A new post from our sister site, The Blue Heel Society:


As most of you know Valentine's Day is fast approaching...in just a mere 4 days. WAIT!!! Don't freak out!! 

Before you run out to go buy jewelry, a box of chocolates or flowers...I want to challenge you!


WHAT IF... you didn't buy that jewelry, chocolates or flowers ... I'm not suggesting you willfully put yourself in the "Dog House"!!

Hear me out!

WHAT IF, instead... you chose to SAVE A LIFE!?

I know you are now thinking I've lost my mind! How in the world can not buying your traditional Valentine's Day gifts save a life? Easy. The Blue Heel Society has been asked to help spread a unique initiative from some wonderfully awesome DOC people and organizations. It's called the Spare a Rose, Save a Life. All we are asking is instead of buying a dozen roses buy 11 and the value of that 1 extra rose you donate to a diabetic child in need. It's easy to do!

Click HERE or copy this URL into your browser http://www.idf.org/lifeforachild/donate and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) will guide you through the fast & easy process for you to donate!

I am blessed that my D kids have access to their insulin, pump and testing supplies at ANY time. Sadly, others don't. There are children living in third world countries that have one bottle of insulin stored in unregulated temperatures and one syringe to last them a month...sometimes longer. There are children dying because they don't have the basic diabetic necessities. 

Donate $1, donate several, Save a Life!! 

Then sit back and enjoy your 11 roses knowing that 12th rose saved a DIABETIC life.

For more information please visit http://diabetesadvocates.org/c/spare-a-rose-save-a-child/where there is information on how to help promote 'Spare a Rose, Save a Child' effort on your Website/Blog.

I mentioned a couple of days ago about how this year is "rocketing" by, and how I would post on that exact phrasing later.

Last week, we went to Florida to visit my friend Fran and his wife Maria.  Fran happens to work where they have the coolest toys... you know... stuff like rockets, satellites  and shuttles.

Fran was kind enough to get us a launch pass and take the two of us to a night launch of an Atlas 5 rocket carrying the TDRS-K Spacecraft.  

It was a dream for me, as most of you know I dig space exploration.  A little.  (LOL). 

I have never been to a launch before, and this was certainly was more than likely a once in a lifetime experience.  

There is no way for me to adequately describe how incredible this was.  

I. Was. Just. Floored.

This video was shot by the camera located right next to us on the causeway.  



Thank you so much my friend.  I will never forget this event.
Ever.

My buddy & Type 1 NASCAR driver Ryan Reed is auctioning off a pair of his BLUE racing shoes for a donation to be made to the Iron Andy Foundation.

Take a look at the auction, help out a GREAT cause, and maybe win a once in a lifetime item from a future SPRINT CUP star!!

http://www.32auctions.com/organizations/6032/auctions/6698/auction_items/137483

If you have a minute check out my new post on the OmniPod Suite D blog about the first ever NC ADA Off-Road Tour de Cure event.




http://bit.ly/WgOevX

It was an amazing experience, and a great success!!! A VERY special thank you to my new friend Ryan Reed for coming out and speaking to everyone before the ride started.

Hopefully the event will continue to grow over the years, and will become defacto standard cycling celebration of the fall!!


Thanks to all the hard work put into this event by the staff at the UNC Chapel Hill North Forest, and the NC American Diabetes Assoc. that made this all happen.

Looking forward to next year already....... :)


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It certainly was a VERY HECTIC November! The celebration of World Diabetes Day on November 14th, and the 30 days of Diabetes Awareness Month kept us ALL hoping.  Everyday gave us the wonderful opportunity to actively advocate for Diabetes causes.  Some of the major highlights are:

Over at The Blue Heel Society we successfully participated in the 30 Day, 30 Posts National Health Blog Post challenge.

In response to being named one of the International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Day Heroes, I wrote and published a blog post over at Insulet's Suite D site about us All Being Diabetes Heroes.  If you have a moment take a look at it here:

http://suited.myomnipod.com/manage-diabetes/we-are-all-diabetes-heroes/

The book by Dr. Beverly Adler, My Sweet Life: Successful Men With Diabetes, that I was so grateful to be asked to contributed a chapter to was published.  

