More Cowbell! To end ALS, Riders of the Tri-State Trek Cycle 270 Miles - Making Noise and Raising Money!

    CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hundreds of
 bicyclists are expected to participate in the sixth annual Tri-State Trek,
 a three-day fundraising ride starting in Newton, Massachusetts and
 finishing in White Plains, New York, this July 18-20. The event and its
 participants raise money and awareness for the fatal neuromuscular disorder
 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Lou Gehrig's disease. Looking to be
 300 strong this summer, the Trek is distributing cowbells in the
 communities it passes through so that spectators can help to cheer on the
 group of riders, which includes the armature and experienced rider as well
 as ALS patients.
 
 
 
     "This bike ride is about raising money and bringing attention to the
 work we're doing to find a cure for a horrific disease," says Sean Scott,
 President of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI), a nonprofit
 biotechnology company in Cambridge, Mass. and the beneficiary of this
 three-day fundraiser. "The people who participate in the Trek do it to
 support the research we do here. They ride because they want to see changes
 in medical science, and the spectators who cheer them on and ring those
 cowbells let them know they're not alone on their bikes."
 
 
 
     The world's largest ALS research facility, ALS TDI, employs a team of
 30 of the best and brightest research scientists and technicians. They work
 together at the institute's state-of-the-art laboratory in Cambridge.
 Driven by a single, profoundly important goal -- to discover viable
 treatments for ALS as quickly as they possibly can -- the group is focused
 exclusively on curing ALS.
 
 
 
     "We're so proud to ride for such a wonderful organization," says Mat
 Mendel, the event's founder, organizer and long time cyclist. "I know
 cowbells and bicycles won't cure this disease, but I believe the work being
 done at TDI will. The more people that ride and the more noise we make, the
 more attention we will bring to the brave patients who fight this disease.
 I know something will be done. We need a cure, we need More Cowbell."
 
 
 
     "More Cowbell", the Tri-State Trek's call to arms, is an American pop
 culture catch phrase originally derived from a Saturday Night Live skit
 featuring Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell. The idea resonates with
 cyclists, as traditionally cowbells are used to cheer on riders as they
 race through the Pyrenees or up the Italian Alps. Interns for the Tri-State
 Trek started passing out cowbells at the event's finish line in White
 Plains, NY as part of a project they were working on to get the community
 more involved in the ride, and it wasn't long before cowbells echoed
 through the city.
 
 
 
     About the Tri-State Trek
 
     This year marks the sixth Tri-State Trek, which begins in Newton,
 Massachusetts and finishes in White Plains, New York. The event began with
 just 16 riders in 2002 and included 165 riders in 2007. The event is a
 journey that goes far beyond riding bicycles. It's about overcoming
 obstacles, pushing beyond your comfort zones, and riding for those who no
 longer can. Participants challenge themselves mentally, physically, and
 emotionally to fund research at the ALS Therapy Development Institute. In
 total, the Trek has helped to raise nearly a million dollars for ALS
 research. For more information on riding, volunteering, or just coming out
 to cheer, call 617-441-7211 or visit them online at
 http://www.needmorecowbell.org/.
 
 
 
     About ALS Therapy Development Institute
 
     The ALS Therapy Development Institute (www.als.net), based in
 Cambridge, Mass., operates the world's largest research and development
 program focused exclusively on ALS. Its staff of 30 scientists and research
 technicians work on behalf of ALS patients to discover and advance novel
 therapeutics for treating and ultimately curing ALS. The non-profit
 biotechnology institute excels in identifying novel disease targets,
 discovering compounds that may act against these targets, and screening
 potential treatments for clinical development.
 
 
 
 
 
     Media Contact:
 
     Robert Goldstein
 
     Communications Manager
 
     ALS Therapy Development Institute
 
     rgoldstein@als.net
 
     617/441-7295
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE ALS Therapy Development Foundation