Hit the UNC Wellness center before 06:00 today to do some strength training.  Was there 60 minutes and concentrated on Legs and Core work.  Man, it felt good, but I am going to be so sore tomorrow.

On a different note, I had a teleconference with the American Diabetes Association today about the possibility of basically adding mountain bike events to their Tour de Cure schedule.  Meeting was with Mark Clifford of 1Disease!World!Voice, and the national director of Tour events for the ADA.  Still working on some details, but it looks like a pilot event will come together sometime near the end of next summer/early fall.

Getting more people to ride in dirt for a cause sounds like an EXCELLENT idea to me.

We will see... we will see.....

Run Hours: 01:01

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 48.52 units
Meal: 19.85u
Corr: 2.70u
Basal: 25.97u

 Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 245g

If you know me, you will notice that there are SO many things wrong with this post.  Well a picture is worth a thousand words:

And all of them are censored.   LOL!

I went for a run today, as my coach says I have to.  I can't stand running.  That is why bicycles were invented.  So you wouldn't have to do this anymore.

Surprising enough, it wasn't that bad.  It's gotta be the new shoes my friends at Fleet Feet in Carrboro put me in.

Not giving up cycling any time soon, but I see there are at least 2 or 3 days of running each week for a while.

As I was running down the American Tobacco Trail in Durham County, I came across this sign:

Apparently a picture is worth a thousand barks as well.

Still fighting the flu a bit.  It is weird, as it is mostly just amazing level of fatigue that hits me soon after efforts.  Been trying to sleep in, but this is some strange stuff.  Another couple of days me thinks...

Now where is that ibuprofen? :)

Ride Hours: 02:22

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 48.58 units
Meal: 14.95u
Corr: 6.70u
Basal: 26.93u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 143g

Another day off today, so I was able to spend a great deal of time with the family.  Man, we have had a great couple of days.

Today marks the end of my 42nd year on the planet.  Can't believe I just wrote that as I don't tell anyone about it... ever.  Not big into celebrating my own bday, but I enjoy sharing it with K and the boys.  They made today VERY special, and I appreciate it!

I managed to find some time to get out on the mtb for a bit, so I lowered my basal rate to a 60% reduction at 13:00.  Figured to be on the bike by 14:00.

Since it had been raining, most trail systems were closed.  I grabbed the single speed and headed over to the UNC Wellness Center to ride the ol' traditional Rain Hill Repeat loop Marcee and I came up with 2 years ago.  Never get sick of it, although I do miss her when I am training on it.

Ride was pretty nice considering I am still not feeling like myself.  Kinda like high altitude training when your nose is stuffed up and your lungs are filled with junk.  :)

Stayed on the normal Maltodextrose, Nuun, H2O drink mix, and 20g Cs of a performance bar per hour.  Works like a champ.

The trails I road on (no single track, just to be clear) where quite difficult today due to the mud, wet rocks and roots, and all the leaf fall.  A TON of holes (craters might better describe it) between large bowling ball sized rocks were filled in with leaves making them impossible to see.  Twice I drove the front tire into one of these.  If I was on a 26" wheel I would have been toast.  The 29er works so well in conditions like this.  More grip, and less likely to get tossed over the bars when you have "pilot error".  LOL!  Love me some 29" wheels.

Was back at the car at 16:22.  A little longer than I wanted to go, but I did have a great time!  Getting more used to the 34/19 gearing I am currently running, but looking forward to getting back to the 32/19 or 32/18 setup I had.  (BTW I read somewhere that Heather Irmiger runs a 32/14 on her Superfly SS.  Really?  Holy smokes.  THAT is sick).

BG was a PERFECT 111 when I got done.  I did a post ride bolus of 3u just to prevent the oncoming BG spike.

Later on that evening I felt like I had been hit by a train.  Completely wiped.  I mean wiped.  Definitely still feeling the effects of being sick.  Wow, it has been a LONG time.

