The count down begins!

6 days to go until the Saratoga Springs Tour de Cure! Every year I am in awe of the number of people who participate and their passion for fundraising for the American Diabetes Association. This year is no different. The Tour is on track to have 2,000 cyclists registered and reach the goal of $1 million! Thank you to the riders and sponsors like Empire Blue Cross who have chosen to be part of this historic year.  The Saratoga Tour will be the 1^st Tour in NY to reach a million dollars and we are on track to be ranked as the #2 Tour in the whole country out of over 84 Tours. This is an amazing accomplishment and is proof that the cyclists in the Capital District are passionate about Tour and helping people with diabetes. 

The Tour de Cure Start Line

As we count down the days to the Tour, I thought you might want to know what goes on behind the scenes at the Tour. Believe it or not the planning for the next year’s Tour begins almost as soon as the current year’s Tour ends. Every Tour has a special Planning Committee made of volunteers who help plan every aspect of the Tour de Cure. They begin in August convening for a debriefing meeting and continue meeting every month throughout the year.  Carmine Costanzo is chairman of the committee and he keeps the whole team on task. He is a perfect example of how volunteers don't just do the work ~ they make it work.

 The #1 priority for the Planning Committee is safety. The logistics committee is a very talented group headed up by Jerry Jurcynski. Jerry has been part of Tour for many years and his passion for the Tour de Cure is unparalleled. As you can imagine planning the 5 different routes has its challenges. The logistics crew goes over every route turn by turn to make sure the appropriate signage, painted route marking, police and flaggers are in place. Just when they thought everything was buttoned up this year, it was brought to our attention that a section of the 100 mile route was closed due to bridge work. Then another stretch was found to be gravel.  Thanks to Brent Pierce who made many trips to Saratoga to look at the roads all these changes were put into the cue sheets. Alan Vollmer, John Debrita, George Hermance, and Kevin Shaughnessy all have dedicated many hours of planning to ensure that the roads are safe for the rider of all levels. 

Lori Meehan-Richards Rest Stop Captain
of 100 mile stop at Bermuda Triangle

As you are riding along have you stopped at a Rest Stop? There is a team of volunteers whose job it is to make sure all the rest stops are manned, porta potties are ordered and all the supplies are ready to be picked up. Jim Masi and Jackie Hill make this job look easy but again, it takes many volunteer hours to make sure the rest stops are perfect. 

Did you know that we have a group of volunteers who take charge of communications for Tour? Lee Palmer gathers HAM radio volunteers for Tour setting up a command center at the school in addition to many other who volunteer to head out on the routes for the day ensuring rider safety. Have a medical emergency? Nancy Toleno is stationed at the school to help you.

Tyler Ruhle and Anne Moore
putting up banners.

In addition to your experience out on the road the experience you have at the high school is the priority of the more members of the Planning Committee.  From the minute you arrive at the school you will notice many volunteers with yellow shirts. Throughout the year Anne Moore and Nancy Piscatelli work hard to recruit and place all 250 volunteers for the Day of Tour.  Many of these volunteers head into the kitchen headed up by committee member Linda Mossop to help prepare for the breakfast and lunch for over 2,000 people.  Another large group of volunteers help the riders check in. Linda Kibby, the registration committee member, helps the check in area run smoothly.  You can hand in your donations and get your prizes with ease and speed so you can head to the start line stress free.  

Red Rider Kaileigh Moore

The Tour de Cure is all about the Red Rider. A Red Rider is a person living with diabetes who is riding in the Tour. Kristin Farina, Brian Dwyer, Mark Johnson and Ellen Brodie are committee members whose job it is to make sure the Red Riders have everything they need.  Red Riders receive special cycling jerseys, t-shirts, goodie bags and more. Most important they receive a big thank you!

There is still time be a part of the Tour de Cure go to the Tour website to register as a cyclist or to donate. Please call the ADA office if you would like to volunteer. We especially need help with clean up and break down after the Tour. 

