Johann Nothnagel, founder of Unchaining MS; suffers from multiple sclerosis (MS); is a keen motorcyclist; has toured SA 3 times with his bike and custom storage tube for transporting the crutch which he uses to get around once he disembarks. He named these rides “Unchaining MS” with a message that his debilitating disease doesn’t mean the end of all of his enjoyable pursuits. The illness makes riding a motorcycle over such a great distance very hard, but biking is something Johann, a software developer, has always enjoyed. “I was diagnosed with MS in February 2009, but in retrospect I can recognise some symptoms back to 1971,” Johann says. “At the end of 2010 I was faced with huge medical bills. Although I mentioned it to certain friends, I never expected any help. Unbeknown to me, the Think Bike members of Cape Town collected money and eventually covered my medical expenses.” This lead to the first Unchaining MS ride in 2011. Johann’s bike at the time, a Buell Firebolt XB12R, was belt-driven, as opposed to the more common chain drive. And so “Unchaining MS” was born and Johann completed it on the Buell, riding solo most of the journey. The objectives are to raise funds for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of South Africa WC and to make people aware of the disease (MS). What is MS? MS or multiple sclerosis is an illness of the central nervous system. For unknown reasons, the immune system attacks the body, causing damage to the myelin coating around nerves. This damage to the nervous system affects people in different ways, but all MS sufferers experience extreme fatigue, find it hard to balance, and may find all or some of their senses suddenly not working as they once did. There is no cure for MS and it is a debilitating and ultimately terminal disease. If you have any questions or would like to use this opportunity, please contact Justus Visagie (082 440 4410 / justus@bikeroutes.co.za) or Johann Nothnagel (083 626 8906 / jm.nothnagel@gmail.com).