The Tucson Tour de Cure is this Sunday, March 7, 2010. Sponsor me here

Why I ride and Why the Tour de Cure.

I ride for my life, literally. I am a type 1 diabetic and I have 21 year old son with Muscular Dystrophy who can't ride, who has endured incredible odds every day of his life without complaint. It wasn’t until after his surgery a few years ago that put metal bars in his chest I realized; I had let diabetes define me. As I approached some of the best years of my life, I found I was lost and scared. I didn’t know what I wanted, I felt like I lost my identify, my independence, my confidence and my passion to experience life. I was doing what was safe and what was known. How, could I expect my kids to get out there and go for it when I had retreated? I then realized there is so much I was taking for granted and I wanted to be the change that I wanted to see in my kids.

It took me about a year or so to actually get on a bike, not because I didn't know how, but because I knew as a diabetic it was never a good idea to ride alone and I didn't have a bike. Then one day when I was at a spinning class, Roger, a man I had spoken to about cycling and spinning over the past year, overheard me talk about wanting to get out and ride, but I didn’t have a bike. The next week he gave me a Trek Elance Road Bike (1985, Reynolds Steel) with one condition, if I decided not to ride, I return it when I am done.

Well, last year I rode my bikes over 2000 miles including the 21 mile round trips to work. I am still planning to ride across America, but when is yet to be determined. A few of us cyclist have goals to do this and our hope is to coordinate our efforts for one big ride around the country.

There is one thing for sure the more I ride the more I find the ‘me’ I was looking for. I have not redefined myself, I have rediscovered who I was and who I wanted to be before the pressures of health, family and work took over. I loan my bike to women who want to learn how to ride because I want others to feel the freedom you get when riding out on a road miles from the familiar.

Now I ride for the freedom, for the friendships, for the environment, for my health, for the incredible support you get from being a part of the biking community and to use my abilities to raise funds for Diabetes and Muscular Dystrophy. I ride because others can't and for those who can but are afraid, I ride to encourage them to try. I ride because I feel a part of something bigger than just me on a bike. I ride to live and needless to say, I still have Roger’s bike…

Make your voice heard, support me in ridding our communities of diabetes.

Help Make a Difference!

Pedal power works!

Each mile I ride is my testament to live a life worry free and the
funds I raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure diabetes.

No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the
lives of more than 23 million Americans who suffer from diabetes.
Together, we can all make a difference!

Thank you for making a generous contribution to this cause that is so
important to me!

Sponsor me here

My Day to Vent....

Took a little hiatus from blogging or tweeting. Work has been grinding away and it fries my brain cells to a crisp. But I have been riding, just at a more casual pace, because I now realize how much stress plays a factor in hitting the wall.

Since the Tour de Cure, I have been riding and riding and riding. Last weekend I just couldn't ride any more, partially because my son was sick with a very high fever. As it turns out he is recovering and by Wed I was riding in to work again. Gotta tell ya though Thurs ride into work was a bitch! High, high winds where I was almost knocked off my bike. This is the time when I begin to hate to ride, but at the same time was curious about riding through it all

Well, I did arrive home safe and sound but something about the drivers that day had me a bit concerned. The drivers were aggressive. I guess I don't get why folks in cars think they have something to prove by running cyclists off the road. It baffles me to think that someone in a 4k - 6k lb piece of metal or plastic feels the need to intimidate folks who are driving a vehicle of less then 20lbs. Three times this week, I have seen serious inferiority complexes at play. A few weeks ago, I had a guy in his big Chevy truck, veer over into the bike lane where his passenger side rear view mirror brushed my shoulder. We were both taking off from red light and I guess he didn't like that I rode up in front of his tiny truck... Seriously You Tarzan, me what... Jane??? Such a big man.

So why are cyclists considered such a threat? Hmm let me think, we make better car drivers because we are constantly riding (on our bikes) defensively to protect ourselves from poor drivers, we value diversity, we value the outdoors, Ohh and we value our freedom! Hmmm, sounds threatening to me and ohh sooooo un-American by powering our bikes with local produce...
(Okay you may need to think about that one for a minute...)

Okay - Gripe session 1 is over......
Thanks for listening, I feel a ton better.
Penny