Team Scheidel Ride #1

Easter Sunday was probably the nicest day we've had yet this year. Ian was home from college for the holiday, so he, Mary and I headed out on the White Pine Trail for our first family ride of the year. We wanted to avoid what we figured would be a very crowded trail up in Rockford, so we went south toward Whitecaps Ballpark. There were several people on the trail, but not too busy. Then we crossed the Grand River and rode into Riverside Park in northern Grand Rapids. Lots of walkers, strollers, skateboarders and dogs in the park. While these are all fine activities, they often don't mesh well with people riding bikes at 15+ mph. So after we got to the end of the park we turned back for home and took Monroe Street north. It was a bit dicey because of the rough winter which has created very rough roads around here. We finished with 17.5 miles, which gives me 60 miles total for the year. The progress is slow, but each ride is a little longer than the one before.

First Ride of the Season

I'm back, baby!   - Bender, Futurama

After six months out of the saddle I finally got a chance to ride outdoors again. Monday was a gloriously warm early spring day. The sun was shining, the temperature topped 60 degrees, and I got out on the road for a 10 mile ride. Ten miles doesn't sound like much, but after crashing in September and breaking four ribs, then spending the better part of the fall and winter recuperating, ten miles was about all I could handle. I figured out that the six months off my bike was the longest I ever haven't ridden since I learned how to ride a bike. My fitness level is shot. It's going to be a long climb (pun intended) to get back in shape, but I'm really looking forward to the work. After I did my little ride down the White Pine Trail I felt great. My legs were a bit tired and I was perspiring more than I should have been on a flat, slow-ish ride, but I still felt great. Just being outdoors on my bike was fantastic. I'm very excited to start riding more often and getting ready for our October JDRF ride in Death Valley.

Thanks very much to Coach Mike and Berger over at Third Coast Cycles for fixing my bike. It needed some serious work after the crash and the guys made my bike ride like it was new.

Back to the Desert

Team Scheidel is heading back to Death Valley for the 2014 JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes.

Last week we had the opportunity to register for this year's ride and we decided on Death Valley. We have a large contingent from West Michigan heading to the desert. In fact, 38 of the 300 riders in Death Valley will be from our team. We are really hitting some milestones this year. This will be the tenth year of the JDRF West Michigan team. It will also be my and Mary's tenth JDRF ride, our seventh in Death Valley. Ian will be doing his fifth JDRF ride and third in DV. It's hard to believe that this will be his fifth ride. He'll be 19 when this year's ride rolls out. He started doing this with us when he was 14. It's amazing how much he has grown and how fast he's gotten on a bike.

Finally, the West Michigan team has raised over 1.5 million dollars since 2005. If you'd like to contribute to this year's fundraising effort please click here.

Mid-winter cycling graphic

It's the middle of winter so there isn't a lot to talk about cycling-wise. So enjoy this bicycling graphic from Daily Infographic.

Revisiting 2013 - It was a year.

It's that time of year when best of 2013 lists and recaps of important happenings are being published across the internet and traditional media. I would be remiss if I didn't join the fray (plus it's been over a month since I wrote on this blog). So let's review our cycling year...

Since we really don't ride in the winter (remember we live in Michigan) we'll jump right ahead to the spring, in which we really didn't ride either. Spring 2013 was very wet. We had so much rain that the Grand River overflowed it's banks in a once-a-century style flood. When it wasn't raining it was hard to find routes that weren't under water. My personal mileage for the spring was about 500 miles less than it had been in 2012.

We joined the Rapid Wheelmen, a local cycling club, ostensibly so that Ian could be part of their junior race team. He competed in races in Frankenmuth and East Grand Rapids. While he didn't place well in either race his practice time was limited because of (a-hem) senioritis and getting ready to attend college this fall. As a family we participated in a few of the Rapid Wheelmen Time Trials. The Trials are a 15 mile, relatively flat, out and back race against the clock. Every time I did one of these races I confirmed to myself that I am not a racer.

Summer was great for riding. We did many rides with our JDRF team. Ian and I also rode in the Holland Hundred, although we only completed 40 miles because of other family commitments later in the day. There was a huge group of JDRF folks, both past and present, that rode the HH. It was great seeing so many different versions of the JDRF jersey.