A team of 10 of us raced under the Blue Heel Society banner at an event called Rebel Race in Haverhill, MA.  It was a 5k with 23 obstacles ranging from fire to barbed wire to 25 foot vertical walls.  The event made a donation to a diabetes charity in the name of team.  While there all of the team members met and spoke to a ton of people about diabetes. We will certainly be doing this, and other similar races, again!  Look for a blog entry on Suite D shortly! 

I was fortunate enough to be nominated for the 2012 WEGO Health Activist Hero Award.  To be nominated and supported by members of the Diabetes Online Community is very humbling.  I am SO grateful.  Thank you!

In the middle of the month, I was asked to participate on a WEGO Roundtable discussion about Diabetes.  It involved a few of us on a call-in basis, and a very active Twitter, radio, and online interactive audience. A summary of the discussion can be found here: http://blog.wegohealth.com/2012/11/14/roundtable-recap-diabetes-awareness-month/.

The Blue Heel Society launched its IRL (In Real Life) Luminary Campaign.  The campaign provides free tools, aptly collected in The Shoebox, to people interested in leading advocacy campaigns in their local areas around the globe.  The response has been overwhelming, and The Luminaries have already scheduled events starting now. 

Along the same lines, The Blue Heel Society was also nominated by our friends in the DOC for the 2012 WEGO Health Best Ensemble Cast Award.  All us involved with BHS where simply blown away by this honor.  

From the bottom of our collective hearts, Thank You ALL for being a part of the most globally successful Diabetes Awareness Month ever!!

It is the hard work everyone of you do, the stories and experiences that each share, and the non-judgmental support and encouragement that we give each other that makes the DOC family so incredible.

Thank you.

Keep Choppin' everyone!!  

Rebel Race.... conquered.

Rock ON Team Blue Heel Society!!





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Attention all NC Tour de Cure's Mystery Mountain Bike Riders. We're so excited to have you all on board to experience this inaugural event. Please be sure to arrive between 11:00am and Noon to allow time for check in and getting your bib nu

mber.

The event is at 1089 Municipal Drive in Chapel Hill, NC, off of MLK Boulevard. We'll have volunteers directing traffic. You can ride as many or few laps as you like between 12:00pm and 3:17pm. We'll have Clyde Cooper's BBQ, Clif Bars and Shot Blocks, Powerade and water for you on site.

We'll have a prize for the best Halloween costume and all participants will receive FREE registration for the 2013 NC Tour de Cure AND $25 off registration for the 2013 Resolution Ride!

We also would like to announce that we may have a few celebrities on site, including NASCAR driver and Type 1 diabetic Ryan Reed! We'll keep you posted on the details! Share this event with your friends and tell them to use code: MTBVIP to get 50% off registration! See you on the 13th! Please reach out to us if you have any questions at all!

Best, Katie-Rose Darby & Tony Cervati kdarby@diabetes.org | tony@type1rider.org 919.743.5400 x3251

http://www.sportoften.com/events/eventDetails.cfm?pEventId=9378

On October 13 the North Carolina office of the American Diabetes Association will be hosting a new, fun, and groundbreaking event for the organization in Chapel Hill, NC.

For the first time ever, the ADA will be hosting the first annual "Tour de Cure: Mystery MTB Ride"!!

In keeping with the season costumes ARE DEFINITELY encouraged!

Ride for as many laps as you like (or can) within the Chapel Hill North Forest trails between 12:00pm and 3:17pm. We'll ride those extra 17 minutes in honor of those who are diagnosed every 17 seconds in the US with diabetes.

We'll have FUN events and trails for the whole family and a party going on until 5pm.     

Diane and I will be riding and we invite ALL to come out for an afternoon of fun and comradery with a ton of other like minded folks working towards a cure for Diabetes.

Register by clicking on the logo:

Keep Choppin!!!