The Albany office of the American Diabetes Association has a staff of 4. On the day of Tour we turn into an army of hundreds because of all the dedicated volunteers. Every balloon, pen, bathroom supply, breakfast and lunch supplies, photograph, music, banner, folded t-shirt, and every spin bike are ready for you because of a volunteer.  On behalf of the Albany staff, Thank You to the Planning Committee for your dedication throughout the year and to all the day of event volunteers who give up a weekend to give back.  Make sure if you are at the Tour you take a moment to thank a volunteer - they get paid six figures – S-M-I-L-E-S.

Why do I ride?

 For many of us training for the Tour has begun. I'm currently training to complete a 100 mile bike ride. I didn't choose to do the century ride because I thought it would be easy. There are so many reasons that advocacy for diabetes has become my calling.

For one, I'm a pharmacist and serve those with diabetes every single day. I am currently studying to become a certified diabetes educator to make myself a even better resource for my patients. I know that the amount of people living with diabetes is growing and as one of the most trusted health care professions pharmacists need to step up our game. We need to focus on prevention and being aggressive with treatment to minimize complications down the road. I just had a patient lose fifty-three pounds to qualify for a gastric bypass. I have a great relationship with her so I told her "I know you could have done this without the surgery but I'm so proud of you". She is off all her medications now except as needed insulin. These are the success stories that make me so lucky to do what I do everyday.

Secondly, I thought I had diabetes. Shortly after getting married my husband and I began trying to have a baby. I was up all night running to the bathroom and thought I had some of the symptoms of diabetes. I was obese and after a couple of months we thought it would be best if I lost weight. We were hoping this would increase our chances of conceiving and minimize pregnancy complications. Literally a week later on New Years Day 2010, we found out that we were expecting! (The reason why I was making so many trips to the bathroom!). In all of my brilliance I decided that I would eat for five instead of eating the additional 200 to 300 calories I really needed and gained 80 pounds with the pregnancy. The day I delivered I was almost 330 pounds! I surprisingly never tested positive for gestational diabetes and had a healthy eight pound, fourteen ounce boy who is now almost 18 months old! He's my biggest motivation. I want to be healthy and active and teach him what I've learned so he never has to test his blood sugar or inject himself with insulin.

Three, I've lost 130 pounds. I know many type 2 diabetics who want to lose weight in the hopes of reversing their diabetes. I always tell them losing weight is similar to quitting smoking in that you need to be mentally ready to dedicate yourself to a complete lifestyle change. I went to see a nutritionist and it totally changed my view on food and how I fuel my body. I am now a Chobani yogurt lover and eater of whole grains and egg whites. A lot different from a person who used to finish 4 slices of pizza and an order of wings and eat so much I'd get sick to my stomach. It's been difficult at times but I see the bigger picture: I need to stick around for my family.

 

So these are just a few of the reasons why I ride. If you want to support me in reaching my fundraising goal of $1,500 dollars please click my link: Help me raise money to find a cure for diabetes!

 

 Well I'm off to circuit training, I'll keep everyone posted on my progress!

Volunteering - It is Priceless

How many of you received end of the year appeals for donations to great causes? So many nonprofits are in crunch time in December to try and meet their yearly goals. These financial donations are greatly appreciated by everyone in the nonprofit world. It’s what allows our organizations to help many thousands of people in the Capital District and beyond.  But what do you do if you can’t give financially or just want to do more? That’s easy! Give the gift of volunteering!

The ADA's veteran volunteers!

Volunteers are the backbone of any nonprofit organization. Here at the American Diabetes Association in Albany we are a staff of four. During our Tour de Cure in June our staff turns into an army of over 300 people! We are blessed with many volunteers who help us with our event every year. We also have volunteers who come into our office every week throughout the entire year. One of these volunteers has been coming to the office for over 25 years.  What an incredible commitment!

Do you have a special skill? There are many opportunities that you may not have thought about.  Do you have skills like photography, social media, graphic design, volunteer recruitment, logistics or party planning? All nonprofits can use help in these areas.  For example, during our Tour de Cure in June we need many photographers to take pictures of our 2,000 cyclists at the start line and out on the road.  Are you a seasoned cyclist who wants to help with planning routes and rest stops? There is an opportunity for you! Not only do we have day of event volunteers but we also have a Tour planning committee that works throughout the year to make our event a success.

