The ride is over and I did my 35 miles.

I had a good time, got lots of exercise, met some interesting people … and got involved in a cause that both directly and indirectly effects me.

I raised $3380 … which made me an “Ultimate Champion for Diabetes”.  I got a fancy shmancy gold medal and, theoretically, a champions riding jersey (although that didn’t arrive on time, so I wore a red riders jersey).  The medal was kind of silly, but I would have liked to have been able to wear the jersey.

Riding helped me in many ways … there’s the obvious cardio benefit, which helps keep my diabetes under control, but it also helped me deal with the stress of my mom’s illness and passing.  About three weeks before the ride, my co-worker Marty and I were planning on doing a 35 mile ride (following the Tour de cure route), when my mom was moved into the hospice unit at St. James Hospital.  He asked if I wanted to cancel our ride, but I told him that I needed to ride.

I’d like to thank everyone who sponsored me on the ride … your support is greatly appreciated.

The ride itself went pretty smoothly … although the first half of the route wasn’t marked nearly as well as the 2nd half (Bill Nedza & I marked the 2nd half the day before, so we know it was done well).  I wished it had started about an hour earlier than it did, so we could beat the heat a little, but that wasn’t a big deal.

Ginny went out to the ride start with me … and volunteered to help out around the event site.  When I finished, Josh, Melissa, and dad were there to greet me.

I completed the route in about 4 hours (3 hours riding time, according to my GPS, with some rest stops and detours to help people out).

I’ve certainly found a cause that I can get behind on an ongoing basis … I plan on doing the ride again next year (although I’m not sure what distance … I know I can handle 35 miles, so maybe I’ll try for 62 miles next year).

Here are some of the comments left on my tour page …

Thanks for your help in the eradication of diabetes

– Erlene from Ginny’s church

This is on behalf of my two brothers that have or had type 2 diabetes

– Bob from Ginny’s church

I admire you for fighting so hard – for yourself and for all of us affected by Diabetes. Thank You.

– Dawn from work

Go David! Go!

– My brother Mitch

Make good use of those new pedals!

– My friend Jim (who told me about the ride in the first place)

Way to go, David. The pledges don’t stop coming even after the event is over!

– Kevin

I thank you for taking the stand that you are to help yourself and others like us! Have a safe and wonderful ride.

– Sharyn

Good luck, David! Go, man! Diabetes runs in my family (in fact my father passed away from Diabetes complications). Thanks for doing what you do!

– Reid

I have known people with Diabetes since I was a young boy. A family friend came to see my mom (a nurse) for shots every day for a long time. I didn’t understand then what those shots meant but I know she hated them!

– Dr. Franken

 

For those interested … here are the technical details of the ride (according to my GPS & Endomondo) …