Ocean City — The rain held off, the day was nice and 7,000 bicyclists took off from Cherry Hill for the 75-mile ride to Ocean City Saturday, trying to raise $5 million for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

And 4,000 of those riders turned around Sunday morning and rode the 75 miles back.

The average bicyclist in the 2009 City to Shore ride, which is in its 29th year, left about 7:30 a.m. and arrived on this barrier island about 1:30 p.m.

It isn’t a race, according to Kevin Moffitt, vice president of communications for the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National MS Society. It’s more of mobile fundraising event spread over 75 miles.

“It’s really about the total experience of the ride,” Moffitt said.

Riders, individually, in groups, and sponsored by companies, solicit donations for making the trip. The money goes to the society, which funds research into MS and direct aid to people living with MS, for rides to neurology appointments and help for in-home health assistance.

“It’s looks like we’re going to hit the $5 million mark,” Moffitt said, explaining the chapter lowered its goal from the $5.5 million raised in 2008.

“We had the same number of cyclists, but fundraising this year was not easy for anyone and our cyclists were no exception.”

Despite the tougher fundraising environment, the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter is happy with the outcome.

“We’re extremely pleased and thankful to all the cyclists and those who donated money to make it possible,” he said.

He noted some riders were sending “tweets” from their cell phones along the way, soliciting donations from some of the six rest stops provided for riders along the way. The rest stops added to the event. “Our lunch stop at Hammonton; it’s like a big reunion and people hang out there.”

Once riders arrived in Ocean City, they were welcomed by spectators along the route near the finish, massages available for their stiff limbs in the Civic Center, and music and food in the Fifth Street parking lot by the Boardwalk.

Some of the more serious riders – “suckers for punishment,” Moffitt joked – rode the Century Loop that made it a 100-mile ride. “They are a committed group. We let them leave earliest in the morning because they need the most amount of time.”

Most riders, he said, “take their time. There’s no race. The motto is you’re only going to the next rest stop. For most people, that’s a huge amount of real estate to cover.”

Moffitt said the good weather helped. “They woke up at 4 a.m. and said, ‘hey, it’s not raining, let’s ride to Ocean City.

“I don’t know how many people showed up to register on race day, but it seemed we hit our 7,000 mark, that’s for sure.”