With unemployment reaching such high levels, one great way to improve your resume is to volunteer. It is hard during unemployment to think about anything but your job search. However, reaching out to a nonprofit can help you in many ways. Not only does it look great on your resume, but it is proven that volunteering gives a person a great sense of accomplishment and happiness –  a positive during a hard time.  Meeting and networking with new people can lead you to places you may not have ever thought of, nor had the opportunity to experience, if not for volunteering.  Add to this the benefit that the nonprofit receives from your expertise and it is a win-win for everyone!

There are many different organizations to volunteer with throughout the Capital District. For the ADA you can go to www.diabetes.org/albany to fill out the volunteer questionnaire.  There are other places to go like Volunteer Match where you search with a variety of criteria. Even Craigslist has a volunteer opportunity section.

So thank you to all our GREAT volunteers who work with us throughout the year to help the ADA reach its mission goals. You give from your heart and that is priceless!

Curing Diabetes With Art

Can you cure diabetes with artwork? That’s what the board members and supporters of Art de Cure are trying to do. A couple years ago a group of artists and art lovers came together to discuss a unique idea that would give artists exposure for their work and raise money for the American Diabetes Association. The Endocrine Group, at 1365 Washington Ave in Albany, has taken care of patients with diabetes and other metabolic issues for many years. They have been on the front line of treatment for diabetes patients and these Endocrinologists can attest to the epic growth in diabetes patients.

Some of these doctors from The Endocrine Group have joined the ADA in our Tour de Cure. In fact, Dr. Jay Watsky and Dr. Gregg Gerety have been the top fundraisers for the Saratoga Springs Tour de Cure for many years. The Tour de Cure is the premier fundraising event for the ADA raising over $825,000 in 2011 in Saratoga alone. These doctors know how important the American Diabetes Association is to the fight against diabetes. It is the #1 organization in research, education and advocacy for all types of diabetes patients in the country.  

Last year, The Endocrine Group’s offices were being renovated. It was during this time that Jackie Watsky and Susan Rivers, both accomplished artists, approached the Group about utilizing this new space not only as a waiting area but as an art gallery too. Instead of the typical drab sterile environment that waiting areas usually are, they envisioned a fantastic art gallery spotlighting local artists’ work.  They proposed that the proceeds from this gallery go to the ADA for its mission. The Endocrine Group partners agreed and the Art de Cure was born! After the renovations were complete, the Art de Cure board members took over and they hung all the artwork - they have not looked back.

April 15^th 2010 was the grand opening of the gallery. The waiting area was transformed into a gallery with exquisite artwork on the walls and many other items displayed around the space. The evening included entertainment, wonderful food, drinks and fun auctions. The evening was a smashing success with over $10,000 raised for the ADA! The 2^nd annual Art de Cure auction this past April was even bigger. Between the auction and all the sales of artwork throughout the year this group raised $25,000 in 2011. What an accomplishment! I am sure the 2012 event next April will be even bigger.

The Art de Cure board has taken this project to the next level by opening a 2^nd gallery also in Albany at Clinical Prosthetics & Orthotics on S. Lake Ave. They look at these offices as their own artist canvas. They consult from beginning to end with the doctors. From office furniture placement to colors for the walls the Art de Cure does it all. These 2 galleries have artwork that is changed seasonally. The galleries are open to the public and I highly recommend that you check out what these galleries have to offer. Not only will you love the artwork, but I think you will begin to look differently at your own doctor’s waiting room. As an added benefit - could the artwork have a calming effect on the patients waiting for an appointment? The patients at the Endocrine Group believe it to be so!

So is curing diabetes with artwork far-fetched? I think the Art de Cure has proven that you can! They are helping to Stop Diabetes one piece of artwork at a time.

Are you an artist that wants to have your artwork included in an Art de Cure gallery? Go to Art de Cure to find out how.

Save the Date! 2012 Art de Cure celebration and live auction 4/20/12

Saratoga Springs Tour de Cure – Sunday, June 3, 2012

Everyone has a Story

Fun in the Finger Lakes!

