Hundreds will take their two-wheelers to the streets this
weekend in support for the fight against diabetes during the Tour
de Cure 2011 ride — and this year’s event is already a greater
success than last year’s.
Registration has taken place during that last few months, and
organizers said they were thrilled with how well the event has been
received during its 10th year in Los Angeles County.
“The expectations are a lot higher than they were last year and
we are tracking close to double in all aspects,” said Julian
Dillon, event manger since the route changed three years ago.
“That’s probably not surprising, as the number of people with
diabetes also is rising. More and more people are finding out they
have a connection to diabetes in their own worlds.”
As of Tuesday, there were 1,900 people signed up who are a part
of 150 different teams. The gauntlet was thrown early this year:
Try and raise a “pie in the sky” figure of $750,000. So far, as of
Wednesday morning, cyclists had raised about $415,000 — more than
doubling last year’s output.
“We’re very optimistic we’re going to hit all of our goals we
wanted,” Dillon added.
Riders have five options to choose from for their respective
ride (it is not a race event) — 8- (family ride), 11-, 32-, 61- and
100-mile routes. All routes but the family ride will run through
downtown Long Beach and eventually over the Gerald Desmond and
Vincent Thomas bridges.
“This is very unique because there are no other events where
you get to ride both bridges,” Dillon said.
The traditional 11-mile route still will go over both bridges,
but participants can come back on a special boat cruise to the
start at the Queen Mary.
The different route lengths were designed so that the event
would engage just about any kind of person, Dillon said, noting
organizers worked closely with nine different municipalities
(ports, cities, state) to make the route happen.
“It’s a ride, it’s not a race,” he said. “We have five
different lengths of rides so that anybody with any type of
experience can find something to have the kind of day they want to
have.”
There are about 400 people signed up for the century ride (100
miles). The family ride does not go up the bridges (which have
about a 3% grade climb in elevation).
Registration is still open. It costs $25 to enter before the
race, and $35 on registration day (Saturday). Participants are
expected to raise at least $150.
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are
nearly 24 million Americans who have diabetes — one in 10 have
diabetes in Los Angeles County. An estimated 17.9 million of those
have been diagnosed, while 5.7 million are unaware they have the
disease.
The first rides of the Tour de Cure 2011 launch from the Queen
Mary at 6 a.m. on Sunday, May 1. The last ride is expected to
finish at about 3 p.m. Final registration will take place from 11
a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Residents can sign up for the ride
online at www.diabetes.org/tour until the end of Friday, and they
can come to Saturday’s registration as a final deadline.
More about Long Beach
- ARTICLE: ON THE WATER: Wet Wednesdays Signal Summertime
- ARTICLE: EDITORIAL: Make Investment In Middle School Sport
- ARTICLE: Future Olympians Vie For Top Honors At Arena
- ARTICLE: MUSIC NOTES: Carpenter Cabaret’s Werner Impressive
- ARTICLE: Symphony Announces Next Year’s Schedule
More about Long
- ARTICLE: ON THE WATER: Wet Wednesdays Signal Summertime
- ARTICLE: EDITORIAL: Make Investment In Middle School Sport
- ARTICLE: Future Olympians Vie For Top Honors At Arena
- ARTICLE: MUSIC NOTES: Carpenter Cabaret’s Werner Impressive
- ARTICLE: Symphony Announces Next Year’s Schedule
