FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The epic 2020 MS Gong Ride Virtual challenge will take place between 1 October and 1 November.

You’ll have 32 days to complete your challenge (or less if you’re up to it ?). Ride locally, choose your own distance and map your route. You can even take part indoors on a stationary bike!

Log your rides via your own personal fitness app and sync to your fundraising page between 1 October and 1 November to FIGHT MS.

It is FREE to register and participate in the 2020 MS Gong Ride Virtual. Sign up now and help Fight MS!

You will have 32 days, between Thursday, 1 October 2020 and Sunday, 1 November 2020, to complete the MS Gong Ride Virtual Challenge.

Anywhere, so long as you are doing so legally and safely!

Complete the epic MS Gong Ride Virtual Challenge for FREE anywhere between 1 October and 1 November 2020. Ride locally. Choose your own distance. Map your own route, or take part indoors using a stationary bike.

Through lush forests, straight roads, coastal scenery, or watching a documentary - the virtual challenge is YOUR RIDE, YOUR WAY!

In 2020, we have introduced the MS Gong Ride Virtual, your chance to be part of the MS Gong Ride experience, wherever you are, during the month of October.

• Rider Guide
  
  
• Your choice of start location & course
  
  
• Brad McGee Training Program
  
  
• Finisher Medal (minimum $150 raised)
  
  
• Rewards & prizes

Call us on 1300 733 690 or email events@ms.org.au to let us know so we can update our records.

Multiple Sclerosis Limited follows the NSW State Government and Australian Government’s directives and advice. Updates about the event will be on the MS Gong Ride home page. If you still have a question, please contact us on 1300 733 690 or events@ms.org.au.

All styles of bicycles, not considered motor vehicles, i.e. motorbikes, can be used to complete the MS Gong Ride Virtual Challenge.

These includes, but are not limited to Road, Mount, Recumbent, Tandem, BMX, Stationary, Exercise, Spin, Cyclo-Cross and eBikes.

Unfortunately, the MS Gong Ride Classic will not go ahead in 2020. We have been monitoring the situation surrounding COVID-19 and have made this decision in the interest of the safety of our participants, volunteers and staff.

We look forward to planning for the MS Gong Ride Classic event in 2021.

The 25,000+ Australians living with MS still need your support! Don’t break the Cycle, keep pedalling in the Ride to Fight MS and join us in the MS Gong Ride Virtual challenge this October - it’s FREE TO ENTER!

We encourage everyone to make choices that support public safety and wellness and avoid spreading disease.

Participants of the MS Gong Ride Virtual, are encouraged to follow advice from the State and Federal Government authorities and Australian Health Department.

Stay at home if you feel unwell. If you have a fever, cough, sore throat, or difficulty breathing, do not participate in public events and seek medical advice.

Stay at home if you have been in contact with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, have travelled interstate or overseas in the last 14 days.

Follow the directions of Government Health Authorities and always practise good hygiene. The Australian Government provides advice on hygiene practices.

For more information, visit the Australian Government website.

When the challenge begins on Thursday, 1 October 2020, you will be able to connect your fitness app to your MS Gong Ride dashboard, to track your progress.

From Thursday, 1 October 2020:

Download the MapMyFitness or Fitbit app, and set up an account

Log in to your MS Gong Ride dashboard

From the My Fitness Activity page, select your chosen app

Follow the prompts to connect your account

DOWNLOAD APP

From 1 October 2020, you will be able to log your rides either automatically via a connect device/app, or manually on your MS Gong Ride dashboard.

LOG YOUR RIDES AUTOMATICALLY

1. Download the Fitbit or MapMyFitness app, and set up an account
2. Log in to your MS Gong Ride dashboard
3. From the My Fitness Activity page, select your chosen app
4. Follow the prompts to connect your account
5. Your Activity Tracking will update each day, with the previous day's distances

NB  Remember to start, stop and save your rides in the app, otherwise the distances will not be synced to your MS Gong Ride dashboard.

LOG YOUR RIDES MANUALLY

1. Log in to your MS Gong Ride dashboard
2. Select My Fitness Activity
3. Under Add Activity, enter the date and distance of your ride

The kilometres will now appear on your activity tracker

Only kilometres ridden in the the challenge month will count towards your total. We will reset your kilometres to zero on 1 October 2020.

While exercise bikes usually provide an effective 'distance ridden' reading that can be entered in as a manual ride, many spin bikes produce no such measurement.

In these instances, as a guide, you can manually add the following distances to the My Fitness Activity page of your MS Gong Ride dashboard:

Unfortunately, there are now limitations with the fitness app Strava.

The fitness app, Strava, will only allow 1,000 activities to be synced to any website each day. Our wonderful MS Gong Ride community exceed this daily limit.

Therefore, we recommend you use MapMyFitness, Fitbit or manually enter your distances to your MS Gong Ride dashboard. For those who have already logged your distances using Strava, this data will remain on your dashboard, you will not need to take any action.