Amy Young, her daughter and I had the privilege of helping out at the Finger Lakes Tour de Cure this weekend. The weather was perfect! This Tour is in its infancy being in its second year but it is definitely growing with almost double the riders from last year! The routes themselves are challenging but absolutely beautiful. Many of these routes have gorgeous views of Seneca Lake as you roll through the country side. As you may know, this area is known for its NY wineries. Two of these wineries volunteered their establishments to be rest stops. No wine was poured for the riders, however, just water and Gatorade. Isn't it fun to say that I stopped at a winery during a rest stop? :)

This event is much different from the Saratoga Tour. The most obvious is the number of cyclists. The Saratoga Tour has been in existence for 16 years. It actually started out as a ride many year ago in and around Albany. They ventured along Wolf Rd and even had rest stops at McDonald's! Gasp! Amy Young was able to grow this event from the size of the Finger Lakes Tour this weekend to the size it is today. Amy worked many years to secure and grow her committees of volunteers and riders. All the support our local Tour has from the community has made it the premier event it is today. Without our community the Saratoga Tour would not be the #1 Tour in NY or ranked among the top 3 tours in the entire country.

Everyone has a story. No matter what size the Tour is - 300 riders at the Finger Lakes or 1,800 at the Saratoga Tour - there is one common denominator. Everyone there wants a cure for diabetes and so many attendees are affected by this disease. I wrote in an earlier blog about our local riders' stories and the Finger Lakes was no different. 

We were waiting for the start of the metric century when I noticed about 10 people all with red t-shirts with a beautiful young woman's picture on the front. I thought at first they were a cycling team, but it became apparent that they were cheering on other riders. They were in fact, a family who had just lost their beloved family member to diabetes. She had diabetes since she was 11 years old and had so many complications. The complications became too much and she passed away in April. Her family which included her parents, husband and sister and many more were there to show support against this disease. Their emotions were raw and hard to contain. They were especially emotional when our Red Riders came to the front and Amy had everyone on the count of 3 shout out the name of who they were riding for. What an emotional moment for everyone, especially this family. How hard it must have been for that family to shout out the name of their daughter/mother/sister. I only got to talk a few families at this Tour but I know there are so many stories that are similar to this one as well as stories of hope and courage.

It is moments like this that inspire us. All these riders came out on a beautiful day to ride these many (and sometimes steep!) hills to say "We are cycling to bring attention to this disease. We are fundraising to bring much needed money to research to hopefully eradicate it. We are funding education and advocacy to help those who need to learn about it and to have legal support with discrimination.We are here to say you will not be forgotten and we will fight for a cure!"
So even though the Tours are all different the the sentiment is the same:

Together, I know we can Stop Diabetes!

For more information on diabetes please go to www.diabetes.org

Save the Date!! The Saratoga Springs Tour de Cure is scheduled for Sunday, June 3, 2012.

Stories From the Road: Saratoga Success!

1,850 Registered Cyclists
Over $820,000 Raised for Diabetes Research

Has it really been over a month since the Saratoga Springs Tour de Cure??
What a great day it was!

The day started at 4:30am with many of our volunteers showing up at the high school to help with setup. The breakfast was prepared including coffee from Saratoga Springs Dunkin Donuts, Chobani Yogurt, fruit from Carioto Fruit, bagels and more.      

As the indoor volunteers were getting the facility ready, our volunteers outside were getting the routes and the start line ready. Our routes were being marked and safety cones were being set up at dawn by our logistics committee members.  Our logistics team coordinates all the support vehicles and route logistics.  Some behind the scenes information – we have a large number of HAM radios that volunteer every year to monitor our ride. This team, led by Lee Palmer, is the backbone of our communication plan on the day of Tour. They track riders and send out our support vehicles to those in need. Did you have a flat tire? The HAM radio operator most likely called for help for you.

Once the set up is complete it is time for Tour to begin! Our starts are staggered throughout the morning. We begin with the century riders who not only ride 100 miles but check in at 6:30am! The weather was absolutely perfect for every start this year. For those of you who rode last year this was a welcomed change from last year’s deluge of rain.