Had a great time opening gifts with the family, and sharing a bday cake.  Man, those kids like to blow out candles.  :)

Was getting to bed at 22:22 and the BG was a 72.  I wasn't sure exactly what to do.  I got here by over bolusing for dinner, but had a little slice of cake for dessert.  Add to the confusion was still being sick, the antibiotics I am still on, and the 2.5hr ride I did.

Took a small risk, and didn't take any Cs in.  Set a std post ride over nite tmp basal of 80% and called it a day.  To be truthful, I wasn't sure if this was going to work... but it did.  :)

Ride Hours: 02:15

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 53.73 units
Meal: 14.10u
Corr: 11.20u
Basal: 28.43u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 183g

Happy Thanksgiving!!!  Thinking of all the things I am thankful for today.

Wonderful health.  A loving family.  A ton of friends both near and far.

Today started with the family going to a family Turkey Trot event.

My five year old and I ran in it together.  We made numbers to run in, and posters for other family members in attendance to cheer with.  It was a GREAT time!  I can't wait to do this again next year. Definitely discovered a new family Thanksgiving tradition!!

Following the run, the 4 of us played in the park where it was held for another hour or so.  The light rain held off until we were just planning on heading out anyway.  Perfect!

After a quick lunch J and I went for a bike ride.  We spent 2.25hrs on the American Tobacco Trail, and some of the surrounding and attached single track trails.  Was one of those rides with my son that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.  He was SO AMPED riding on the single track together.  He was just amazing.  Made me laugh the rest of the day, and he asked me about 12 times if we could build single track in the back yard.  (Ask you mom).   :)

Did pretty well with easting and BG control today.  I did chase a high late (182) in the afternoon when I ate without bolusing (was 45 minutes late).  Also had a similar high later once we got home (188).  My guess is that the second high was caused by the sweet potatoes.  A split bolus, or temp basal would have helped to massage this out better.  All in all, not bad at all.

Felt decent for most of the day, but still feeling under the weather.  About 50%.  Sick of being sick. Fatigue is still the main issue, and by 9:00pm or so I was just wiped.  It is what it is. ;)

The past three days has found me completely incapacitated by a flu bug.  Today is the first day that i feel that I am actually functioning like some form of human.  I don't think I have been this sick in 20 years.  The fatigue is unbelievable.  Getting up, dressed, and ready just wears me out.  The antibiotics are finally starting to help a bit though, so, hopefully, before the weekend, I am feeling well enough to start training some again.

I am starting a new training plan on Dec. 1.  Not completely sure what is in store yet, but I am sure it will be "fun".  The past couple of weeks of riding just for fun has been great.  I have begun to truly miss the peace that riding bike gives me, so I am ready to go.

On the funny/ironic side is the fact that I will be doing some running as part of this new training program.  I am heading to Fleet Feet this week to grab some new shoes (um, George... we need to schedule an appointment. LOL) so I am ready.  Along with some trail running, I am also going to be doing a fair amount of stair work at the stadiums on campus.

All of my friends who know me quite well are rolling on the ground laughing hysterically right now.

Yeah, me too.

Not really.

I'll take photos.  :)

Almost as funny as me running on a regular basis is if you are a fan of Sesame Street, or have little one's who are, is this "story"  Hopefully the campaign works, and a muppet will make it's first showing on SNL since Kermit in 2004.  Who doesn't like Cookie Monster?  Always makes me laugh:

Join the campaign on Facebook.

I'm in!


Related articles

• Cookie Monster "Saturday Night Live" Hosting Campaign! (popcrunch.com)
• Cookie Monster auditions for 'SNL' (sfgate.com)

Ride Hours: 05:05

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 44.28 units
Meal: 17.63u
Corr: 4.15u
Basal: 22.50u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 213g

Sunday was unbelievably great weather here, and, even though I felt fair-to-midland I thought it would be a great day to go and get some base miles in.  I have been missing the tranquility of the bike lately, and the sun shine and 70 degree temps were calling.

