Stillwater NewsPress - Fighting MS from the seat of his shorts
• Bicyclist covers more than 190,000 miles to raise money

Jon Kocan
Stillwater NewsPress
Bicyclist Thomas Beasley has come a long way to get to Stillwater. Beasley has covered more than 190,000 miles in 54 cross-country bike tours to raise money for multiple sclerosis in his biking across America campaign.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Beasley will be peddling around town in a red, white and blue helmet and jersey raising money to fight MS. This is Beasley’s first stop in Stillwater but not his first trip to Oklahoma.

Beasley started riding across the country and raising money in January 1991, after his trainer for the Tour de France and friend died from MS. The current trip started in Tucson, Ariz., on Feb. 2, and took him through California, up to Seattle, then to Billings, Mont., and down the Great Plains. Beasley last stopped in Tulsa before riding to Stillwater on Tuesday.

Beasley’s goal is to raise more than $100,000 and he has done that; he said he is now at $104,480. With little more than his Cannondale bicycle and Burley trailer, Beasley has traveled through towns and cities. He said his bike and trailer weigh approximately 180 pounds and the hills of Oklahoma are more of a challenge than they look.MORE: Stillwater NewsPress