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While some seniors plan a post-Commencement summer vacation, Kevin Bing is training to spend his summer biking across the country to promote multiple sclerosis research – outfitted with little more than a sleeping bag, tent and an eagerness to help others.

Bing will bicycle from Virginia to Oregon to raise money for “Bike The U.S. for MS,” an organization founded by college students in 2007 that helps Harvard’s Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.

Part of the inspiration for Bing’s summer journey comes from an unlikely place – a childhood fantasy he had of joining a rock band and traveling cross country.

“When I was younger, I wanted to travel the country and make people’s lives better through music. This way, I feel like I’m accomplishing the same thing,” Bing said. “I’m going out, I’m engaging with the community and hopefully the world’s going to be a little better when I’m done with this process.”

He will ride alongside 12 other cyclists, mostly college students, beginning June 1 and will stop in 60 cities to promote awareness and raise money for MS.

Don Fraser, one of the founders of the program, created the organization both as a way to raise money for an important cause and to impact the lives of the participants.

“I think it’s going to be a really rewarding experience for so many reasons,” said Fraser, whose mother suffers from MS. “You’re going to be in great shape, helping people and raising money for a good cause.”

He added, “Looking at the map will never be the same. You’ll remember every single hill in every town.”

In preparation for his trip, Bing has begun a regimented training schedule. Scribbled across the top of his day-by-day biking calendar, prominently displayed above his bed, are goals like “100 Miles/Week” and phrases like “Never Coast!” or “Biking is the only option!”

Bing is preparing himself to spend 60 nights under the open sky, in tents he and his teammates will carry on the back of their bikes. Bing said he has begun to sleep on a mat in his Ivory Tower quad floor more often in preparation.

With so many of his fellow seniors worried about the economy and job prospects, Bing is satisfied to have a short-term goal that he feels strongly about.

“It feels really good to know that I’ve chosen a goal, something that I can be proud of and that I’m really following through with. It feels really good.”