Chocolate Bicycle Bars & Guinness World Record
Dean of Dean’s Sweets to Cycle the U.S. – Raise $80,000 for MS – Aiming at Guinness World Record
Dean Bingham, co-owner of Dean’s Sweets, has two big passions in his life. One of them you already know: chocolate. The other you probably don’t know: cycling. He’s combining these two pursuits by cycling across the U.S. to raise $80,000 for MS. And he’s aiming at a Guinness World record. The chocolate is here, in our favorite new bicycle bar.
How You Can Help
With every Bicycle Bar purchased, Dean’s Sweets donates $2 to the National MS Society. Enjoy exceptional chocolate. Support an incredible ride. Help find a cure. Find Bicycle Bars here.
To donate directly, or to see more about the MS Society, here’s a link to Dean’s MS Ride fundraising page.
When and Where
Dean will start his ride on May 1, 2026, on the Oregon Coast near Astoria. He predicts he will need 60 days to reach Portland, ME (home) on July 1 to dip his wheel in the Atlantic Ocean. The trip will exceed 3,600 miles, with Dean riding an estimated average of 60 miles per day.
A Big Birthday Goal & a Guinness World Record
Dean has set the $80,000 fundraising goal to celebrate his upcoming 80th birthday. The World Record, if he’s successful, will confirm Dean as the oldest person to ride a bicycle across the US unsupported, meaning he will carry all gear on his bike. All donations will go to the MS Society of New England, an organization Dean has supported for over 35 years.
Dean’s Inspiration – Charlie
Dean began cycling for the MS Society in 1991. That was the year he met Charlie. Charlie had MS. He was Dean’s father’s roommate at the Deer Isle, Maine nursing home. Though in a wheelchair and a quadriplegic, Charlie had a spirit that lifted those around him. Charlie was an artist and continued to paint, holding the paint brush in his mouth. Charlie’s positive energy helped Dean’s dad live better and more fulfilling years. Dean was inspired and started to ride for the MS Society to say thank you to Charlie.
Further Outreach
If you’d like to get more involved, or if you know others who would like to support this fundraising effort, please pass on this information. Or if you have connections to writers or media outlets that would share the information more widely (The New York Times would be nice), that would be amazing, too! You can also write to us with any questions or thoughts anytime. We’d be so grateful for your support.
More Ride Details
Dean will be accompanied on his cross-country ride by a cycling friend, Tom Roeber, who has also been active in supporting the MS Society for many years. He too will ride unsupported.
Dean’s Sweets co-owner Kristin Bingham will be cheering Dean’s ride while at home, taking care of chocolate and, most importantly, feeding the cats.
This ride will be Dean’s third cross-country ride. The first was in 2001, the second in 2017. Dean also cycled the East Coast Greenway in 2021, all to raise money for MS.
About MS
Nearly 1 million people live with MS in the United States, and more than 2.8 million worldwide.
In Maine, approximately 3,800 people are living with multiple sclerosis. Maine has one of the highest per capita rates of MS in the US, with nearly one in 400 residents affected. The high rate of incidence is due to the state’s northern latitude, a known contributing factor to the onset of the disease.
MS is an unpredictable and often disabling disease of the central nervous system with symptoms that vary from person to person. Great strides have been made in treating MS, though a cure has not yet been found.
The money donated will drive groundbreaking research and help the National MS Society continue providing services to people living with MS.
MS ends with us.
For more information, please contact Dean Bingham:
Phone: 207 332-1165
Email: dean@deanssweets.com
If interested in learning more about the MS society, Dean’s ride, or to make a donation, please click here.