If you are in central North Carolina and are interested in insulin pump therapy, come out this Tuesday night, August 28th, for Insulin Pump Information Night.  All of the pump manufacturers will be there, including Steve McGuinn the representative from OmniPod.

I will be hanging out at the the OmniPod booth talking about how I use their product and the advantages of tubeless pump therapy as a whole.

The information about the event, including the pump information class curriculum is below.

Hope to see you there!!

Insulin Pump Information Night 

Class is instructed by a Certified Diabetes Educator and is free! 
Opportunity to see all insulin pumps! 

Tuesday of August 28th
6:00-8:00 pm 

LOCATION: 
American Institute of Healthcare and Fitness 
8300 Health Park Raleigh, NC
Meeting Room
(Take Six Forks Rd. to Forum Dr., left on Health Park, follow signs to Conference Center)

Curriculum Overview: 
1. Challenges of Diabetes 

• BG Monitoring 
• Multiple injections 
• Meals 
• Erratic schedules 
• Carbohydrate 
• Counting 
• Costs 
• Physical activity 
• Sickness 

2. Insulin regimens 

• Conventional Multiple Daily Injections 
• Insulin Pump therapy 

3. What is a Pump 

4. Benefits of a Pump 
Improved glycemic control 

• Precise delivery 
• Decreased glucose fluctuations 
• Decreased hypoglycemia 
• Address hormonal issues and dawn phenomenon.

Freedom 

• Eliminate multiple injections 
• Eliminate strict eating 
• Sleep in 
• Exercise 

5. Definitions 

• Basal 
• Bolus 
• Example of typical day 

6. How does a pump work 

• Battery 
• Cartridge/Reservoir
• Programming 

7. Smart Pump Features 

• Calculates dose for carbs eaten and BG correction 
• Extended bolus features
• Insulin on board/Active Insulin 
• Reminders and alarms 

8. Infusion Sets 

• Straight
• Angled
• Change every 2-3 days 

9. Candidate 

• Insulin requiring Type 1 or Type 2 
• A1C above 7 
• BG fluctuation 
• Hypoglycemia 
• Pregnancy 
• Need for precise dosing 

10. Who makes a good pumper 

• BG checks 4 times daily 
• Carb counting 
• Able to troubleshoot 
• Support system 
• Realistic expectation 

11. Challenges 

• Insurance 
• Increase BG checks 
• Learning period 
• DKA 
• Site/Skin issues 

12. Moving forward 

• Visit the booths 
• Visit the websites 
• Talk to your insurance company 
• Talk to your doctor about which pump 
• Continue seeking educational opportunities 
• TIPS Meetings

I spent yesterday enjoying some short time at the North Carolina American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure event.  The event was amazing this year, and the weather worked out PERFECTLY for all the riders and the tireless volunteers.

The staff from ADA Raleigh were kind enough to have me speak at the awards ceremony down in Southern Pines.  I am honored and humbled to be invited down to share the day's experiences and stories with all those working so hard to try to find a cure and provide relief for those with diabetes.

Thank you very much Jim, Katie-Rose, Thomas, and rest of the staff and committee that was kind enough to invite me.

I CAN NOT wait until the 1st EVER off road Tour de Cure here in NC at Chapel Hill North this October, and then both events for 2013!!!

Today, I had a BLAST taking my boys to the New Hope Valley Railway for a steam engine ride.  We all enjoyed the spectacular weather and the loudness of the whistle.

They hook this engine up to a train made up of some open air passengers cars, and take a near 90 minute scenic ride.

The cars are converted flatcars from the US Army, and the volunteers here build the tops and added the rows of school bus seats.  Good stuff.

Although I am not overly a train person, Diane was playful teasing me a bit about who was more excited.... me or the boys.  LOL!!  :)

Hmmmm....... It's hard not to get all caught up in their "geekedness".

If you have little ones, or even if you don't, this is such a spectacular place to head to.  Very, very cool.

Tomorrow, it's back to work and back on the bike for more riding and training.  Hopefully I will learn what is the issue with the Superfly's rear wheel shortly, and I get back on that bike.

For now, on the CX for a while.

