Ride Week is here, and I am sooooo excited! Seriously, you have no idea. I can hardly sit still and there’s no wiping the smile off my face. It’s planted there permanently because it’s almost time to join more than 500 of my closest friends on an epic cycling journey!
You guys have been incredibly amazing the last few months while I’ve prepared and trained, and many of you have supported my ride efforts financially. If you didn’t get an opportunity, and you’d still like to support JDRF through the Ride to Cure Diabetes program, would you consider a few of my friends? They’re just a bit short of their ride goal, and I want to show them some serious love this week!
Even though he lives in Huntsville, Thad and I haven’t officially met yet. We’ve exchanged emails because he’s part of our JDRF Alabama ride team, but we’ve participated on opposite rides, always missing each other. Thad’s son had type 1 diabetes so Thad rides for JDRF to honor his memory. His story is incredible, and I can’t wait to personally meet him. Thad has been a tremendous inspiration to me during the last few months, and I’m incredibly honored to call him a teammate. He’s closing in on 75 percent of his goal. Together, I think we can get him to 100 percent!
I first met Jennifer and Braden at the JDRF Nashville symposium earlier this year. Jennifer just celebrated 21 years with type 1 diabetes, and she is a force to be reckoned with, for sure! She’s a runner, a cyclist and a determined athlete. She’s a WILD athlete, and she often writes positive notes on the exterior of her pod (which she regularly wears on her arm as part of her advocacy). She is an encouragement to anyone with type 1 diabetes and a beautiful example of someone who shows type 1 who’s boss. I love this lady to pieces, and I think it’s awesome her husband is riding alongside her on Saturday.
Like Thad, Drew lives in Huntsville but the difference is we’re old friends. We first met when a mutual friend learned he had type 1 diabetes and was looking for others in the area. She introduced us over email, and we met for lunch to talk about diabetes and advocacy. Before he knew what happened, I’d convinced him to sign up for the Nashville ride! He’s incredibly encouraging and deserves that last bit of love to help him reach his goal.
And while I’ve met my goal, I’d still love to have your prayers for the week and on Saturday. We’re praying for no injuries or major catastrophes, for beautiful weather and temperatures and for no massive lows or highs that keep anyone from riding on Saturday. And of course, for safe travel for the hundreds coming in from all over the country. The countdown is on — only five more days!