Glen Ellyn Resident Scott Hinton to Participate in Bike MS: Tour de Farms on June 21 and 22

When he was diagnosed with MS in 1998, Scott Hinton says that he almost felt a sense of elation hearing the final verdict. Before he knew the cause of his symptoms, the uncertainty of the situation caused a series of worst-case scenarios to flood his mind, and he was worried that whatever he had could be fatal. When the diagnosis finally came, he was relieved to discover that it was something he could manage, though it wouldn’t come without difficulty.

Prior to his MS diagnosis, Hinton would have described himself as your average suburban husband and father. He went for long walks on the beach, coached youth soccer, and was an avid runner and cyclist. As his symptoms progressed, however, all that changed.

“My relapsing remitting MS has changed to secondary progressive MS, so there has been a slow but steady decline in my mobility,” said Hinton. “I now have difficulty walking around the block, and running and bicycling are but distant memories.”

Although he has had to give up some of the things he loves, he was grateful for what he had and hopeful that he could find alternative ways to stay active.

“In 2012 I discovered handcycling, which, as the name implies, utilizes one’s arms to power a cycle — a tricycle to be exact,” said Hinton.  

He took it easy as he learned to use a handcycle, but it wasn’t long before he was taking on more difficult bike trails across the country.

“To date, I have ridden on bike trails in Illinois, Vermont, Florida and Massachusetts,” said Hinton. “During the riding season, I tried to get out three to four times a week, going on 10 to 15 mile rides, with an occasional 20 plus mile ride.”

On Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, Hinton will be riding in his first ever Bike MS: Tour de Farms, and he plans on challenging himself with a 35 mile ride.

“My longest single day ride to date has been my 27-mile trek on Nantucket,” said Hinton. “My attempt to ride 35 miles in the Tour de Farms is uncharted territory.”

Hinton is serious about accomplishing his goal, and it’s a challenge he doesn’t take lightly.

“To prepare myself for these additional miles, I began a workout program that incorporates weight and cardio training,” said Hinton of his ride preparations. “I don’t feel that the 35-mile ride is out of the question, and I am considering the idea of pushing myself to attempt the 50-mile loop.”

Hinton looks forward to meeting other cyclists and handcyclists — both with and without MS — and to raising money and awareness about MS.

“During my 16 years with MS, my quality of life has benefited from disease modifying therapies and advances in drug treatments that have been made possible by ongoing research that is funded, in part, by donations.”

As he looks to Bike MS and his future, Hinton hopes for “a cure to stop MS, a way to repair myelin, to be able to go for long walks with [his] family, and to ride farther next year.”