I set a temp basal of 60% of normal at 9:45, and planned on being on my bike 60 minutes later.  It was a little cool at the start, but I only needed to wear a short sleeve Craft and some arm warmers to handle it.  Figured I could take them off pretty easily if I got too warm.

I "wamed up" for about 20 minutes by racing the kids around the neighborhood (hey, this is MUCH harder than you would think.  My boys can down right FLY...), and then hit the road for the 15 mile commute to the trails.

Had a good time riding on the trails near Lake Crabtree County Park, and saw a host of people I know.  A couple of riders wanted to do a little "speed work" with  me, and I obliged.  But only for a short while as I am just trying to get the cycling legs back under me after a couple of weeks off.

I was doing a loop through Umstead County Park when I ran into (not literally) Chris from Endurance Newtrition.  It was fun to ride with her for a while.

I then turned to home and was back at the house by 16:00.  Stayed pretty much on the normal 20oz of Maltodextrose, water, and Nuun per hour, plus the addition of a couple more calories via a sports bar or banana or similar.

Ended the ride spot on with a BG of 104.  I did do a post ride bolus of 4u to ward off the normal post ride BG spike.  Covered 59 miles, burned 4863 calories, and managed to find 2800ft of vert.

During the last 90 minutes of the ride, I knew I had pushed the distance a little too far considering how sick I was feeling.  I almost could feel my condition getting worse as I pedaled home.  By 21:00 I was as sick as a dog.  Fever, chills, sweating, muscle aches everywhere, and ex-haust-ed.  Definitely flu like symptoms.  I called in sick to work and will be getting to the doctor ASAP tomorrow.

Since I was feeling pretty bad, I had a feeling my BG would rise (which is normal for me while fighting infections or flu bugs).  Therefore, I didn't adjust my basal rate at all like I would normally do following a ride when I went to bed.  Call it a hunch.

Hope to contact Eric at Revelate Designs sometime tomorrow so we can talk about frame bag designs.  We need to work out a protective box/pouch/pocket to house my spare pump and insulin delivery apparatus while on Tour Divide.  Love this stuff!

Ride Hours: 01:51

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 50.11 units
Meal: 17.15u
Corr: 4.95u
Basal: 28.01u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 216g

After work I hustled over to the UNC Wellness center to get changed and out on the Superfly Single Speed for a little bit.  I was in my chilly weather gear (actually used leg warmers for the first time in months) and was pedaling to the sound of Pinhead Circus at 17:30 sharp.  I had set a temp rate of a 60% reduction a little over an hour earlier, so it worked out perfectly.

Tried to just have a nice base ride tonight.  The sky was unbelievable!  Clear and TONS of stars visible once I got into the woods and cut the light off.  Just amazing. I tried to take a pic, but it just didn't capture it.  Magnificent.  It really reminded me of why I feel in love with cycling in the first place.

I didn't ride any single track due to the rain we had had the night before.  So, it was just a nice long greenway/fire road/bike path loop around Chapel Hill.

For an experiment tonight I decided to try to just keep the BG level by using only temp basal rates adjustments, and specific paces.  There are going to be times on the Tour Divide that I just will not have the opportunity to eat and hydrate like I want to.  So I figured tonight was as good of a night as any to give it try. I figured I could get it fairly close, and I did have some "fast acting" with me, so no worries if it went sideways.

After 30 minutes I lowered my basal rate to a 85% reduction, and kept my HR in the 145-155 range.  It worked flawlessly, save for me pushing just a tad hard for a handful of minutes at the 1 hour mark.

After 90 minutes I set my basal rate back to normal, and did my final climb and decent back towards home. I arrived back at the car at 19:20 with a BG of 67.  So it wasn't perfect, but I figured I made the mistake of going back to my normal basal rate a tad too early. I was actually pretty stoked though.