I also need to spend some time working on the Delorme Topo software to convert the .GPX files from the Tour Divide course to a route or track I can follow on my PN-60.

That seems to be my main outstanding issue (um, besides fitness and funds, Natch) that is on my mind right now.

It is what it is.

Keep Choppin' everyone!!!!

(Me with a few new T1 friends and their families, showing off our pumps)

I am finally getting a few minutes to sit and write about the amazing weekend I had, which included traveling to Albany, NY to give a presentation at Glendaal Elementary school to be fed via video to the school district at large.

The talk was initiated by Lisa DeFelippo, and then spearheaded by the nurse at the school Betsy Williams (who is a pump wearing Type 1 btw).

After a VERY early flight from home, I was picked up at Albany International around 10:30.  Lisa and I headed over to grab lunch, and take it to school so I would have the opportunity to "hang out" in the teacher's lounge and discuss diabetes related issues with the staff there.

The presentation began at 14:00, and was to be followed by a JDRF Walk out on the school grounds.  Ms.  Cheryl Trefzger from the JDRF was there as well to assist with the event.

On the way to the school, we dropped in to see the District Superintendent.  It was nice to get some time to introduce myself to her, and to discuss diabetes school topics with her.  I appreciated this opportunity, and tried to convey the need for diabetes awareness to be spread throughout the district among teachers, staff, and students alike.

While in the teacher's lounge, a number of staff members did come by to say hi.  Lots of good questions about diabetes where asked, and good, very frank, discussions ensued.  Sometimes it is hard to hard hear facts about diabetes, but rumors and mis-information need to be dispelled.   I basically tried to impress on the staff, specifically those with Type 1 students, the need for them to understand the dangers and traits of diabetes.

It's not OCD.   It's not ADHD.  It's not Celiac.  It's not defined by the NJCLD.

It's diabetes, and, if handled incorrectly, can cause VERY serious medical emergencies.

Just before the assembly was to begin, I was honored to have the chance to meet, and speak with, a high school athlete who also has Type 1.  He and his mom came by so we could talk.  I was very impressed with this person.  He plays football, lacrosse, and competes in fencing while maintaining near perfect grades, all while dealing with diabetes.  It was a pleasure to here him tell how he wears his pump during events, that he too was diagnosed at age 8, and how he mentors (whenever he can) the other Type 1s who attend his little brother's elementary school.

Much different than I was back in day.... we won't say how many years. (Ok, so about 29 years ago. Oy.) LOL!

The 300 or so students where assembled at 14:00, and the video feed was established.

I had such a good time talking to the group (and those assembled remotely) about diabetes, challenges, working hard, and staying focused and positive.  I told them about my adventure on Tour Divide last year, about my insulin pump, and what diabetes was and how people got it.

To repeat: You cannot catch it from someone.  :)

These kids where SMART, and asked some very amazing and thoughtful questions.  "How did you feel after not being able to finish your race?". "Is insulin cold?". "How do you fill your pump?". "Just how big was the bear?".  LOL!!

Great stuff!!

The walk was a success, and the weather held out perfectly.  I got to answer a few hundred more questions while out walking, and enjoyed the whole event!

After the end of the walk the Nichter's, a family of 5 with 1 Type 1 in the family came over to Glendaal from a school the received the video feed.  We where able to talk about the all to well known struggles being the parent of a CWD, new treatments, how technology has changed since my diagnosis, and just plain old living with Diabetes.

They are a super nice family, and it was my great pleasure to have the chance to see them.

Mr. Nichter rides bike (he has a Trek BTW, natch) and has a TdC Team for the Syracuse TdC coming up on June 3rd.  As a part of the fund raising process they organized a Flash Mob that occurred last week.  If you would like to help the Nichter's on their TdC, check out their team page.

I always have a wonderful time at events such as this, and I always walk away learning a ton from the folks in the local diabetes community.  It is such an amazing honor to be allowed to sit down with these kind families and listen to their stories about diabetes.

They are all stories of success and inspiration.

Friday's event was no different.

Thank you all very much!!!

