We’ve worked with Andy McKenna in the past, and his features have been in the magazine. If you’ve ever had the chance to meet him, you’ll know he’s one of the friendliest guys you could meet. The press release accompanying today’s announcement describes him as a ‘mountain bike evangelist’, but he comes across as being pretty damned evangelical about life generally.
While many of us might envy his mountain bike guide’s lifestyle, he has to work hard to keep that up, due to his diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). And that is where you come in. Andy’s been supported by the charity Overcoming MS in finding lifestyle choices that allow him to remain active, and so he wants to raise money for them so they can support others.
All you need to do is buy a £5 raffle ticket, and as well as supporting the charity, you’ll be in with a chance to with a custom-painted Santa Cruz Bronson. The prize also includes suspension and dropper post by Fox Racing Shox, ShimanoXTdrivetrain and brakes, and WTB tyres. Also included is an EVOC backpack and ENDURA has created a custom MT500 jersey to match the bike.
Scottish mountain bike guide Andy McKenna has today launched a JustGiving campaign offering a high value raffle prize – a custom-made Santa Cruz Bicycles mountain bike and premium accessories – to raise funds for the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS) charity. He aims to raise £20,000.
Andy McKenna is a mountain bike evangelist, running his own tour business near Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. Nothing remarkable here, other than Andy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2007. That moment was the start of a different kind of mountain bike journey. A challenging, rewarding, inspiring and very precious one.
Andy is utterly determined to continue riding bikes and live an active life. He strongly believes, along with a growing global community, there is an alternative way of managing the effects of MS. It is not a pill or an injection but a set of lifestyle changes.
Andy raises funds for global charity, Overcoming MS as he believes without the charity’s advice and support he would not be leading the life he is.
Andy said, “So many more people should have the opportunity to live well with MS. My primary tactic is to cope from behind handlebars which will hopefully strike a chord with many whether they ride or not. Biking helps me to cope, to escape and to keep me sane.”
Andy has been a mountain biker since the 1980s and a professional guide making his living from running Go-Where, a mountain bike adventures company, in Scotland.
Supporters and the public are being asked to buy raffle tickets, priced at £5 each, to be entered in to a prize draw to win a one-of-a-kind, custom-painted, fully-specced Santa Cruz Bicycles Bronson mountain bike. The prize also includes awesome suspension and dropper post by Fox Racing Shox. Shimano’s tried and true XTdrivetrain and brakes. Wilderness Trail Bikes tires. Also included is an EVOC backpack and ENDURA have created a custom MT500 jersey to match this beautiful Bronson bicycle.
Overcoming MS educates, supports and empowers people with MS in evidence-based lifestyle and medication choices that improve health outcomes. OMS promotes a 7-Step Recovery Programme, an evidence-based and rigorously researched diet and lifestyle modification approach to preventing disease progression.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that affects the body’s central nervous system. Over 2.5 million people worldwide have the disease. It’s a condition that causes the body’s immune system to attack myelin, a coating that insulates the nerve fibres.
When myelin is damaged or destroyed it affects the nerve impulses traveling to and from the brain and spinal cord. This can cause life-changing symptoms like extreme fatigue, numbness, tingling, tremors, slurred speech and loss of balance and muscle coordination, loss of vision and, in the worst case, paralysis.
The diagnosis usually comes in the prime of someone’s life, typically between the ages of 20 and 40. MS can be a devastating condition with a potentially profound effect on the quality of life. While there is currently no cure, there is hope for a brighter, healthier future.
I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones.
More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments.
I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.
What an amazing individual.
£3.9k already , great charity and prize
Andy is def a gent. Enjoyed my week up in Scotland with him, one of the best guides ever.