MS
150 2007 cyclists arrive
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flash)
05:27 PM CDT on Monday, April 23, 2007
Thousands of bicyclists converged on downtown Austin Sunday as the MS 150 bike ride came to an end.
The MS 150 is a two day ride from Houston to Austin that thousands of cyclists take part in to raise money in the fight against multiple sclerosis.
The sight of the state capitol never looked so good to the 13,000 cyclists who arrived in Austin Sunday afternoon.
"I'm so exhilarated that it's over. It was a great personal challenge," said Tassie Hewitt, of Katy, Texas.
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"It made us exceed what we thought we could do," said Lou Quintana, of Katy, Texas.
It's all in the name of multiple sclerosis.
"That's why we ride," said rider Ali Fazeli of Houston.
Family and friends lined Congress Avenue. And one group of friends was anxiously waiting for a very special cyclist to cross that finish line.
They waited for eight year old Sophia Menyhert. She is one of, if not the, youngest rider in the MS 150.
You may remember, we've introduced you to Sophia before.
For months, she played her violin outside of Austin restaurants to raise money for MS.
She decided she wanted to ride in the MS 150 after her parents took part last year.
Sophia's mom has been diagnosed with MS, and the eight year old raised more than $3,000 for the cause.
Her parents were right behind her as she crossed the finish line.
"I feel, like, very proud of myself, like it's a big accomplishment," said Sophia.
Sophia's mom and dad had concerns that she might have trouble along the difficult route, but she finished perfectly.
"I'm just so proud of her, and all along the route they were marveling at the work that she's done, and riders going by, cheering her on, asking her how old she was. She just did fantastic!" said Sophia's mom, Joy.
"I feel, like I've accomplished something really, really, really big," said Sophia.
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