I did a 3.5u post ride bolus at that time to prevent the normal BG spike once I get of the bike.  I also didn't take in any post ride nutrition until I ate later on around 21:00 or so.

An hour later I was humming along at a 89.  Sweet.

Went to bed with a the normal post ride over night temp basal of 75% set.

The outpouring of support since my announcement to race the Tour Divide next year has completely blown me away.  Thank you so much for the emails, calls, and txt msg's.  I will keep them all in mind as I begin to take the next steps towards that end goal, and will have them playing in my head during the ride.

For the past week or so I have been really concentrating on the logistics of insulin delivery, insulin supply, and continuous monitoring while racing on the Divide.  Event rule number 2 makes this a large problem to try and overcome:

"To complete Tour Divide a rider may resupply food/equipment, rent a room, launder clothing, even service their bike at shops on route. The goal is to ride unsupported between towns, and function self-supported when in towns. Services utilized must always be commercially available to all challengers and not pre-arranged[1]. No private resupply, no private lodging.

Tour Divide strives to be an 'equal opportunity epic'. Whether doing an Individual Time Trial or tackling the Grand Départ, TD requires that every rider—from those living along the route to those living on other continents—have an equal playing field. Therefore, outside assistance[2] with navigation, lodging or resupply (especially receipt of supplies from a non-commercial shipper) is prohibited. Equality in emotional support: Only route town locals may visit with, cheer on TD thru-racers. Out-of-town visitation to the GDMBR mid-race from family or friends—even if only a remote possibility for rider rendezvous—is prohibited."

You can check out all the rules for the the race here: Tour Divide Rules

So this first thing I am really trying to determine, is how to carry enough insulin, were to ship it to during the ride, and how to keep the insulin "healthy" during that process.

I use, on average, 41 units of humalog in 24 hours for a non-ride day.  If I factor in 12 hours a day at a basal reduction of 60-70%, an over night (camping) reduction of 30% for sensitivity, and the fact that I will not be bolusing for nutrition while riding I may only use 15-20units a day.  Maybe less.

I currently use 300u reservoirs in my my Cozmo pump. (The pump is a whole other issue that I will get to later - chiefly how do I obtain a spare to go with me?  I need to change to a new insulin pump solution for sure).  That would roughly give me 10 days of insulin in the pump.

A friend is engineering a nylon "sleeve" that fits inside my seat post to hold spare insulin while I am on the bike.   It seemed that this was the best place to put it for protection in case of crashes and offered the greatest security.  If I can carry 3 reservoirs in there, then that should give me 40 days worth.

Another option is to ship some insulin to a PO Box in some town along the route before I leave.  This way I know where it would be and I wouldn't have to carry it all.  However, I am not sure of what condition it would be stored in or exactly what day I would arrive.  Maybe just go to a pharmacy in the larger towns, and transfer my prescription there.  Continue that along the way until the end?  That might not be great as it could take 24-36 to transfer it, and, if I do that 3 times, that is 6 to 9 days of waiting for paperwork to process.

Along with this concern is how it will last while stored on the bike.  Temps can (and will) go to extreme variations as we cross high peaks were it could be freezing and snowy, to desert floors were is might be blazing hot.  I can keep it from freezing by moving it closer to my body, but I am not sure how to keep it cool enough to keep it active while in the warmer conditions.

Luckily I don't need an answer today, but I DO need to start to iron out a procedure that I can use during my fully loaded test rides in the upcoming months.

These problems are totally solvable, and will, most assuredly be solved.  It is just doing it in the most efficient way possible that can proof elusive.  :)

On another note, there is uber strange weather we are having here today for sure!   Hopefully the sun is back out so the greenways and doubletrack trails can dry by tomorrow night's ride.  Otherwise I will be, gulp, running.  Running? (Did Tony just say running?)

