First Ever Heaven Hill Bike MS Team Rides to End MS
Heaven Hill Brands not only sponsored the recent Bike MS Bluegrass Bourbon Ride in Bardstown, KY, but also created its first-ever team of participants in the long-distance ride!
Bardstown is commonly referred to as the “Bourbon Capital of the World,” inspiring the theme, “Bluegrass Bourbon Ride,” and making Heaven Hill the perfect presenting sponsor. Heaven Hill has a history of supporting Bike MS rides in the area, but this year was the first time we gathered a team to physically participate! Abby Long was the team captain, calling on Heaven Hill team members and their family and friends. Heaven Hill team members who participated were Quality Supervisor Abby Long, Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll, Internal Communications Specialist Hannah Williamson and IT Distillery Solutions Partner Josh Howard.
The Bike MS team invited Heaven Hill riders to the front of the starting line to kick off the impactful event. They all wore matching Heaven Hill Brands blue bike kits that were designed by our very own Creative Services Department. On the first day, riders followed a 63-mile course that went through the different parts of Bardstown. This ride was not a race, but rather a group ride for a good cause. During the race, the Heaven Hill team split up based on pace. The fastest riders in the group finished in about four hours with the rest of the group finishing between five and a half and six and a half hours. Every 10 miles, bikers were offered the opportunity to stop at the designated rest stops. At the rest stops bikers could get refreshments to help energize them for the next stretch of their ride.
Abby started the team after participating in one of BikeMS’s events in Tennessee. She saw the Bluegrass Bourbon Ride on the schedule and jumped at the opportunity to get Heaven Hill team members to make a meaningful impact. Abby hopes that, in the future, Heaven Hill’s team will continue to grow, emphasizing that team members can support this event in a variety of ways depending on what they are comfortable with.
“This event was so much fun! I would love to do it again next year. I hope that next year more people will join, even if they do not participate in the ride, I would love to see some friendly faces at the rest stops,” Quality Supervisor Abby Long said.
BikeMS is the largest charity cycling series in the country. This series of events are held in different cities all throughout the country in hopes to raise money to fight Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The event donates all proceeds to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society to support their mission to cure MS while empowering the people affected by MS to live their best lives. There are currently 2.8 million people worldwide who suffer from this potentially disabling disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord.
The event raised $178,592 to donate to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Of that amount, Heaven Hill raised $7,930 in addition to sponsoring the event. If you still want to donate to the cause, there is still time! The fundraising window is open until July 24th, if you would like to donate to the team click on their names above and it will take you to their donation website.
The riders could not complete the course on the second day due to bad weather. Instead of riding, they got to enjoy a lovely breakfast to celebrate their hard work. After the breakfast, the riders headed home, excited to participate again next year and optimistic for the future of events like this one!