Training Hours: Ride: 03:05 Run: 00:00 Other: 00:00

Insulin Delivery Summary:
Daily Total: 25.10 units
Bolus (42%) 10.45u
Basal: (58%) 14.65u

I was up early this morning, so I was able to take the long route into work.  Nothing finer than riding in with a very slight dry chill in the air.  Shadows long from the sun being so low behind you.

My favorite time of day to ride.  Just after dawn.

I mean, when I can get my hands on an espresso. Or Monster Java.  Either or.  :)

I had a great ride in, and, at lunch, I hustled back home to grab my car as I am picking my little guys up from school today.

Nice to be able to get a touch over 3hrs in before lunch.  :)

Tomorrow is an EARLY day (at the airport at 04:30 or something nutty like that) as I am heading to NY state to  speak to some children in the Albany School District about facing challenges and diabetes related topics.

I was kindly invited to come participate by my friend Kevin.  He is a young person with Type 1 who attends school in the district.  One great kid with a terrific and very involved family.

Diane and I had the honor of meeting his parents, Lisa and Keith, along with his siblings a while back.  (Keith: I am looking forward to hearing about your bicycle frame welding!!)  :)

I am very much looking forward to this event, and am honored to be invited to come up and talk.

Thank you!!

Following the structured program, we will have a small "Meet & Greet" with some of the CWD & Parents, as part of the District's “Kids Helping Kids” Program.

Following my program there, I will join those participating in the local JDRF Walk. PLEASE visit the link attached and show your support!

I hope to be able to share some pics (and possibly a TwitCast) from the event as it happens.  So look for those updates here tomorrow.

I also received some VERY outstanding news today, but that is just a little ways off from being made public.

Thank you for all of your continued support and encouragement, and KEEP CHOPPIN'!!!

After a day and a half of rain showers, the weather broke and we were blessed with a spectacular afternoon of weather today here in North Carolina. The flowers and landscaping at my complex appreciated the sun almost as much as I did:




It was a busy day otherwise today as well.

Made pancakes (with chocolate hidden in a few of them), responded to a long over due list of emails, and got some much needed work done.

Also, was stoked to spend some time with my friends at Taproot Films shooting some more footage for the documentary. I cannot thank every member of their crew enough for working so hard and making so many sacrifices for this project:




Thank you for your pursurverence (btw, this pic was taken as I messed up for the 1,103rd time). :)

I am looking forward to logging a whole bunch of training hours on the bike this week, and hope that it goes fast leading to an event filled Friday with the JDRF and a special school visit in Albany (more on that later this week).

Thanks a lot to everyone for the great emails, messages, and questions. Please keep them coming. The interactions are such a learning experience for me, and I love to hear all the great things everyone is doing and planning while dealing with the "Betus". :)

Keep Choppin'!!!


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Had a great time today meeting new faces, visiting friends, and speaking at the North Carolina JDRF Family Retreat.  Myself and my two sons traveled down early in the morning to the event which was held at the Grandover Hotel in Greensboro, NC.

The attendance to the event this year was SPECTACULAR, and, as usual, the JDRF chapters and volunteers did a great job with the logistics.

My first two session where "Real Life Situations" discussions with 9-12 year olds who either had diabetes themselves, or who where the siblings of children with diabetes.  In both sessions we broke into smaller groups and went through a series of prepared scenarios and questions.  Everything from bullying to forgetting supplies.

Near the end we re-assembled and compared notes.

My initial impressions where how incredibly smart and "plugged" in ALL of these young people are.  Of particular note where the siblings - very much in tune with their family member's situation.  I walked out of the second session both impressed with all of their abilities and knowledge, and quite sad at the reminder that such young people need to deal with such a topic.

I am SURE I was not even 1% as diabetes aware as these kids when I was diagnosed at their age.

After a great lunch talking to a bunch of families affected by diabetes, I was in a session with Joe Largay from the UNC Diabetes Care Center.  The session was about diabetes and sports, and, as Joe is my diabetes care provider, thought I could contribute to this presentation.