Our starting line send off is inspiring. First and foremost this ride is about diabetes and raising money for a cure. All the riders riding with diabetes are called to the front of the starting line. At this moment one of our Red Riders, Kaleigh Moore and Larry Lowe, Team Red captains, spoke about what it is like to be a Red Rider and be a part of Tour. Kaleigh has said that Tour day is her favorite day of the year - better than Christmas. The experience of riding with almost 2,000 cyclists all supporting her and others with diabetes is overwhelming and uplifting. Kaleigh is great at coaching the field to support the Red Riders on the routes by telling them to say “Go, Red Rider, Go!” when they see a Red Rider.  With the music going each group at the start line pedals its way down the route and hopefully to a cure. As Bill Arnold from Team Type 2 said, “It is my hope that more Red Riders get involved with Tour and our numbers increase, but then the number of Red Riders reducing down to zero because there is a cure.”

Tour de Cure Red Riders and cheerleaders.

Being out on the route is so much fun! You ride with so many people who are happy to be out on the road with their family friends and coworkers. Every rest stop is filled with refreshments and volunteers who love to help you with your ride. I always loved the signs towards the end of the ride stating – 3 miles to go until a massage by Back in Balance, 2 miles to go before lunch from Glen Sanders or 1 mile to go until ice cream from Friendly’s! Tour day really is one of the best days of the year.

We have so many riders who ride with such passion for the mission of the American Diabetes Association: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.  Here are a few stories from riders I would like to share with you:

From Claire Ziamandanis Team Gore/Wildman and blogger at the Times Union – Vinoteca:

One morning in March of last year, as I leafed through the Times Union, an obituary stopped me cold, coffee mug half way to my mouth.  It was for a recent former student, a young man who I had come to know very well.  He had started as a freshman in my Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition class, a somewhat round boy, but engaging – thoroughly engaging.  He was one of those students whose name you remembered after the first day of class.  He was funny, too – and I knew I could count on him to be my go to guy; when things were in a lull he would find humor in anything, even in the subjunctive mode.
After that semester, I found out that my student had left Saint Rose.  He returned several semesters later, much thinner, a bit less apt to laugh.  He had been diagnosed diabetic.  He continued on with us, and at one point signed up to travel on a study tour I was leading to Argentina.  Initially I was concerned, but in the end, once again, this student was the pivotal, laugh-producing element in our group.  His body was weakened from the disease, but he participated in each and every cultural and linguistic activity.  He excelled and took full advantage of every speaking opportunity that presented itself.

Eventually the diabetes took his body and his laughter.  As a young man, he did not make good choices about how to best treat his disease.  Poor choices for most kids his age would mean maybe a write up by the Judicial Board on campus.  Poor choices for this student would have long term effects on his body’s ability to survive.

Part of Team More Gore/Wildman line up for a training ride from Prime at Saratoga National. Angelo Mazzone is donating money from every bottle of wine in his numerous operations sold by Frederick Wildman. Thank you, Angelo!

I will be riding the Tour de Cure for my former student.  I just visited his facebook page, and his friends and family members are still posting, missing the vibrant young man stolen by a horrible disease.  He liked to sing.  He loved poetry.  He really liked women.  He was one great young man, who should be here with us today.

Here’s to you, James…

 Tour Riders, Chris and Kerri Culkin, from Team Creaky Crankers wrote a letter to their friends about the Tour:

It is hard for us to believe, but on June 8th, it will be seven years since Carly was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. It is difficult for us to even think about that day.  The journey our family took was very much a grieving process. At first, we were in shock, not really accepting her diagnosis. We didn’t think it was possible that this could happen to our perfectly healthy little girl. Then we were filled with sadness and guilt, thinking that we could have done something to keep it from happening. Then came the anger – why did our child have to have this awful disease? The next phase was exhaustion. Taking care of her diabetes was overwhelming.  Every day, we were checking her blood sugar 5-10 times, counting carbohydrates for every meal, drawing up insulin and injecting her multiple times.  Back then, we weren’t sure how we would ever manage it all.  But we did.  And very slowly, what used to seem overwhelming became our new normal. Amazingly, Carly adjusted quickly to her disease, and rarely complained about any of it. 

