FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS

Due to COVID restrictions the 2021 MS Gong Ride Classic our epic charity bike ride from Sydney to Wollongong has been postponed till 2022. A new event date will be announced soon.

• Logging in to your Fundraiser Dashboard
• Selecting the Join Virtual tab
• Clicking the checkbox "I will also be taking on the MS Gong Ride Virtual Challenge from 9 October 2021 to 7 November 2021
• Clicking the Set Distance Target button which will redirect you to your My Fitness Activity page
• Setting your Target Distance
• Connecting your fitness app (optional) to sync your rides automatically

If you prefer not to connect a fitness app, you will be able to add your activity manually through your My Fitness Activity page

Riders must be 12 years of age or older on Event Day to participate. Riders between the ages of 12 and 17 are the responsibility of their guardian, and must remain with them for the duration of the ride.

The 2021 MS Gong Ride Classic has two distances to choose from: an 82KM ride starting from Tempe, and a 58KM starting from Engadine.

We want your ride to go as smoothly as possible, so check the weather forecast and prepare your gear the night before.

You’ll need the following items to take part in the 2021 MS Gong Ride:

• Helmet   COMPULSORY 
• Event Bib   COMPULSORY 
• Drivers Licence / Identification   COMPULSORY 
• Front and Rear Lights   COMPULSORY 
• Sunglasses   ESSENTIAL 
• Water Bottle(s)   ESSENTIAL 
• Gloves   ESSENTIAL 
• Wind Vest / Rain Jacket   ESSENTIAL 
• Spare Tube(s) / Flat Repair Kit   RECOMMENDED 
• Sunscreeen   RECOMMENDED 
• Mobile Phone   RECOMMENDED 

As per our Event Terms and Conditions, registrations are not transferable to another person or to a future MS Event without the express permission or consent of MSL.

Please contact our Supporter Engagement Team for more information.

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You may be eligible for a discount on our event Entry Fees if you hold a valid Pensioner Concession, Health Care or Companion Card.

Please contact our Supporter Engagement Team for more information.

CONTACT US

Yes, people with MS are eligible for free entry by contacting our Supporter Engagement Team.

1300 733 690

2021 MS Gong Ride Welcome Packs, which does not include your official Event Bib, will be mailed out from mid August.

Further information on when your Rider Bib will be available will be sent via email in the coming weeks, so please keep an eye on your inbox.

Welcome Packs will be sent to the mailing address provided when you registered for the event. If your address has changed, update it on your fundraiser dashboard, or let us know by contacting our Supporter Engagement Team.

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By fundraising a minimum of $150 for the MS Gong Ride, 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.

Cycling Apparel is Made To Order and no stock is held by Multiple Sclerosis Limited (MSL). When you place an order for a product from our Cycling apparel range, we order that product in the size selected, from our supplier.

Cycling Apparel is Made to Order and take approximately six (6) weeks to deliver. Production takes approximately four (4) weeks. We then quality check, pack and send the order to you which takes a further 7-14 days.

If you would like to wear your cycling apparel at the event, please place your order no later than six weeks out from the event day.

For your order to arrive in time for the 2021 MS Gong Ride on Sunday 7 November 2021, your order must be placed by Thursday 23 September 2021.

Cycling Apparel items are final sale. They cannot be cancelled, changed, exchanged, returned, or refunded after order has been placed.

Once your order is shipped, you will be emailed a shipping confirmation containing a tracking link for your order:

• Select View My Order from within the email
• Beneath the map, you will find a clickable Tracking Number for your order

Manufacturer Direct apparel are products on our store, i.e. t-shirts, hoodies, polos and tote bags, that are Made To Order and shipped to you directly by our supplier.

Manufacturer Direct apparel take approximately three (3) weeks to deliver. Production takes approximately 5-7 days and shipping a further 7-14 days.

For your order to arrive in time for the 2021 MS Gong Ride on Sunday 7 November 2021, your order must be placed by Thursday 24 October 2021.

Manufacturer Direct Apparel are final sale. They cannot be cancelled, changed, exchanged, returned or refunded after order has been placed.

Once your order is shipped, you will be emailed a shipping confirmation containing a tracking link for your order:

• Select View My Order from within the email
• Beneath the map, you will find a clickable Tracking Number for your order

Custom apparel are products from our Cycling Apparel range that is designed and produced with your own logos and/or artwork. Whether you are a team of 2 or 200, you too can Ride to Fight MS in an MS Custom team kit!

With MS Custom apparel, there are no setup or design fees (for up to 3 revisions to your artwork).

We hope to have your artwork finalised within 2-3 edits. If further revisions are required, an additional design fee may be charged.

No, there is no minimum order quantity for MS Custom apparel.

If you are ordering ten (10) or more pieces of MS Custom apparel, we offer discounts starting at 10%. For orders of twenty (20) pieces, or more, please Contact Us for a quote.

Once your artwork is approved, and your order is paid and submitted, it will take approximately six (6) weeks to deliver. Production takes approximately four (4) weeks and shipping a further 7-14 days.

For your order to arrive in time for the 2021 MS Gong Ride on Sunday 7 November 2021, your artwork must be approved and order paid in full by Thursday 23 September 2021.

Custom Apparel is Made To Order and final sale. They cannot be cancelled, changed, exchanged, returned or refunded after order has been placed.

