davis Bikers leave from Marshall’s Red Baron Arena Monday morning for the five-day Bike MS Ride Across Minnesota that includes stops in Granite Falls and Willmar.

MARSHALL — Eagerly anticipating for the routes to open after some early-morning rainfall, nearly 300 bikers began their trek on a five-day bike ride covering 250 miles Monday morning in the 2025 Ride Across Minnesota from Marshall’s Red Baron Arena, an annual fundraising event for multiple sclerosis (MS).

The National MS Society hosts rides all across the U.S. throughout the year, with participants raising money for resources for those fighting MS. The autoimmune condition affects the central nervous system, disrupting communication between the brain and body.

“I have a history of it in my family, my grandma had MS. That’s what got me involved when I was like 13 years old and I started riding some of these rides,” said Jake Capistrant, one of the bike mechanics from Alexandria. “When I started working at a bike shop, they (Bike MS) actually came to Alexandria, my hometown, and the next year they asked if we would come along as a bike shop. We said yes, so we jumped on board, and here we are 32 years later.”

The bikers will spend the week pedaling 40 to 60 miles around southwest Minnesota, with stops in Granite Falls and Willmar, before returning to Marshall on Friday. This is the 36th year of the Bike MS initiative, taking a different route each year.

“Visiting with friends again (is what I enjoy),” said Cheryl Lee from Thief River Falls. “I’ve done this for so many years that I recognize people right away when you walk in … It’s the only time of the year that I ever see them.”

Lee is an experienced rider, who’s been biking the Ride Across Minnesota for over 25 years.

“I started out just because we wanted to bike ride. Then, I found out all these people that I knew had MS, and I continue to find out more. One of my girlfriends, her daughter, just got diagnosed in just the last few weeks,” Lee said. “I have another girlfriend who’s got a daughter with MS, and she’s had to quit work. It’s those kinds of things that make you keep riding.”

Among the large group of riders coming from varying parts of the state, the one thing shared amongst everyone is the connection to MS. Whether it’s a personal, family or friend tie to the disease, or a biker’s desire to participate, everyone parted from the Red Baron Arena on Monday with a goal to raise awareness.

This year’s ride holds an extra sentimental value for the Kucera family, also from out of town. Siblings Kevin Kucera and Brittany Brown are biking with their father for the final time, Jim Kucera, who’s been diagnosed with MS.

“This is his (Jim’s) 25th year. He started riding the tram just because his sisters liked bike riding. Then the second year, he actually got diagnosed with MS … This is the thing he looks forward to every year,” Brown said. “My husband and I, we’ve participated on-and-off over the past 10 years. We aren’t consistent about it, but with this being his last year, we felt (it was) important to make sure that we showed up for him.”

Brown and her husband live in Seattle, yet Brown traveled to Marshall off a flight from London on Saturday from a work trip to be with her family for this year’s ride. She laughingly mentioned she didn’t feel the jet-lag yet as of early Monday morning.

“This is a week to show that I support my dad,” Kevin said. “MS is about fighting. You’re like, ‘I don’t want to pedal another (mile), and I don’t want to get back on the bike.’ Then you’re like, ‘Well, I’m going to keep fighting.’ That’s the thing that I’ve learned from this.”

Kevin mentioned he’s been doing the ride with his father for about 23 years, and his favorite part is biking with his family.

“I haven’t found a community elsewhere much, and this is a very interesting community that I’m looking forward to,” Kevin added.

Capistrant, owner of Jake’s Bikes in Alexandria, said he jumps between the route’s rest stops throughout the day to make any mechanical fixes on the riders’ bikes.

“This takes a huge group of people,” Capistrant said. “All the volunteers at every rest stop, to the motorcycle escorts … It’s just so well put together and well-thought out.”

As other bikers also mentioned, one of the event’s highlights is recognizing one another over the years and growing connections.

“It’s this party crew of cyclists that have been doing it for many, many years. The average age keeps rising as the years go on, but that doesn’t mean the goal changes at all,” Capistrant said. “I think everybody is here to raise funds for somebody they know that has been touched with MS.”

The Ride Across Minnesota is the only five-day ride in the MS series. Director of Development for the National MS Society Darren Josephson said the organization surpassed its $450,000 goal for this year’s ride, and is still continuing to raise funds.

According to information provided by Bike MS, there are more than 2.8 million people worldwide that have been diagnosed with the condition. The MS Society has also invested more than $1.1 billion to MS research and resources, heavily coming from ride fundraisers.

Ride Across Minnesota has been to Marshall a few times, but this year is the first in a while, according to Josephson.

Upon the bikers’ arrival back to Red Baron on Friday throughout the day, there will be a festive finish waiting to welcome them back with live music and entertainment.

“It’s like a family. I wouldn’t be coming on it every year if I didn’t feel welcomed,” Capistrant said. “I mean, there’s a ton of rides that I do, but none of them have the homey-feeling you get when you come on an MS tram. You’re well-welcomed, whether you’re a new rider or somebody that’s been doing it for 35 years.”