If you would like to use MapMyFitness to track your rides, you can connect it from the My Fitness Activity page on your MS Gong Ride dashboard. All rides after you have connected your MapMyFitness account will be synced and recorded, within 24 hours of them being saved, provided the ride is saved as public.

NB  The My Fitness Activity page will be visible on your dashboard from Thursday, 1 October 2020.

DOWNLOAD APP

MapMyFitness is the umbrella under which Under Armour has united the group of apps it purchased, which include MapMyRide, MapMyWalk, MapMyRun etc.

Your login credentials for any of these apps will allow you to connect through the MapMyFitness, despite the mis-match in branding. So you can connect your existing MapMyRun/Walk/Ride etc. account using the MapMyFitness option on the MS Gong Ride dashboard.

If your ride doesn't appear on your MS Gong Ride dashboard within 24 hours of saving it to MapMyFitness, one of the following may be the cause:

1. Only rides completed after connecting your MapMyFitness account to your MS Gong Ride dashboard can be synced. If you completed and saved your ride prior to connecting your MapMyFitness account to your MS Gong Ride dashboard, these rides will not appear.
2. If the ride is saved as "private", the MS Gong Ride platform will be unable to sync your rides. Please note that changing your privacy settings will not sync past rides.

To disconnect your MapMyFitness account from your MS Gong Ride dashboard, you can do so from the My Fitness Activity page on your dashboard. Once your MapMyFitness account is disconnected, no future rides will be synced.

If you would like to use Fitbit to track your rides, you can connect it from the My Fitness Activity page on your MS Gong Ride dashboard. All rides after you have connected your Fitbit account will be synced and recorded, within 24 hours of them being saved, provided you have started and ended the activity on Fitbit.

NB  The My Fitness Activity page will be visible on your dashboard from Thursday, 1 October 2020.

DOWNLOAD APP

When connecting your Fitbit account throught your My Fitness Activity page on your MS Gong Ride Dashboard, the website will request access to data from your Fitbit account. From the options presented, only Profile and Activities and Exercise are required for the sync to function. 

When using Fitbit, you must ‘start’ and 'end' an activity and save it, for the data to sync. If you are having issues, try syncing through BOTH your Fitbit and the Fitbit app on your device.

To disconnect your Fitbit account, you can do so from the My Fitness Activity page on your MS Gong Ride Dashboard. Once your Fitbit account is disconnected, no future rides will be synced.

Zwift currently has a closed API, which means that it can only sync with major platforms like Strava. MS Gong Ride cannot currently connect directly to Zwift.

Any rides completed on Zwift, however, can absolutely count towards your MS Gong Ride Virtual Challenge. You can add them to your activity tracking manually.

At present, MS Gong Ride only has an automated connection with Fitbit, Strava and MapMyFitness. However, that doesn't mean you can't use other apps, i.e. Runtastic, Garmin Connect, Google Fit, etc, to participate in the MS Gong Ride Virtual Challenge.

If you would prefer to keep using the same app you use currently to log your rides, simply record the distance manually on the My Fitness Activity page of your MS Gong Ride dashboard.

Live streaming provides the ability for fundraisers to embed video players on their fundraising pages and then stream live video direct to it from other services such as their smart phone, their computer, gaming platforms like PS4, etc

These video streams can be viewed directly on their fundraising pages by friends and family members, allowing for direct interaction between the fundraiser and visitors.

By fundraising a minimum of $150 for the MS Gong Ride Virtual, you provide vital support and services to people living with multiple sclerosis. Every dollar you raise will go directly to ensuring the thousands of Australians with multiple sclerosis are able to receive the support and care they need to live well. Find out how your fundraising helps Australians Fight MS.

It can be as easy as asking your family and friends to support you in this challenge. Your commitment and effort will not only be a rewarding experience for you but will ultimately support people living with multiple sclerosis.

Your fundraising goes directly to offering services and support to people living with multiple sclerosis, while the search for a cure continues. It allows us to fund programs like MS Connect and MS Advisor, providing those with multiple sclerosis access to a caring voice at the end of the phone line and specialist advice and guidance on how to manage their symptoms. Your support ensures no one faces their journey alone.

You’ll be surprised at how simple it is. Below are our top three tips:

1. Your online fundraising page is the most simple and effective way to kick start your fundraising. By adding your personal story and an image, people are 10 times more likely to support you. 
2. By making a personal donation to your fundraising page, you take away that pressure of the first donation. Every year, our top fundraisers made a personal donation and started the giving momentum. Your donation can set the tone for your supporters. It is a fantastic way to get yourself moving towards your goal and show your commitment. Aim high and your friends and family will follow your lead!
3. Send an email to your networks or share your page on social media. Simply spread the message of your fundraising – you’ll be amazed at who will support you when you ask. Individual emails are more impactful than group ones and you can ask for a set amount e.g. “I’m asking 30 people to donate $30 to help people living with MS.” If posting on social media, posting to individual pages or via message works best. Or send an SMS!

