It is Sunday, April 18, 2021, the America Diabetes Association (ADA) and TeamOne are still practicing social distancing. On this great humid day, a few TeamOne members (Catherine, Jonathan, Shawn, and Z) gathered at 7:45 am, in Lake Nona to kick off this year’s Tour de Cure Florida event. Since the ride is virtual again this year there were some things still missing: the other team members who could not be there in person, the great volunteers, the event’s brilliant array of sights and sounds, the tents which would be lined up displaying all sorts of swag, the ever-popular Breakfast Cafe with its breakfast sandwiches, bagels, cream cheese, fruit, orange juice, and coffee that made everyone feel right at home. All the things we missed like last year but it came without a surprise because this was expected this year.
The forecast for this virtual event was overcast, humid at 86% and climbing, hot, in the ’70s to low ‘80s with winds up to 8 to 17 mph, and of course 60% chance of rain by 12 noon. Mother Nature did not disappoint with the humidity and wind. The wonderful ADA Leaders used social media to generate interest. On this big day like last year, they hosted a virtual start at 8 am with the Lake Nona virtual tour. The new ADA Tour de Cure application allowed everyone to view images tagged #tourturns30 #ConnectedforLife #TourdeCureFlorida from any platform to be viewed.
The Ride
TeamOne had one group of four riders who initially wanted to participate in the 69-mile course but because of the 60% chance of rain in the forecast, all opted in a 30-mile impromptu course. Less than 20 miles away to the north, Susie Schmitt was ready to start her 25-mile route on Seminole Wekiva Trail in Florida, Seresaa Setzer was at another location in Orlando, and states away Bob Fecteau was taking on Mount Rogers in Virginia.
The riders in Lake Nona lined up for a photo op at the starting line, the cyclists displayed pride, readiness, and excitement. Every year has a different synergy depending on the participants. One thing that does not change, though, is the bond shared by a group ready to fight the wind and successfully master the ride regardless of the size of the group or location of the member!
The Lake Nona group starts their ride and after a 3-mile warm-up of 15 mph, the riders soon picked up to their targeted pace of 18 mph. This year the riders thought they were ready for the absence of the volunteers not greeting the group as they went through the course but they were not, it still felt strange. That is not a feeling that they want to get used to. The day was starting to go from warm to hot and the wind from firm to strong. The team members hydrated at the midway point with what they carried with them!
They only stopped for a 10 minutes break before they were back on the road. The team returned to the ride and the first 5 miles started to pass quickly. The wind was coming from the south-southwest, it seems as it had it in its mind that the team was not working hard enough. The wind started to pick up and it changes direction to west-southwest just to provide a good workout for the team. They would like to say that the next couple of miles passed quickly but they could not. 🙂 Traveling the last 2.5 miles into the headwind of 17 mph the team finishes the 30-miles feeling an enormous amount of pride and ready to have some Foxtail coffee and cheer on the other riders as they finished the ride.
This marks the the ADA’s Tour de Cure 30th year anniversary and TeamOne’s 15th consecutive year of support!
How We Helped
| TeamOne | ADA Totals |
|---|---|
| Achieved to Date: $6,428 Number of Champions: 6  Corporate Teams: #9 Overall Teams: #14 Number of Riders: 6 Average per team member: $1,071 |
Achieved to Date: $597,696 Number of Champions: 103 Number of Corporate Teams: 35 Number of all Teams: 77 Number of Riders: 509 Average per team member: $1,174 |
Other Information:
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TeamOne’s Part in the Tour de Cure:
* Data and figures derived from the ADA Lake Nona web site . |
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Who is TeamOne
Read the summaries below about the event in TeamOne members’ own words by selecting their name link below (more to follow). Special thanks to the members who rode with us virtually and/or were out of the state for this event!
| Affiliation | 25 Miles | 30 miles |
|---|---|---|
| SAIC | Susie Schmitt |
Zrain Olivencia |
| Family / Friends | Bob Fecteau Seresaa Setzer |
Catherine Aldea Jonathan Nunes |
| Notes | 1 First time ADA event riders 2 Very close to joining the other Champions3 Also will ride 63 miles in St. Petersburg for ADA Tampa 4 Virtual Rider (a team member who raised funds but couldn’t ride)  Red Rider: A person who rides with diabetes. Tour de Cure Jersey Champions for Diabetes |
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“Fun”raising Activities Winners
The prize purchases were made possible solely with the team member’s support. You can view Drawing Winner’s page for all the winners or the individual by selecting a link below.
- $100 Amazon Gift Card Winner: Paris Carter – Clermont, FL
Awards and Knowledgements
Event Day Statistics
This is the course charted by one of the TeamOne members who participated in the 30-mile route.
Photos
Special thanks to all who provided your photos.
What a year … hard, challenging, but the team is still relevant because of the generosity of our donors (our extended team members) who helped us attain the “Team of Champions” moniker for the 6th consecutive year! Who could have predicted it?!
Thank you,
TeamOne
