Rivers School Grad Bikes Cross-Country for Multiple Sclerosis

Rivers School graduate Eliza Cohen has always dreamed of biking across the country. 

Now, she's making that 4,300-mile dream come true -- and helping a charity every mile of the ride. 

"I'm really excited," says Cohen, 23. "It's surreal."

On Tuesday, Cohen set out on a cross-country trip with the Bike the US for MS program, a ride that raises money for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research and awareness. 

Cohen's two-month trip -- also known as the"Northern Tier" route -- launched from Bar Harbor, ME and will finish in Seattle, WA. 

An avid cyclist and athlete from a young age, Cohen says a cross-country trip has been on her radar for a long time. Once she graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2010, she began researching various routes and programs.

After graduation, while she was living and working in Austin, TX, Cohen found out one of her close friends from childhood was diagnosed with MS. It was then that Cohen sought out Bike the US for MS -- the right charity and program for her long-awaited, cross-country trip.  

"It was the perfect alignment; I was able to find a cause that I really cared about and also work with a team to do a [cross-country] trip," Cohen says.

Cohen, who is a Newton native , explains that the Bike the US for MS program involves a team of 15 cyclists who ride together throughout the route, camping at various spots along the way and staying at local schools and churches. 

"The coolest part about the trip is that it's a team effort," Cohen says. "I'm meeting 15 or 16 people and using their support -- whether it's biking or camping. That's what I'm most excited for."

While she's always been good about keeping in shape -- including a bike trip from Paris to Rome last summer -- Cohen says she's amped up her training in the last couple of months. She bikes 30 to 40 miles three or four times a week and is spinning (indoor cycling) on the days she's not going on long-distance bike rides.

Cross-training, weight lifting and yoga have also been a part of her regular routines, she says.

"I've been keeping my body in the best shape possible," Cohen says. "I don't want to carry any extra weight as I'm going up those mountains."

Cyclists with the Bike the US for MS program have a choice between three routes: the Northern Tier route from Bar Harbor, ME to Seattle, WA; the TransAm route from Yorktown, VA to San Francisco, CA; or the Pacific Coast route from Seattle, WA to San Diego, CA.

Cohen says she chose the Northern Tier route for two main reasons: it traveled through parts of the country she has never seen and, most importantly, it will give her a break from the constant heat she's had while living in Texas. 

"It seemed like the best fit for me," she says.

During the trip, Cohen says the teams of cyclists have "rest days" where they stop and volunteer with MS patients as well as raise awareness about the charity and MS research. 

Keeping those MS patients in mind, including her childhood friend, is what will keep her going on the tough days she's bound to have on her journey.

"I love physical challenges, but when there are those harder days, there's always the fact that you're doing this for a greater cause," Cohen says. 

Since she's signed up for the ride, Cohen has raised nearly $4,000. Her goal is $4,295, or roughly $1 for every mile she'll bike. For more information on her ride and fundraising efforts, check out her Bike the US for MS page.