Tony Cervati is a Type1Rider

In 2012 I met Ryan Reed at an ADA cycling event in Chapel Hill.  At the time he was about 2 years into his Type 1 diagnosis, and was racing NASCAR events and running Ryan's Mission.  As we spoke before the event, his attitude and ideas were (are) very similar to mine.  Although our sports are nothing alike (if I am doing 190mph on my bike I must have fallen off a cliff or something) we talked about the similarities of trying to do BG testing during events, insulin sensitivity during stress, and other fairly common topics.

I remember telling the folks at the ADA National Office at a meeting later that year, that Ryan Reed was the celebrity voice the Diabetes Online Community needed.  The spokesman for the masses.  Someone for the victims of Type 1 to look up to, and to emulate.

We saw Ryan a few months ago at the Charlotte race, and I was scheduled to speak at his hospitality fan zone tent before the night time race.  It was great to see him, and to see how much he influenced and inspired the mass of younger people with Type 1 who had came over to meet him.

Yesterday afternoon, Ryan Reed won the NASCAR Xfinity Series 300 mile race at Daytona International speedway.  I was texted the result while in my car, and I was literally yelling with excitement of the fabulous news!!

His first win couldn't have happened in a more special way to a young man who has the respect of all, and has inspired so many.  What moved me MOST however, was here was a dude with Type 1 driving a race car at the highest level and winning - proving to my very young Type 1 son that ANYTHING, anything at all, is possible.

Take two minutes and watch his well spoken and meaningful emotional Victory Lane interview here:

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/videos/2015/2/21/xfinity-series-daytona-international-speedway-victory-lane.html


There are no limits.

Diabetes or not.


Congratulations Ryan, and a sincere thank you, my Type 1 Brother.