We all made it back with ZERO incidents!!! This is the first year in over 8 years that it was a non-eventful day as mishaps are concerned.
Thank you all for making the 2017 Tour de Cure Orlando great! You did an amazing job assisting me in raising $1,830 for the American Diabetes Association. I diverted $530 of my donations to help one of our red riders (a person who rides with diabetes) become Champion, so know you have two people who really appreciate your generosity. This put my final total at $1,375 and still a champion.
You were part of Orlando’s TeamOne’s efforts which raised over $28,886. TeamOne 2016 consisted of 24 individual riders. Considering everything everyone has going on I’m humbled and grateful for the donations we have received thus far because every penny counts. I have an ADA Tour de Cure shirt sticker for display on my cubicle in honor of every donor.
The image of yellow jerseys to the right displays the names of my friends who donated and assisted in my climb to being a 
Champion for Diabetes.
On Sunday, March 26th, I participated in the American Diabetes Association Lake Nona Tour de Cure 50 mile ride. The temperature started in the high 60’s. It was advertised like it was going to be a beautifully mild day with the notorious Florida wind not being a problem at only 10mph.
I was just getting over the Flu, my Tamiflu finished 4 days earlier. This was the first time in my life I ever had the Flu but nothing was going to stop me from participating. Lack of oxygen builds your lung strength and character simultaneously … what doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger! 🙂
We made a valiant attempt to take a team picture but was only able to to get everyone in three separate shots and we took other pictures throughout the entire day. The 50, 63, and 102-mile rides started first at 7:30 am. The 10 and 25-mile riders followed at 8:30 am.
The first ride started on time with TeamOne. Mother Nature was giving us a great warm morning with many body parts getting the heat they needed. The breeze and the sun provided much more warmth, which kept the temperature great for riding. The gust of wind, on the final 8 miles of the course was less tasking than the normal afternoon Florida wind but they added the hill again and that was even easier to get over this time.
Three years running, this ride was a great ride. It wasn’t easy not being able to breathe properly but the Team helped me get through it. We rode once again as a team, in line, and it looked great to see the “SAIC” jerseys in a line just moving past everyone for a third year, six strong. A sight to see, we were moving so well.
Stats for the day
Before I get into the stats, I just want to talk about proper bicycle fitting and how important it is. I was suffering from lower back problems for over a year. I didn’t know what it was.
About a year ago, I purchased a new ISM Adamo Prologue seat like the one I had on my other bike. I put everything back on the bike using rulers and levels from the measurement of my previous pro bike fit. I went through 6 months of physical therapy, 3 months of acupuncture, and still, it hurt when I rode. Well after all that, I went back to my original seat, had another pro bike fit with Coach Kameel at Motion Fit, and there you have it … my lower back is almost normal now. I thought it was a strain and it was just a bicycle alignment. With all my precision and the measurements, I could not get the bike aligned correctly.
If you have not ever had your bicycle professionally fitted, my personal suggestion is you should. You will see it makes a world of difference and will be worth the money.
Consumption (during the ride)
- Grape Jelly and Peanut Butter Sandwiches: 2
- Bananas Intake: 1 (All day)
- Water Intake: 24 oz
- INFINIT* Sports Drink: 24 oz
*INFINIT (ifinitnutrition.us) Sports Drink is a powder that mixes with water and provides a customizable amount of amino acids, caffeine, calories, electrolytes, flavor, protein, and/or sodium.