    Carly has grown from a resilient three year old to a strong-minded ten year old. She switched from injections to a purple insulin pump. She loves music and dancing and already thinks her parents are hopelessly unfashionable. She has no memory of a time in her life when she didn’t have diabetes. Her friends that have been with her since kindergarten know all about her disease. They look out for her at school. They ask her if she feels low, and walk her to the nurse if she does. With effort, she has incorporated the disease into her childhood.

   But recently, she has been questioning the routines that diabetes forces on her.  She doesn’t like having her mom stay at birthday parties when everyone else’s mom leaves. She doesn’t like having to call home to give carbohydrate counts when eating over a friend’s house.  She is annoyed by the plastic tube from her pump that is forever getting caught on things. And she can’t stand getting stuck with the needle when the site of her insulin pump has to be changed every three days. She has been asking more and more questions about diabetes lately. She wants to know if there will be a cure soon. She wants to know why there isn’t one now. Unfortunately, we have no answers to give her. There is no cure for Type 1 Diabetes. 

    We felt it was time to engage in a fundraising effort to support Carly in her hope for a cure. Even though living with a child with diabetes feels normal to us now, we cannot forget that diabetes is a serious disease. Extreme low or high blood sugar can be very dangerous. We know that even though she is doing well now, she will most likely face health problems as she gets older. Many of you supported us seven years ago when we did the Walk to Cure Diabetes.  Today we are again asking for your support as we bike in the 2011 Tour de Cure in Saratoga Springs, NY.  We will be riding 25+ miles on our bikes to raise money for research to cure Type 1 Diabetes. Carly is very excited to be old enough to be riding with us.

From the Bike Blog in the Times Union. Blogger Jay Holick joined the Tour and wrote:

So, those of you who participated in the 2011 Tour de Cure, what did everyone think of the century, metric century, 50 mile, 25 mile, and 10 mile courses?

My Tour de Cure began, like many of the other cyclists, from the back of their cars making sure everything was ready and willing to go.

First, I would like to thank the many, many volunteers and support staff that assisted in every way possible. Without you folks, the cyclists would have been lost, malnourished, and probably dehydrated. I know every cyclist who participated in the Tour de Cure feels the same way, so thank you very much! And to those husbands and wives who supported their partner during the ride, thank you! Included in this group is my wife, who stopped at the 50, 72, and 84 mile rest area and became my support person as I pedaled by her because if I knew if I stopped, I was dead in the water, and done. 

As for the course, it was well marked with very few problems with traffic issues because the volunteers who were out manning those turns did a great job. Thank you!

On the way to the start line.  The Start!           

The start of the “ride” was a nice tribute to those cyclists who deal with diabetes on a daily basis.                               

I rode the century with a hundred other cyclists and thought the course was a great. I have not ridden a century in a couple of years because life kept getting in the way, but I was happy to so on Sunday for the American Diabetes Association. The group I rode with was not fast paced but averaged 17 miles per hour, in some very rural areas. I saw parts of Warren County I must have missed growing up, that were very beautiful, and the hills were steep enough to make you wonder, “Why the heck am I doing this on a Sunday morning?!?”



"A beautiful day to ride 100 miles, don't you think?"

As the century progressed, so did the pace and the faster groups became obvious. A “race to the finish” began to brew 1 hour and 10 minutes into the ride with the first hill upon us at 1 hour and 18 minutes, and the groups began to splinter from fast paced, medium pace, to those who preferred to enjoy their ride.

As the century cyclists rode through the rural Warren and Saratoga County area, I rode over a reservoir I did not know existed and rode alongside a very tranquil river almost made me want to stop, and put my feet in. In the Hadley, Luzerne, Corinth area, it seemed as though there was hill after hill, and challenge after challenge. At the metric century, I found out what most cyclists who race already know, the mind begins to play games with itself. Conversations with your alter-ego(or the devil) begin to happen as you look for ways to curb the pain. Briefly, I asked myself once, “Do I stop and say I did the century (albeit a metric), or go on?” I finished the race so I prevailed in that argument. 

