Saturday, January 21, 2017

Welcome to 2017

We have signed up for another new JDRF ride this year. A large portion of the West Michigan team, including Mary and me, will be heading to Loveland, Colorado on August 24-27. This will be our 13th consecutive year of riding to find a cure for Type 1 diabetes.

According to the JDRF web site: "Nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Northern Colorado just 45 minutes north of Denver, Loveland is the perfect base camp for all your Northern Colorado adventures. Hailed as the Gateway to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, Loveland is an ideal location that appeals to all types of cyclists. This Ride will offer multiple route options ranging from 32 to 100 miles of rolling hills and scenic views!" We were also told by our coaches that the ride will feature 5,000 feet of climbing. So it looks like we'll be doing a lot of hill training this summer.

Speaking of training, I got out for my first ride of the year today. This was an atypical January day for Michigan. Sunny skies and temperatures in the 50's. Great riding weather, especially since I was wearing the new cold weather gear I got for Christmas. I put in 15 miles on the White Pine Trail. There were lots of other people out on the trail. When I got back into our neighborhood there were several kids out riding very shiny bikes. Christmas presents being taken out for the first time I would guess.

In closing, the JDRF Ride is a fundraiser and we'd appreciate your support. You can donate to Tom by clicking here, or donate to Mary by clicking here. Thank you.