August brought the One Day Ride Across Michigan (ODRAM). 147 miles in a single day. I'm one of the organizers so I don't "get" to ride in it. In 2013, we had the largest number of riders since we took over the ODRAM and raised almost $10,000 for JDRF.

What we train for all spring and summer is the big JDRF century ride. This year that ride was in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the first time the JDRF ride program had sponsored a ride in Nashville and it was the largest ride ever, with over 500 participants. The ride was great, leaving from Vanderbilt University and heading out along the Natchez Trace Parkway. At least the first 52 miles were great. At the turnaround point I crashed. Luckily I was the only bicycle involved. Unluckily I broke four ribs, punctured my left lung, suffered a mild concussion and partially tore the hamstring in my left leg. Plus I had a bruise on my left side the size of Rhode Island. The medical personnel on the course and at Vanderbilt Medical Center did a great job. I've had a full recovery but that crash did impact the rest of my cycling year.

In many ways autumn was worse than winter for cycling. During the winter I don't want to ride. In the autumn of 2013 I wanted to ride but couldn't. We had a gorgeous fall in west Michigan. The temperatures were moderate and there was plenty of sunshine. However, I could only sit inside and look out the windows. I was on the mend (and on medication) until mid-November. By the time I was medically able to get back on a bike the snow was starting the fall. I envied my team mates who were able to ride during the great autumn weather. And now we're back to winter. (Sigh)

Even tough I rode over 1,200 miles this year, 2013 was quite a disappointment cycling-wise. I didn't ride as much as I wanted and my longest ride was only 60 miles. I'm healed now and my bike will get fixed over the winter. So I'm hoping for a better year in 2014.

Until then, please enjoy this video recap of the 2013 West Michigan JDRF season.

Diabetes Awareness Month

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. We became aware of diabetes on September 19, 1997. That was the day that our then six year old son Jake was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. This year the JDRF ride in Nashville was on the 16th anniversary of Jake's diagnosis date. Not exactly an anniversary to celebrate, but definitely one to be aware of (to use the word of the month).

Jake on the first day of first grade

At some point when Jake was six we noticed that he seemed to be thinner. We thought he was just getting taller and hadn't put on any weight to go with his increasing height. His mother and I were both thin at that age. He also started wetting the bed again. This hadn't been a problem since he was first potty trained. We tried positive reinforcement. If he went three nights without wetting the bed he'd get a special snack. If he was dry for six nights he got to pick out a movie to rent. This seemed to be working. A couple of months later we found out that frequent urination was one of the warning signs of Type 1.

The thing that finally tipped us off that something wasn't right was a camping trip we took in mid-September. On Sunday, as we were breaking down the campsite, Jake said he was tired and went into the tent to lay down. We took down everything around him. We even carried him out of the tent on his sleeping bag and laid him on the ground. He slept through it all. Then on the way home we stopped four times so he could go to the bathroom. It was only a two hour car ride. On Monday we took him to the doctor.

We explained Jake's behavior to the doctor and asked him run some tests. The doctor asked what type of tests we wanted. We explained that we didn't know, but that something was not right with our son. He was six and should be running and playing and full of energy. Jake was lethargic, thirsty all the time and had to use the bathroom a lot. The doctor gave Jake a physical, took some blood and urine samples, and said he would call us if they found anything. The next morning we got a call. "Jake has sugar in his urine". Questions came rushing into our heads. What does that mean? Does he have diabetes? That can't be right. We don't know anyone with diabetes. We took Jake to the DeVos Children's Hospital and spent all day learning a new way of life. How to check his blood sugar. How to give him shots of insulin. How to figure out how many carbohydrates were in different foods. Learning about keytones and "going low" and diabetic shock. Having conversations with the doctors about the dangers of complications leading to nerve damage, amputation, and blindness. You could say it wasn't exactly the best day our family ever had.

Tom and Jake (now 22) in Chicago, Spring 2013

The first year after Jake's diagnosis was a bit of a blur. There was so much to learn, so much to watch out for, so much time spent worrying about the little guy. Somewhere in that haze we found the local chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). While we hadn't found a cure, we had found a way to help a cure become a reality. JDRF is the largest private funder of Type 1 diabetes research in the world. The people at the local chapter were very helpful and encouraging. Over the next several years we would become very involved with the organization.