Trying to emerge from a whirlwind weekend of travel and meetings.  What do they say? It's not the years, it's the mileage.  That sounds right.  :)

I drove to Washington, DC on Thursday after work and arrived at my hotel near the Pentagon in the early evening.  I checked in, and managed to squeeze the car (bike racks and all) into the parking deck.  When I say squeeze, I mean SQUEEZE.  Maybe 1/32" to spare.  I had quite the crowd of porters and valets watching as I drove in.  The concrete wasn't too scary, but all the low hanging water pipes had my attention as I traveled down two levels to find a spot.

A little before 21:00 my freind Pete came by and we headed out to grab something to eat.  Pete is more like a brother to me, and a family member to the rest of my relatives.  Funny how it can be years since we last saw each other, but things generally remain the same. It's pretty cool.

Got back to my hotel late, and tried to get some sleep.  By far one of the worst 3 nights sleep I have ever had.  Nothing particular, but I just could not fall asleep.  Managed to nap for about 2 hours (maybe) but was up and rolling before 6am (which, if you know me, never, ever, never, ever happens).

Walked about two blocks and grabbed an espresso, went back to the hotel to pack and checkout, and then grabbed some items and rolled out in 40 degree temps on the fixie.  (I almost hit my head on the roof and the pipes of the parking deck on the way out).  I thought the bike and the Metro gave me the best options for city travel, so the car stayed in the deck all day.

In between communting to scheduled meetings, I managed to grab about 2 hours worth of cycling.  I really enjoy cycling as a great way to explore cities as being in the saddle provides a great opurtunity to sample the local flavor.

I had a good meeting with the American Diabetes Association at their Alexandria office.  It was cool to be there as I have heard so much about it from Dr. Buse and while working with the local ADA chapter over the years.

And, yes, I DID ride my bike down there.  Might have been the first person to walk the halls of the ADA wearing a Chrome Bag and a helmet. What else would you expect? (Rhetorical question Nancy E.)  :)

I left DC later on that afternoon, and headed straight up to Red Bank NJ for the next phase of the weekend.

As a side note, the EZ-Pass my mom lent me to save "time" goinf through the tolls in MD, DE, and NJ didn't work.  So, although it cut down on my wait time in toll traffic, I am should be expecting $100s of dollars of running the toll fines to be mailed my way soon.  Funny.  Not funny 'HA HA', but funny.

I have a good and productive time in NJ meeting with Melissa Ballan.  Melissa has an 8 y.o. would was diagnosed with Type 1 last year, and, after many conversations over the months on FB and the phone, we deceided to work together on some upcoming projects.  More on those specific details later, but we did spent a ton of time working discussing details.

Left NJ on Saturday afternoon and, safe for one stop in MD for gas, drove straight throught to home.

Of course all this travel left me under the weather and exhausted today.  I have a busy week, and am really, really excited about getting back into structured training sometime next week.  Man, I am really starting to miss the bike after the 3 weeks of not riding it everyday.  :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you.

A heartfelt thank you to all the men and women in uniform who have served or are currently serving our country.

I am Finally getting around to making an entry about the Saturday Oct. 30th 12 Hour Mountain Bike Race Simulation Field Study I was the subject for.  An event which some friends named the "1st Annual Tony Cervati Invitational Classic".  I guess you need to be name Tony Cervati to race in it?  Too bad there was no "prizes"....

Ride Hours: 11:47

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 25.98 units
Meal: 6.50u
Corr: 2.50u
Basal: 16.98u

Daily Carb Intake Bolused For: 86g

The "race" took place in Chapel Hill, NC at the Carolina North Trail system. It was done in support of Chris Newport's Master's Thesis which is focusing on Type 1 Diabetic Endurance Athletic Nutrition.  Chris has been guiding me for over a year now, and is THE key factor in getting my on the bike nutriton nailed down.

