What am I doing?

This Saturday I'm starting a week long adventure to cycle 550 miles in 7 days around New England all in the name of diabetes research. Each day will be about 75 miles, one day is 60 miles and one day is over 100. 150 people will take part in the 150 mile weekend, and 50 of us will ride the 550 mile route.


My father is a Type I diabetic, so I'm doing this ride for him. Only 5-10% of diabetics have Type I. It is lethal if not treated, diet and exercise cannot prevent or treat it, the cause is still not fully understood, and it can be hereditary. Does that scare you a little? It scares me.

Dad realized he was diabetic when he was 18 years old. While he charges through life like normal (the fantastic family man, savvy businessman, intelligent Engineer, and one of my best friends), I grew up watching him battle this disease. That means I saw him have to inject insulin into his system several times a day with a syringe. It means I saw him act strange if his insulin levels were too low. It means I now worry about his failing eye sight, his immune and nervous system, and other serious side effects. Healthy diet and exercise help, so cycling is one thing we do together to keep him strong.

Therefore I am not only doing this ride FOR him, but I'm also doing it WITH him. He has been my cycling partner for the last 6 years. We have cycled along the west coast, Hawaii, Tasmania, the North and South islands of New Zealand and now we'll tackle New England.

Even my boyfriend, Brian, is doing his part. He's spending this weekend cycling with us. Over two days he will help us complete 150 of the 550 miles.

Stay tuned for the ride...