We put together a walk team, participated in the Gala and auction, Mary worked at the chapter as the office manager and I served on the board for six years. Then in 2005 the chapter executive director walked into a board meeting and said "I'm riding for a cure in Death Valley this fall. Who's riding with me?" That was the year we started this cycling team with about 20 people. Now almost 100 people have been part of the West Michigan team. We've ridden hundreds of thousands of miles and raised millions of dollars in donations, and we're still riding. And we will keep riding until we find a cure and we have no more need for Diabetes Awareness Month.

More Photos

I finally got around to adding slideshows of the 2012 Lake Tahoe ride and last month's Nashville ride. You can find those over on the left side of the page, just below the Training Tracker. The slideshows cover the entire weekend of the rides. So there are photos of the training ride, the pre-ride excursions, the helmet decorating party, and the ride itself. Unfortunately I didn't get a lot of photos of the actual ride in Nashville. We were trying to beat the cut-off time on the way out so I figured I would just take pictures on the way back. However the way back was in the back of an ambulance so I didn't get any photos. Mary was kind enough to take a few of me after the crash. I included a couple, but none of the bruising, which still isn't completely gone.

Post crash update

I'm getting a little better every day. I had a follow up appointment with my family physician and the hole in my lung is completely healed. They did see a bit of pneumonia developing so they put me on antibiotics to knock that out. I took the last dose yesterday and I never had any symptoms, so I should be good there. The bruising and swelling has gone down considerably, but my hip and ribs are still quite sore. I'm finally up off the couch and getting some work done, but no heavy lifting.

I got my bike back over the weekend. Because of the accident and the fact that I was going to be spending extra time in Nashville, we sent the bikes home with other team mates. My bike is a little dinged up, but appears to be in fine shape. Not that I'll be riding it any time soon. The doctor said no riding until November. And since I'm not a big fan of riding in the cold I may just be done for the year. If so, that gives me 1,206 miles for the year. Not what I hoped for, but not terrible. Here's hoping for a few warm days before Thanksgiving.

Nashville Ride Recap

My plan had been to post on Facebook, write on this blog, and use Twitter, Vine and Instagram to document this year's ride as it happened. However at 50 miles into the 100 mile ride I had a severe crash resulting in 4 broken ribs, a punctured lung and more than a little road rash. So I'm going to bring everyone up to speed with one massive post. Thanks to everyone who has sent along prayers and recovery wishes. I'm on the mend, but more on that later.

The JDRF West Michigan Cycling Team in front of Parthenon in Nashville.

We arrived in Nashville after a 10 hour drive from Michigan. Our hotel was the Marriott at Vanderbilt University (insert ominous foreshadowing music). 515 riders from all across the country were assembling for the ride.

Opening reception at the Silver Dollar Saloon.

The JDRF staff loaded everyone up on buses and took us all downtown to the Silver Dollar Saloon for the opening reception. It was fun hanging out with all our team mates and reconnecting with other JDRF riders we've met over the years. At the reception it was announced that the Nashville ride had raised $1.5 million. That makes Nashville the largest ride ever in terms of riders and the largest ride ever in dollars earned.

We stared Friday with a Rules of the Road meeting. All the riders and staff assembled in a large tent in the back parking lot of the Holiday Inn, the second event hotel. This is where the ride staff lets the riders know what to expect on Saturday. We then went out for a short tune-up ride to check our bicycles and get a feel for the start of the course. Our team went over to a local park that sports a recreation of the ancient Greek Parthenon. We figured that would be a great place for this year's team photo. (see above)

Tom, Linda and Mary kayaking.

We had some free time on Friday afternoon so a bunch of us went kayaking on the Harpeth River. Mary, Ian and I along with Cindy and her friend Mike, Linda T.P., Jason, and Jerry from Jersey spent a couple of hours  paddling down the very peaceful southern river. Peaceful that is until the rain storm hit. It was a warm day so the few sprinkles were fine. But suddenly there was a line across the water like you'd see when going under the waterfall on an amusement park lazy river ride. Except it wasn't going to be dry at the other end. It rained really hard for about 10 minutes and the only thing louder than the sound of the rain on the river was our laughter.

