Why I Ride….
John Golly, Type 1 Diabetic, Avid Cyclist, Tour de Cure Participant….
Last year, I rode in my very first Tour de Cure. The Tour de Cure is an amazing cycling event that accelerates the mission of the American Diabetes Association to prevent and cure diabetes and improve the lives of all people affected.
I continue to ride in the Tour de Cure because my wife and I found the event to be very inspiring based on how much effort the ADA puts towards bringing people together for one full day to support a common cause – Stopping Diabetes!
The Tour de Cure offers four great rides with distances for people of all levels. It also includes full course support. Each route has rest stops every 12-14 miles with healthy food options, medical volunteers, and bike repair services. Whichever route is chosen by participants, they end up cycling through Colorado’s picture perfect scenery with views of mountains and lakes. At the finish line they are greeted by people cheering and calling out their name, great food, and activities at the finish line.
The Tour de Cure is unlike any other cycling event in Colorado. The ride itself is excellent, but it is the people and sense of community tied together by diabetes that makes this event special. The Tour de Cure brings about hope for a cure, reasons for a healthy active lifestyle, friendship, and camaraderie.
While it is very apparent that volunteers spend many months planning the Tour de Cure, this fundraising event would not be possible without its 1500+ participants and the money they raise to help the ADA in its fight against Diabetes.
I also ride for selfish reasons. Finding a cure for diabetes would give me the freedom to have a normal life without having the burden of checking my blood sugar and being insulin dependent. The Tour de Cure brings awareness to the public that 25.8 million children and adults in the United States live with diabetes and millions more of their family members and loved ones are affected by the disease. Each day the American Diabetes Association is educating communities about diabetes, funding diabetes research, and making advances to find a cure for this life altering illness.
Through fundraising and bringing people together, we ride to stop diabetes!
John Golly
Tags: boulder, cycling, diabetes, health, longmont, wellness
