Youth to undertake 30-mile bike ride for MS fundraiser BY KATHY CHANG Staff Writer Kyle Fiske, 11, will bike 30 miles in New York for victims of multiple sclerosis. METUCHEN - Eleven-year-old Kyle Fiske will turn his hobby of bike riding into a charity event this Sunday as he rides 30 miles for multiple sclerosis (MS) around the streets of Manhattan. "I always look to challenge myself, and this is the perfect way to do that," said Kyle, who said he has been riding bikes since he was little. "I just can't get enough of it." Kyle and his father, Kevin, will join the 5,000 or so cyclists on Oct. 14 who will ride the 30, 60 or 100 miles through Manhattan, riding on the Lincoln Tunnel, FDR and Harlem River drives, and the West Side Highway, traffic-free, for the New York City MS Bike Tour. MS is a chronic, unpredictable neurological disease that affects the central nervous system. According to the National MS Society, the disease is believed to be an autoimmune disease, and although no trigger has yet been identified, most MS experts believe several factors like genetics, gender and environmental triggers may be involved in initiating the disease process. Kyle said the race allows him a chance to visit New York City and help people with MS. "I can't imagine myself having MS, so I want to help in any way that I can," he said. Kyle and his father will be riding with the 15-member team Wheels of Justice, which is spearheaded by a captain in the New York Police Department. The team has raised $920, with Kyle raising the most money, $340, as of Oct. 8. The team's goal was to raise $400. "Kyle checks the Web site every day to see how much people have donated," said his mom, Lisa. "We have probably gotten a check in the mail every day." When Kyle and his father mentioned the idea to his mom about two months ago, she was a little hesitant. "I have to be honest … I tried to talk Kyle out of it," she said. "Then I tried to talk some sense into Kevin. I mean, what did he think, taking an 11-year-old on a 30-mile bike ride on a kids bike purchased from Target, of all places, and he never did long-distance training before." However, when Kevin and Kyle didn't budge, she decided that if her 11-year-old son had the guts to go for it, she would do her part by helping her son raise money for the race. Now after three flat tires on his old bike, Kyle was equipped with a new Bontrager Trek Train mountain bike, helmet and bike gloves from the Highland Park Cyclery. Kyle said he and his dad, who ride on weekends around Metuchen and into Roosevelt Park in Edison, have been increasing their mileage every week for about the past two months. They are up to 15 miles. "Our rides have been real nice," said Kyle. "We ride all over unless it's humid out." The bike ride also symbolizes a "good turn" for Kyle as a Boy Scout of Troop 216. "We have to try to do a good turn [or good deed] a day," he said. "This is my good turn." Kyle, who is in sixth grade at Edgar Middle School and plays ice hockey, said the few classmates that he has told about the race don't believe him when he told them he was going to ride 30 miles. And for anyone his age who would want to take on a challenge like he has, Kyle said they shouldn't hesitate. "They should go do it and give it their all," he said. "There are no boundaries where they can't do it - at least they should try." Kyle said he is "not too nervous" about riding 30 miles for the first time. "I'm looking forward to it," he said. Anyone who would like to make a donation to sponsor Kyle in his quest to bike 30 miles around Manhattan may visit Kyle's page at http://msnyc.kintera. org/msbiketour/kyle_fiske. For more information about the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, visit www.nationalmssociety. org.