As the cyclists began to descend on Route 9N into the Saratoga Springs area, all I could say to myself was it was about time. At mile 85 just outside of Greenfield, I had had it with the small gradient rises and small steep hills that were enough to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm, and then at mile 95 I experienced mechanical failure. At that point, I was going to push my bike over the finish line.

As I neared the finish line, I looked down at my front and rear derailleur and thought, “Thank you for staying together long enough for me to cross the line!”

To all of the cyclists who took the time to raise money for this wonderful charity, and then rode the century, metric century, 50 miles, 25 miles, 10 miles… my hat is off to you! Thank you for a great “ride”. 

A Shout Out to everyone who rode in the Tour de Cure!

Cycle On!

 A first time Tour rider, Jessie Brooks wanted to ride in honor of her grandmother. Her father, Chuck, wrote:

 To everyone who donated to Jessie’s  Tour de Cure -  a heartfelt thank you for making the fundraising portion  of this event such an easy task.  She needed to raise $150 to be allowed to ride, but my secret hope was that she’d reach $500 in donations so she could get the Tour de Cure cycling jersey.  She didn’t have a jersey, and I thought one she worked for would mean a lot more than one I’d bought for her.  She ended up raising $710 to go towards fighting diabetes.  So not only did she make enough to garner the Jersey, but she was also able to “spot” me the minimum so that I could ride along with her…making it an event we’d both remember.

As far as the day goes, it could not have been better.  The weather was perfect.  Sunny but not hot, and not windy.   I’m not sure how many riders were in the 25 mile event, but it was the largest of the day’s venues, several hundred at least with Jessie among the youngest.  There were a couple quick addresses before they let us go, about the significance of the Red Rider Jerseys –  these were the riders who themselves were fighting Diabetes, and every time we passed one, Jessie gave them a  congratulatory, “nice job!”.  I had to try to reign her in at the start and keep reminding her that it wasn’t a race, and that it was going to be a long day.  Still, it’s hard not to get caught up in such a large pack start…and we did end up going out a little too fast.

Sure enough, there was a price to pay, and when we turned and started heading up toward Lake Desolation, things started to get a little hot and a little ugly.  By mile twelve it started to look much more like work than fun, and I was beginning to think, “…boy this is going to be a long second half”.  But I have to hand it to the tour organizers, because that was exactly when the aid station came.  We got off the bikes and took in plenty of fluids and a few too many of Jessie’s newfound favorite race fuel – Chocolate Brownie Cliff Bars.  It was really crowded at the rest stop giving her the sense that she was right in the thick of it all, and not just trailing along.  Between that and the added boost from hydrating, resting and eating, she was a new person, and it never stopped being fun again.  .   She was surprised every time I told her another mile had ticked away already, and she even had enough left to “pull away from me” and turn in a nice sprint for the finish. 

 A Big Thank You!

Thank you to all our Tour riders and volunteers who made the 2011 Tour de Cure one of the best in the country! The ADA staff and volunteers work on this event throughout the year. 

Thank you to all our Volunteers in particular our planning committee which meets throughout the year: Carmine Costanzo, John Debrita, Brian Dwyer, Kristin Farina, Kathy Gormley, Jackie Hill, Jerry Jurczynski, Linda Kibby, Larry Lowe, Jim Masi, Anne Moore, Linda Mossop, Brent Pierce, Nancy Toleno and Al Vollmer

This year’s underlying feeling of hope and inspiration has uplifted all of us. Every rider I had the honor of speaking with had a great day – even those who had bike issues – they still loved the day.

The Tour is much more than a party with a purpose for us. It is a day of getting to know each of our riders, their families and their stories. It is a day to celebrate all the people living with diabetes every day. It is a day to cycle, laugh, hug and sometimes cry. It is a day to raise money for research to find a cure for this terrible disease.

We at the American Diabetes Association are so appreciative of all the riders who took time out of their weekend to come together in one place at one time to say “I am riding to Stop Diabetes.” Won’t you join us in 2012?