veloblog: bicycling in Greensboro, NC and the surrounding area

JDRF Ride to Cure in Burlington, VT

I took a video camera along for the ride, and here's what it saw:

Every mile we pedal gets us closer to a cure for diabetes

I've had type 1 diabetes for 35 years. I have friends with the disease. Acquaintances. Colleagues. So, you can say I have a vested interest in wiping out diabetes.

It's a big challenge, and my small contribution is participating in the JDRF Ride to Cure program. I started out with the JDRF Ride to Cure in Death Valley, four years ago. Since then, I've again ridden in Death Valley, as well as in Vermont (cold, rainy Vermont, that is). I've joined the leadership committee for the national program, become a USA Cycling certified coach for my chapter team, and raised money for JDRF. The money we raise goes a long way toward funding innovative research into innovative treatments for type 1, and for research into a cure.

This year, more than 1,000 riders are aiming to raise $5 million for diabetes research. I'm again on board, and will ride in Vermont next month, and at the Tour of Tucson in November. I'd appreciate your support. You can donate online.

Better yet, if you know someone who is affected by diabetes, consider riding with us. You'll get training and fundraising support from your local JDRF chapter, and you'll ride in a fantastic event. When I started, someone told me the Rides to Cure are life-changing events. That's so true, and it's why I continue to ride.

The local cycling scene, on TV

My "responsible people" comment notwithstanding, this was my first time at this ride. Work, you know.

I think I rode all of three miles before hightailing it back to the office.

Get your head out of the cockpit

In my early twenties I was a sailplane pilot. Sailplanes are simple aircraft, but there's enough data flowing from the instrument panel that it's possible to become fixated on a set of numbers, rather than observing what happens outside the canopy. Judgment suffers. The instructors' antidote was a flight with the instruments covered, to get pilots' heads out of the cockpit. Forced to rely on observation and audio-visual cues, pilots sharpen their ability to judge altitude, airspeed, distance and other factors. Plus, you want to be looking outside the plane for other traffic.

Cyclists can be every bit as bad as pilots when it comes to keeping their heads inside the cockpit. Case in point: I recently sat behind a cyclist who obviously glanced at his cyclocomputer every five to ten seconds. I'm sure you've witnessed this, too.

Aside from the safety implications (God save us from the cyclist who is watching the computer while on a fast descent), there's a whole world that's passing by while we ride, and wouldn't it be a shame to miss it? A computer isn't going to quantify the landscape or weather, and it tells you exactly nada about the person riding near you. So doesn't it deserve a little less attention?

Last Saturday I led the first (at least that I know of) no computer ride. We met late in the morning, and everyone remove or switched off their computers. Then we rode. No one knew how fast, or how far we were going. And instead of obsessing over average speeds and other data, we talked and watched the Fall leaves. 

A couple of comments from the ride:

"This is like cycling used to be, when we just rode our bikes until we got tired."

"We need to do this again."

There's nothing wrong with data, but I think it can't hurt to shift the balance away from it a bit. There's a lot to look at, and a lot we can miss, when we're fixated on a set of digital numbers.

Yeah, we'll do this kind of ride again.

Death Valley Ride to Cure recap, in numbers

First, thank you to the many who supported of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Ride to Cure. A friend and pioneer in the treatment of diabetes used to tell me, "Managing this disease is a numbers game." With that in mind, here are some numbers from last week's 2010 Death Valley Ride to Cure:

1.3 million: Dollars raised to date by participants in JDRF's Death Valley Ride to Cure. This continues to grow.

5 million: Projected dollars raised by all 2010 Rides to Cure.

85 cents: The amount of each dollar that will go toward research into the causes and prevention of Type 1 diabetes.

350: Riders who started the Death Valley Ride to Cure.

15: Age of the top teenaged fundraiser. 

25,000: Dollars she raised using only email and Facebook.

104: Number of miles of the complete Ride to Cure route. And, number of miles I rode.

-278 & 1,293: Lowest and highest elevations on the route.

6: Length of the longest climb, in miles.

111: High temperature on Ride day.

24: Estimated number of bottles of water and energy drink I consumed during the ride. 

Of course, numbers only tell part of the story. Take a moment to view some of my photos from the Ride.

Again, thank you for your support (and if you wish to make a donation, you can do so here). It's because of you that we're getting closer to a cure.

Hammering Happy Hill cue sheet

For all those who have been asking for a copy of the cue sheet, here it is (PDF).  

Hammering Happy Hill recap

Eighty-eight riders, hot (even for June in NC) weather, plenty of hills, good food, and lots of money raised for JDRF. Thanks to everyone who rode, helped with or sponsored the ride (including the good folks at Cycles de Oro and Primo Water).

Here are a few photos from the day.

Hammering Happy Hill

Like hills? There are plenty on this ~62 mile route used for the 2009 Hammering Happy Hill Ride. Want to ride this year? Join us June 26. There's a new course that starts in Oak Ridge, NC. Register online and help fund a cure for diabetes.

Start at Greensboro Natural Science Center

L Lawndale Dr

L Cotswold Ave

R Old Battleground Rd

X Hwy 220 -> Horse Pen Creek Rd

R Carlson Dairy Rd

L Pleasant Ridge Rd

R Stanley Huff Rd

L Bunch Rd

L NW School Rd

R Alcorn Rd

L Stafford Mill Rd

L Bunker Hill Rd

R Beeson Rd

L Oak Ridge Rd/Hwy 150

R Pepper Rd

L Haw River Rd

R Pumpkin Ridge Rd

R Piney Grove Rd

R Freeman Rd -> Goodwill Ch Rd

L Haw River Rd

L Anthony Rd

L Warner Rd

R Pearman Quarry Rd

BL Anthony Rd

L Hwy 158 (be careful!)

L Happy Hill Rd ->Benefit Ch Rd

L Piney Grove Rd

L Warren Rd

R Bethel Ch Rd

L Oak Ridge Rd/Hwy 150

X Hwy 68

R Bunch Rd

L Brookbank Rd

R Hwy 150

X Hwy 220 -> Scalesville Rd

R Lake Brandt Rd

-> Lawndale Dr

That Other Saturday Ride. The aftermath.

44 miles on a hot day.

 

 
           

 

Shannon Hills route – 33 miles

Here's a nice, fairly traffic-free route starting at Shannon Hills Bible Chapel, at the corner of W. Vandalia and Rehobeth Church Roads. Enjoy.

R Rehobeth Ch Rd

L Short Farm Rd

L Old Randleman Rd

R Randleman Rd

L Ritters Lake Rd

X Pleasant Garden Rd

R Alliance Ch Rd (Hwy 22)

R Neeley Rd

L Pleasant Garden/Hunt

R E Sheraton Rd

L E Steeplechase Rd

L Davis Mill Rd

X Hwy 62

L Randleman Rd

L Providence Ch Rd

L Racine Rd

L Whitt Hunt Rd

X Hwy 62 -> Hunt Rd

L E Sheraton Park Rd

R Davis Mill Rd

L Ritters Lake Rd

R Randleman Rd

L Old Randleman Rd

R Short Farm Rd

R Rehobeth Ch Rd