We tracked my diet and insulin usage for 48 hours prior through 48 hours post event.  During the field study, which ran from 9am-9pm, we employed technology including the Abbott Navigator CGM and Cyclops PowerTap hub to monitor, in high detail, calorie intake, wattage, cadence, speed, miles, vertical feet, temp, humitidy, blood glucose, heart rate, core temp, weight, hydration, and electorlyte levels.

These measurements will give a pretty good picture of exactly how my body is working at any given point during a long day in the saddle.  For me, this is absolutely invaluable as I prepare to race the 2800 mile Tour Divide in June.  Also, although I have been working on the TD attempt in one capacity or another for 18 months, I consider this study to be the first official step towards Banff Canada.

I was VERY nervous about the ride, more so than a race, given the fact I felt Chris had been working through 2 years of school to get to this day.  I went to bed Friday night thinking "Don't wake up low.. Don't wake up low...", so much so that I under bolused for a bedtime snack on purpose.

I was WIDE awake at 03:40 running a BG of 193.  I took a breath and told myself to just do what I always do and it will work out.  I bolused for this slight high, but never did get back to sleep.

At 06:53 my BG was a picture perfect 81, and the Navigator sensor I had inserted at 21:15 last night was soon ready for its first calibration.  BG at a 78 at 07:11.

I ate breakfast and was monitoring my BG tightly.  At 07:25 I was a 76.  I set my target BG in my insulin pump to a 150 (instead of its normal 100) at this time, and, since I was so nervous, set my pre-ride temp basal at a 60% reduction.  A little early, but I really wanted to be good to go by 09:00.

I got the site at the trail head a litte after 08:10, and got the camp site setup just as I would for a normal race day.  Going to ride for 90 minute laps on the various trails, and then check in to grab the data.  The temps were a little on the chilly side Saturday morning (high 40s), but the weather for the day could not have been more perfect!

The most humorous part of the data collection was the Specific Gravity of Urine test.  I mean I have been friends with Chris and her husband Jay for a long time, but I never handed her a urine specimin before.  In the doctor's off PLENTY of times, but this just seemed a little... um.... different.  We all laughed about it for a while, but it did just become part of the groove after 5, or 6, or 7 hours.  :)

I was VERY fortunate to have some great friends come out and ride with me for the majority of the day.  A big thanks to Jay, Pryde, and George for riding with me and keeping it fun.  These dudes are mega fast and had me on my toes and hustling all day long.  THANKS!!!

I tried to stay on the usual 20oz of water mixed with Maltodextrose and Nuun every hour, and 20-40g of Carbs total per hour.  I did fall behind on the hydration early and then later in day, but all in all it worked out great!

BGs rocked all day.  I had the low alarm on the Nav set at 60, and the high alarm set to 180.  Average was 124, with no reading outside of target during the 12 hour ride.

Only issue I had was a mistake I made around 13:30.  I had set a 60% reduction for 6 hours at 7:30.  Since I normally don't go to a temp basal until 60 minutes before ride start, I had missed the switch to a 70% reduction at 13:30.  I thought I had until 14;00.  So for about 30 minutes there, I was running a full on basal rate 4.5hrs into pedaling. I set the temp basal of 70% reduction right after 14:00.  If you take a look at the image above your can see how this made a dip in the BGs begining right around the 13:30 time frame.   Exercise induced insulin sensitivity right there.

I was able to catch it with a few extra carbs, and you can also see on the graph that I over compensated a touch.  Not horrid, and better safe then sorry, but still.  A smidge too much.

The rest of the ride went without incident and I was SO STOKED at the end of the ride at 20:47 with a blood glucose of 111.  I was tweeted "Diabetes - who's your DADDY?!?!?".  A great day in the saddle!!

Once I stopped I immediately set my basal rate back to normal, and bolused 4.5u to try and head off the normal post ride BG spike.  Wasn't sure if that was going to be enough, but it worked out well.

