For more than 600 avid cyclists, like Old Dominion's Agatha Brock and Delicia Malin, May 22-23 will be two days when they pedal not for their own health, but for the health of those afflicted with multiple sclerosis.

This May will mark the 19th year of the MS 150 Bike Tour, which brings together area cyclists who are committed to using their love of riding to help fight multiple sclerosis, a chronic, often disabling disease that attacks the central nervous system.

"When I learned that I could ride my bike and help people at the same time, it just fit together, "said Agatha Brock, a computer network support technician in the Office of Financial Aid, who is participating in the tour for the third year in row.

Brock, along with Delicia Malin, office services assistant in the physics department, signed up for the tour as a team last year and will do so again this year. They are among several university employees who have participated in the event. "It was definitely a challenge," said Malin, "but it was also very fun and rewarding."

A challenge is right. The 150-mile tour begins at the Suffolk airport on Saturday morning, with cyclists riding 75 miles to Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C. After spending the night on campus there, they then pedal the 75 miles back to Suffolk on Sunday. Both Malin and Brock have been training every day for next month's tour since December.

This year, Brock is looking for anyone who is willing to participate in the MS 150 to join their team. "The more riders we have, the more contributions," she said.

But even if you don't feel up to the challenge of a 150-mile bike ride, Brock says there are others ways to help, from donating money to the cause to serving water to the cyclists along the route.

Last year, Brock raised $600 and Malin, $350, through sponsored support of their efforts, and they are hoping to increase those amounts this year. All contributions are tax-deductible. For more information or to make a contribution, call Brock at 683-5681 or Malin at 683-5816, or visit the MS Web site at www.fightms.com.