Once your order is shipped, you will be emailed a shipping confirmation containing a tracking link for your order:

• Select View My Order from within the email
• Beneath the map, you will find a clickable Tracking Number for your order

A Special Event Train Ticket is an eTicket that will allow you to travel from Wollongong to the rail network bounded by Bomaderry, Goulburn, Bathurst, Scone and Dungog stations; non booked services (excluding Domestic or International Station), on one of the 26 Special Event Train Services that will be running for the 2021 MS Gong Ride on Sunday 7 November 2021.

Opal Cards are not permitted on these services, and are for the return trip only. You will need to make separate arrangements to get to the Start Site on Event Day.

Special Event Train Services will only be stopping at Wollongong, Thirroul, Stanwell Park, Otford, Waterfall, Engadine, Sutherland, Hurstville, Wolli Creek, Tempe and Central.

PURCHASE TICKET

Your Special Event Train Ticket will allow you to travel on the Sydney Trains Network (rail network bounded by Bomaderry, Goulburn, Bathurst and Dungog stations) on your return journey only from Wollongong. You will need to use your Opal Card if you are travelling by train to the start line.

In 2021, your Special Event Train Ticket will be a eTicket delivered to the email address provided when placing your order. Our Volunteer Train Ticket Assistants at Wollongong Station will need to scan this eTicket before you will be allowed to board a Special Event Train. Please have your eTicket open on your mobile device as you approach the station, and the screen brightness turned up to assist with scanning.

Opal Cards are NOT accepted on Special Event Train Services.

Special Event Train Services will NOT be stopping at North Wollongong Station.

To get you home after the event, Sydney Trains have scheduled 26 Special Event Train Services running (approximately) every 15-20 minutes from 9.30AM to 5.30PM from Wollongong Station.

MAP AND TIMETABLE  COMING SOON 

Of course. Please give our Supporter Engagement Team a call on 1300 733 690 or email orders@shop.ms.org.au and we will resend you your Special Event Train eTicket email.

Our Volunteer Train Ticket Assistants will be able to find your Special Event Train Ticket order through a name search. You may also want to carry a printed copy of your ticket as a backup.

eTickets can be scanned straight off your mobile screen, but if you prefer to carry a hard copy feel free to print your ticket. If you have purchased multiple tickets, you may find it easier to print each ticket and distribute at the event to your team. 

NB Each eTicket is unique and can only be scanned once.

The 2021 MS Gong Ride Prepaid Lunch Pack contains a Sandwich, Juice Popper, piece of Fruit and a Snack.

NB A Gluten Free, Vegan and Vegatarian option is available.

In 2021, your Prepaid Lunch Pack Ticket will be a eTicket delivered to the email address provided when placing your order. Our Volunteer Prepaid Lunch Assistants, at Red Cedar Flats (Royal National Park) and at the Finish Village (Wollongong), will need to scan this eTicket before you receive your Prepaid Lunch Pack. Please have your eTicket ready for scanning on your mobile device, with the screen brightness turned up.

Although not compulsory, we do recommend printing your ticket if you are collecting your Prepaid Lunch Pack from Red Cedar Flats in the Royal National Park where mobile reception can be patchy and you may be unable to access your emails.

Prepaid Lunch Packs can be collected from either the Red Cedar Flats lunch stop in the Royal National Park, or from the Finish Village in Wollongong. Select your preferred collection point when placing your order.

To collect your order, please present your eTicket (which you will receive via email) for scanning at your nominated collection point.

Although not compulsory, we do recommend printing your ticket if you are collecting your Prepaid Lunch Pack from Red Cedar Flats in the Royal National Park where mobile reception can be patchy and you may be unable to access your emails.

Our Volunteer Prepaid Lunch Assistants will be able to find your Prepaid Lunch Pack order through a name search. You may also want to carry a printed copy of your ticket as a backup*

* Recommended if you are collecting your Prepaid Lunch from Red Cedar Flats in the Royal National Park where mobile reception can be patchy, and you may be unable to access your email.

To cater for dietary requirements we offer a Gluten Free, Vegan and Vegetarian Prepaid Lunch Pack.

Download the Strava, 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

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 Strava, 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 between 9 October 2021 and 7 November 2021, will count towards your total. We will reset your kilometres to zero on 8 October 2021.

Manually added activity can be edited or deleted, so if you have manually entered activity and it then syncs from your connected app, find the activity in your Manually Added Activity and delete the duplicate entry.

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:

If you would like to use Strava 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 Strava account will be synced and recorded, within 24 hours of them being saved, provided the ride is saved as public and your profiles master privacy setting isn't enabled.

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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 regularly exceeds this daily limit.

If your activity has not appeared on your MS Gong Ride Dashboard within 48 hours, we recommend adding the activity manually using Add Activity on the My Fitness Activity section of your MS Gong Ride Dashboard

Some other reasons your activities may not be syncing are:

1. Only rides completed after connecting your Strava account to your MS Gong Ride dashboard can be synced. If you completed and saved your ride prior to connecting your Strava account to your MS Gong Ride dashboard, these rides will not appear.
2. If the ride is saved as "private" or you have enabled "Enhanced Privacy" master settings on your Strava account, 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 Strava account from your MS Gong Ride dashboard, you can do so from the My Fitness Activity page on your dashboard. Once your Strava account is disconnected, no future rides will be synced.

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.

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.

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 and MapMyFitness. However, that doesn't mean you can't use other apps, i.e. Strava, 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.