Some of the first stats about the ride is that I covered about 86 miles todal, with 72 miles coming on single track.  Burned 10,800 calories, and went over 5300ft in vertical.  More data will follow as it becomes available.

Post "race" my BGs were 95 at 23:15, 111 at 23:22, and then 133 at midnight when I went to bed.  No correction for any of these of course.

As is usual I set a post ride over nite temp basal of 65% as active for 7 hours and hit the hay.

Today turned out great!!  I can't wait to see what we are able to learn, and then figure out how to apply it to racing the Tour Divide.

I founded Type1Rider back in May of 2005 after I attended the 2005 annual DESA conference in West Chester, PA.  After listening to the Athletic Achievement Award winners speak about their personal experiences,  I was motivated to try and figure out a way to contribute to the diabetic community myself. 


For the past 5 1/2 years I have lived all aspects of my life as a diabetic with the covers removed, completely exposed, and out in the open.  I have transparently used endurance mountain bike racing and training to further my personal mission of raising awareness, promoting education, providing support, and fostering encouragement for all people affected by diabetes.  During this time I have shared with posts and during speaking engagements all the highs and lows (literally), the victories and the tragedies,  and everything I do, feel, and have learned about living with this wretched disease since being diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes 33 years ago.  


Over the past 18 months or so, however, I have been working on a diabetes related "project" that I have not shared with anyone but a handful of friends and family.  It is something I feel I have been, in one way or another, preparing for my whole life.  All of my training, racing, and events for 2010, including this past weekends field study, have been in support of this ultimate goal.  I have hidden my daily obsession with this race from the community for a host of reasons, but primarily out of trepidation due to the exceedingly enormous challenge it presents for a Type 1 diabetic.  A late dinner discussion Saturday night with a friend about how quickly life passes removed any final hesitations I had about discussing this subject.

I want to take this first day of National Diabetes Month to openly state that I will be competing in the

2011 Tour Divide Mountain Bike Race.   

This race, which boasts 2,745 miles of completely unsupported mountain bike racing from Banff, AB CA to Antelope Wells, NM is recognized as the longest and most difficult mountain bike race in the world.  It is 96% off road, covers over 200,000 ft. of elevation change, and must be done completely unassisted.  It's route covers some of the roughest and most remote areas of North America, crossing mountains, snow fields, and desserts.

Race route shown in red

While I know the challenges will be great, there is no denying the rewards would be insurmountable.  Participating in the Tour Divide would completely shatter all doubt surrounding any person living with diabetes.  I also recognize that this is a profound opportunity to raise awareness for juvenile diabetes via the high visibility the Tour Divide can offer.


Of course an undertaking of this stature cannot be attempted without personal passion and conviction. While many may view endurance races about trying to beat out a field of other riders, it has always been to me more about testing oneself.  Anyone living with diabetes knows that “control” can sometime seem unattainable.  I have witnessed first hand the terrible effects this disease has on individuals and families.


My dream and focus is to foster an understanding of what it takes to successfully live with this disease, and to help people with diabetes conquer the fear and issues that it brings.  To have them truly believe that diabetes is indeed manageable, and, with that, comes a world without personal limits.


In my mind, completing the Tour Divide would indeed make diabetic history, and prove to each and every diabetic out there that they do, indeed, have control. 


There are many aspects involved with this undertaking including a fund raising effort, more nutrition research, training, equipment development, etc.  I will further document those details over the coming days and months.


Although there is no simply no way to guarantee the outcome to an adventure such as this,  I am dedicating the next 8 months of my life to be as prepared as possible.  Along that route I inevitably will learn invaluable lessons about both diabetes and myself.  


A heartfelt thank you to the group people who have quietly supported me with this for the past 18 months.  I could not be more blessed.  Everyone of you have helped to mold a foundation which gives me the confidence to pursue this.  We still have LOTS of work ahead, but I am eternally grateful for all you have contributed. 


For my fellow diabetics and other newcomers on this journey, welcome to the ride!