70% of companies in Australia offer ‘matching funding’ as part of their employee benefits. This means they support their employees’ charitable efforts by matching their fundraising dollar for dollar. It is a great way to double your fundraising efforts – and all you need to do is ask. Speak to your HR department and ask them for their support.

We can provide your company with any documentation they may need, including tax-deductible receipts, information about what we do and a letter of thanks and recognition.

Letter to Employer - Matched Giving

MS Matched Giving Video

The best way to collect donations is directly through your online page. Anyone who made a donation on your online page will be sent an instant tax-deductible receipt. It also is the easiest way to keep track of your fundraising efforts.

If you do collect cash or cheque donations, feel free to contact us on 1300 733 690 or events@ms.org.au for an MS Receipt Register. For a more detailed explanation, have a read through our next FAQ on banking your offline donations. If you intend to host a fundraising event to collect further cash donations, please see our hints and tips below.

If you receive cash and cheque donations in person rather than online, we will issue you with three key documents:

1. An Authority to Fundraise (required for any offline fundraising)
2. A Donation Register
3. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) form to bank your funds 

To request these documents, simply email events@ms.org.au or call 1300 733 690 . Once you have received them, simply follow the below steps!

All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible. Anyone who donates through your online page will be instantly emailed their receipt. If you are planning to collect cash or cheque donations, simply contact us on 1300 733 690 or events@ms.org.au and we can provide you with an MS Receipt Register so you can issue them to your supporters as required.

After logging in to your MS Gong Ride dashboard, go to SEND EMAILS in MY PAGE | GET SUPPORT

SEND EMAILS

1. Select MY CONTACTS and choose from the available options:
   • My Contacts: A list of email addresses you have already sent an email to. 
   • My Donors: A list of your donors. You will not see donor email addresses, but rather a code that has been assigned to each one, i.e. D1234. 
   • Import Contacts: Import a csv list of email addresses (Tip - Name is not required)
2. Please a tick alongside each email address you would like to send to, and select ADD TO EMAIL
3. Manually enter any additional email addresses you would like to include, separating each one with a comma, i.e. john@email.com, mary@email.com 
4. Update the subject line and message, or choose from one of our pre-written email templates.
5. Click SEND EMAIL when ready

DOWNLOAD PDF INSTRUCTIONS

Facebook is a great place to encourage your friends, family and colleagues to support you! Always share your MS Gong Ride Fundraising page to Facebook as opposed to setting up a Facebook fundraiser. This way you can be sure that all your funds raised will be shown on your MS Gong Ride Fundraising page.

Furthermore, we recommend you do not use the Facebook Donate button, as we cannot link any of the funds received through a Facebook fundraiser to your MS Gong Ride Fundraising page.

Multiple Sclerosis Limited, ABN 66 004 942 287

Yes, if you have selected Multiple Sclerosis Limited as your charity of choice, we’ll receive the funds. However, please note there will be a slight delay. Also, your donors will receive a receipt a from PayPal Giving Fund, not Multiple Sclerosis Limited.

Facebook donations are managed by a third party (PayPal Giving Fund), so we cannot sync these donations with your MS Gong Ride fundraising page.

Therefore, the best way to receive donations from your friends, colleagues and family is by sharing your fundraising page to Facebook, as opposed to using the Facebook Donate button.

If you have selected the incorrect MS organisation on Facebook, please contact us and have the following information ready: your full name, amount and the fundraising closure date. Contact us 1300 733 690 or email events@ms.org.au.

If you are planning on taking part with a mate or ten, you can make it official by forming a team.

Teams can be set up during registration, or afterwards by selecting Create A Team on your MS Gong Ride dashboard.

After a team has been created, to change the team name, the Team Captain will need to give our Support Engagement Team a call on 1300 733 690 or send us an email to events@ms.org.au. 

Sometimes participants join your team by accident or because they're looking for other people to ride with in the challenge. As the Team Captain, it is your choice whether a participant should be on your team or not. 

To remove a participant from your team, please give our Support Engagement Team a call on 1300 733 690 or send us an email to events@ms.org.au. 

To make your team Invite Only, go to the Edit Team page in your MS Gong Ride dashboard and select No for Allow Anyone To Join My Team.

To change the Team Captain for your team, please give our Support Engagement Team a call on 1300 733 690 or send us an email to events@ms.org.au. 

During registration, you will be able to search for the team you'd like to join.

Once registered, search for the team you'd like to join, and simply click on the Join Us button on the team page while logged in to your own account. This will automatically connect you to the team.

If a team is set up as invite only, you will need to contact the Team Captain and request that they send you an invite to join their team.

If you have joined a team by accident or simply wish to leave a team, please give our Support Engagement Team a call on 1300 733 690 or send us an email to events@ms.org.au. 

Unfortunately, each participant can only be a member of one team at any one time. To join a new team, you will need to leave the team you are currently in.