I hope he doesn't mind, but I wanted to share two slides from the presentation.  The first one shows a study that was done that had participants finish their exercise session with a 10 second full on sprint.  I was AMAZED by the post 2hr mark difference in BGs:

As we know their can be TONS of other factors involved here... but still... I am found this very interesting.

The second slide shows the active times of insulin.  I, for one, SWEAR that insulin is no longer active in my system after 2 hours.  Swear on it.

Obviously I am wrong:

The blue line is Regular insulin, the red the Humalog, Novolog type products that we almost all use.  At the 4 hour mark there is about 30% active insulin left.

I am not sure how this related to "non synthetic" insulin, but it is making me think long and hard about some of the pre-exercise temp basal start times I use.

The biggest thing I walked away from following this event, was how truly the experiences and stories are among ALL the attendees.

We ALL have high BGs.

We ALL have low BGs.

We ALL fight with certain foods (pizza, cereal, pasta, potatoes).

We ALL fear hypoglycemia.

We ALL struggle at times.

We ALL hate diabetes.

And, most importantly and assuredly, we are ALL in this together.

Thank you JDRF for hosting me, and keep choppin'!!!!

Was in MA today to participate in the JDRF Boston Walk.   The Boston event is at an amazing venue along the Charles River.  We headed over early in the AM on the T.

One of the coolest features of Boston Public transportation is the new Hubway.   They have placed these bike stations all over the city, and they are available for use by anyone.

I cannot tell you how fantastic it was to see SO many individuals, of all ages, using this method of transport.  A very reliable and affordable method for getting around the dense city.

Another thing that stood out along the river is the boating clubs that are based there.  There where public sailboat races happening, and crewing is very popular.  There is a place right on the river you can rent boats to sail or crew.

The crowd of teams of walkers where already amassing as we arrived at the venue.  Although there where so many folks there, you really got a sense that everyone was bonded together.  A family of distant relatives all excited to see each other and share experiences.  You could truly feel the camaraderie and understanding of everyone in attendance.

It was very special.  It truly was.  I was amazed.

Another wonderful thing about these events is the ability to get caught up with Facebook friends, both new and old.  Seeing some folks in person for the first time, and sharing some fun with some know for a while.  I had a great time hanging out with The Diabetes Dude and his family for a large part of the festivities.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of these diabetes family events, I would strongly encourage you to do so.  It allows everyone a chance to see, to really see, that we are not alone and that we are indeed all in this together.

Thanks Boston!!
 

A good listen today, for a great cause!  My little friend Andrew will be volunteering his time and will be live on to air around 11:40(ish - hey its live radio right?) to talk about Children's Hospital Boston.  Give a listen if you have time..

You can listen live here: http://mix1041.radio.com/radiothon

Special thanks to Principal Howell and the staff and students for a great morning. Wonderful questions!!!

Thanks for having me for a visit!

Keep choppin'!!!!







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Location:Hazlet Ave,Hazlet,United States

Image via Wikipedia

Had a good trip to Charlotte today to participate in the JDRF Charlotte Chapter Family Fun Day event at the Time Warner Cable Arena.  I had spoken to the staff at this chapter about helping out at a few of their events, and they were gracious enough to invite me down to speak at this one.

My original plan was to try to get some riding in in the Charlotte area before the event, but their weather, like ours, had all the local trails closed.  I was able to get to the arena fairly early and meet some of the tremendous staff and volunteers they have there.  It was so inspiring and invigorating to hear their stories, and experience just how dedicated the JDRF staff is here.  (Hi Lynne!)

The program started at 15:00, and I went ahead and set my "Nervous" temp basal rate of 60% a little before 14:00.  My BGs where spot on all day, but I didn't think I would get a chance to eat lunch between arriving and speaking.  PLUS, when I am nervous my BGs do trend downwards.  So better safe then sorry.  :)

I was to speak for 10-15 minutes at the new parents and first time Walk Event meeting, and then quickly go upstairs to the venue's Kid's Zone to speak with the children.  I was amazed to learn that 600 people RSVP'd for this event.  WOW! (Hence the afore mentioned temp basal - LOL).

