When I am not playing with the latest VMware products or exploring new technologies, one of my passions outside of work is cycling (road bike). Yesterday, I decided to take the plunge and signed up for the annual Bike MS: Waves to Wine Ride 2014 which takes place the weekend of September 20-21, 2014. The ride is to help bring both awareness as well as help raise funds towards curing MS (multiple sclerosis). I personally do not know of anyone with MS or have it myself, but I think it is a worthy cause to ride for and here is some more details regarding the disease from the website:

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling, disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. Millions of people are affected by MS and the challenges of living with its unpredictable symptoms, which range from numbness and tingling to blindness and paralysis. The progress, severity and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot yet be predicted, but advances in research and treatment are moving us closer to a world free of MS.

I have decided to challenge myself by taking on the century route (104 miles) which starts from San Francisco and goes all the way up to Sonoma County. This will be an interesting ride as it will be my first "official" century (accidentally did one about month ago from Sunnyvale to San Francisco) and will be my first time riding with large number of cyclists. I think it will be fun and quite challenging and I am really looking forward to it.

To participate in the event, I will need to personally raise a minimum of $350 USD (16 days left), which I have already donated a small amount myself. I am reaching out to greater Virtualization community to ask for your help and support. If you would like to support me and the National MS Society, please consider making a small donation here. I have also created a group called Team VMware, as one did not exists and others would like to join. I have also set a new optimistic fundraising goal of $5,000 after being blown away from all the support from my fellow VMware colleagues and the Virtualization community. I will definitely be leveraging our VMware Foundation benefits to match whatever amount I have been able to raise. I hope you will share this with your colleagues, friends and family and assist me with this worthy cause! For VMware employees who donate, you will be able to get the VMware Foundation to match your contributions. You simply just need to "Request a Match" on our Intranet and provide proof of contributions and they will handle the rest!

I also plan on renting a GoPro to capture my ride and the spectacular views as a token of my appreciation.

Click here to Donate!

Thanks for your considerations!