Going the distance for those who suffer

Jason Dyniewski

For many of us, riding a bike is something we learned to do at a very young age. It was quite the red-letter day when the training wheels finally came off, and we were free to two-wheel it around the neighborhood. For Spring resident Jason Dyniewski, though, riding a bike has taken on a whole new level of meaning. This month, Dyniewski will participate in his seventh MS 150, a bike ride from Houston to Austin to raise money for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

And while the cause is noble and anyone who participates is worthy of kudos for their efforts, for Dyniewski, the cause is personal. His wife Kimberly, whom he met through a young singles program at the couple’s church, was diagnosed with MS when she was 19 years old, and it is in her honor that he will ride the approximately 180 miles. “I push through the aches and pains because I know that my wife and so many others with the disease do not have the opportunity to do so,” he said recently.

Originally from northern Indiana, Dyniewski didn’t take up what he calls “serious cycling” until 2006, when he decided to participate in his first MS 150. And while he admits that the physical element entailed in riding a bike that far is certainly worthy of mention, it’s the time commitment leading up to the actual ride that he finds more difficult. “I’ve got three kids, and when I’m training, it’s a lot of time away from them,” he said. “I’ll start off training season by riding about twenty-five miles. Eventually, I work my way up to about eighty.” In terms of time, that correlates to about one or two hours on the shorter end, and as long as six or more hours for the longer rides.

MS affects between 2 and 150 people per every 150,000 and causes permanent neurological damage. The disease, however, has no known cure. The MS 150 and rides like it across the country collectively raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for research, and riders are asked to commit to a minimum of $400. To support Dyniewski’s efforts, you can donate online at www.main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/JDyniewski, and every penny counts.

Name: Jason Dyniewski
Age: 36
Profession: Business Analyst
Community Connection: Resident of Spring
Fast Fact: Jason is the oldest of seven boys, all of whom have names that begin with the letter “J.”

Andrew Spencer is a freelance writer and the author of “Bear-Trap: The Fall of Bear Stearns and the Panic of 2008” and “Tower of Thieves: Inside AIG’s Culture of Corporate Greed.”