Even with the staggering number of attendees, the event went off without a hitch.  Laura Maciag, the Director of the Charlotte chapter, and Sally Langan deserve a HUGE congratulations for doing such a fantastic job on this affair!! Thank you so much for letting me be a part of it!!!

It was a special allowance to start be having the opportunity to be talking with the individuals that have minimum experience with Type 1 or with the JDRF Walk program.  I actually was able to stay within my time limit (can you believe it??), and, I hope, still be able to get my message across.

Once done I rushed upstairs to the arena's Kid Zone to speak with the children and parents in attendance.  I grabbed this shot before the program started, and the scene was intimidating.  :)   The people to the left and the right of the this view were as densely populated.

All the younger folks sat in a circle, and I spoke with them from the middle.  I saw some faces I recognized from the mountain bike clinics, which made me very happy!

I would be amiss not mention how great this group was.  The asked AMAZING questions, and almost 100% of them said all their friends knew they were Type 1.  They all also played at least one sport, and all had spare supplied and fast acting carbs with them.

I was just blown away.  A tribute to the education and outreach programs available down in this area.  Impressive.

After finishing up, it was time for the attendees to go watch the Checker's play a hockey game.   I quickly set my basal rate back to normal.

During this time I signed some autographs (such an unexpected flattering pleasure - thank you so much for affording me the time) and was able to answer some 1 on 1 questions for 30 or 40  minutes.

I left the arena and road over to Brixx Pizza to meet two Tour Divide veterans for a bit.  My friend Cricket and Stephen Huddle met with me to talk training, equipment, and share some TD tails.  It was SO great to see Cricket and for these guys to take time to meet me while I was in town.  (It just so happened Stephen was in town for work, so I got lucky).

Left town and headed for home just after 19:30.

I felt VERY blessed to be able to attend and participate in this event.  It is so amazing to meet these young T1s and hear what they say.

I learn something every single time.  These kids ROCK!!!

Some information about the annual Charlotte Chapter JDRF Family Fun Day with the Charlotte Checkers I will be attending. Lot of families and fun in store at this event!


I hope to see you there!

I have just submitted the required Letter of Intent to participate in the 2011 Tour Divide.  Although not posted  on the Tour Divide site yet, it reads as follows:

Since founding the Type1Rider organization in 2005 I have lived all aspects of my life as a Type 1 diabetic with the covers removed. 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 this relentless disease. During this time I have shared via posts and during speaking engagements all the highs and lows (literally), the victories and defeats, and everything I do, feel, and have learned about living with this disease since being diagnosed with it 34 years ago.

Over the past 20 months I have been quietly working with a tight knit group of supporters on the logistics of possibly competing in the Tour Divide as a pump wearing juvenile diabetic. While I know the challenges will be immense, there is no denying the rewards would be insurmountable. Participating in a race such as this would completely shatter all doubt surrounding any person living with diabetes.

Over the years I have spoken to 1000s of people affected by diabetes, and have witnessed first hand the terrible and deep running effects this disease has on individuals and families alike. All of their experiences are eerily similar - living with diabetes makes “control” sometimes seem unattainable and fear a constant companion.

My dream and focus is to foster an understanding that those affected can successfully live with this disease, to help people with diabetes conquer their fears, and to better manage the issues that it brings to our daily lives. 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 a historic diabetic statement, and prove to each and every diabetic out there that they do, indeed, have control. Every single pedal stroke and step I take along the 2745 mile route will be traveled with the other 24,000,000 Americans that have diabetes.

Of course an undertaking of this stature cannot be attempted without personal passion and conviction. This race is something I feel I have been, in one way or another, actually been preparing for my entire life. All of my experiences and interactions have led me down this path. While many view endurance races as opportunities to beat a field of other riders, it has always been to me much more about testing myself and beating this disease.

I do hereby state I will be lining up in Banff on June 10th, and, along with the band of other riders, and the spirit of TPG, competing in the 2011 Tour Divide.   

I am now ALL IN and an officially entered in the 2011 version of this event.