Ian decorating his helmet with team mate Susanna.

On Friday night we had the traditional pre-ride pasta dinner. On the West Michigan team we also have a Friday night tradition. We get together after dinner and decorate our helmets. With over 500 people dressed in the same jersey and wearing black shorts we need some way to tell who our team mates are from a distance. Also, we use that time to talk about our reasons for participating in the Ride. It's always one of the best parts of the weekend to hear from people with Type 1, parents of people with Type 1 and those who have no family connection to the disease. There were eight of us in that group who were part of our first team in 2005. It was great going around the circle and hearing the stories I know so well and also the stories of our newer members.

Ian, Mary and Tom at the start of the Nashville Ride for a Cure.

Saturday morning dawned rainy. In fact a big thunderstorm rolled through on Friday night, so the ride start was delayed by an hour. This was no big deal except that we needed to be at Break Point #3 by 10:20 a.m. If we didn't make that we would be able to go for the full century ride. That meant a 15 mph pace. Doable but with all the hills we were going to have work hard. Right at the start I met a rider from Tennessee named Justin Gregory. He has Type 1 diabetes and works at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (cue second ominous foreshadowing music). Justin didn't have anyone to ride with so he hooked up with Ian and me. In truth Justin rode with Ian and I did everything I could to hold onto those two. Ian has been riding strong all summer and the hills didn't seem to bother him at all. Since we were trying to make time I decided I'd take photos after we hit the cut off point. We made that and found that several of our team mates, including Mary, also made the cutoff.

Cindy, Mary and Linda on the Natchez Trace

I started off on the next leg of the route right behind Ian and Justin but they quickly dropped me. So I waited for a few of our team mates and rode to the turnaround with them. The first half of the ride had been beautiful. We rode past some gorgeous homes on the outskirts of Nashville before hopping onto the Natchez Trace Parkway. The hills were rolling and plentiful with some spectacular views. The route was 50 miles out and 50 miles back. I was the first of this newest group to arrive at the turnaround. It was just a little downhill to a rest room then back uphill and back toward Nashville. Sounds simple enough but this is where that ominous music kicks in. As I was coming down the hill my front tire slipped off the side of the road. My bike flipped sideways and I went down hard going about 20 mph. I was in a lot of pain but within seconds a couple of fellow riders stopped by. One of them was a medic. They did a quick evaluation and called the ambulance. One of the next riders to show up was DOCTOR Justin Gregory. It seems that our new friend didn't just work at the hospital he's a doctor there. I was in good hands.

Dr. Gregory, the EMTs and head medic Brock working on me.

The various docs, medics and EMT's worked on me as I lay on the ground. My jersey and Under Armor were ripped up pretty bad and had to be cut off. Apparently my helmet cracked when it hit the ground but my head and neck were okay. Once again another good reason to wear a helmet. I should have had a helmet on my ribs. When I got to the emergency room at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (remember the foreshadowing music earlier) I found out that I broke four ribs and punctured my left lung. That meant I wouldn't be leaving for home on Sunday. I did get to go to the trauma ward and have a chest tube put in. I spent the the night under the very attentive care of the staff on trauma. Very attentive. I don't think i slept for more than 45 minutes straight until someone came in to give me medicine, take my vital signs or just to check on me. In truth the care was wonderful the entire time I was there and I really want to thank the entire staff. It's easy to see why Vanderbilt is one of the top teaching hospitals in the country.

I was moved to a private room very early (6:30 a.m.) on Sunday morning. More tests, more tubes, more wires, and more drugs. They kept trying various combinations to keep the pain down without causing me nausea. We ended up with a delightful cocktail of slow release morphine, 800 mg ibuprofen, and oxycodone. Not to mention the bacitracin applied twice a day to my road rash. They also had me breathe into a little device to make sure I was taking deep enough breathes so I didn't develop pneumonia. On Monday morning a different trauma doctor than the one who put the chest tube in said it was time to take it out. Two amazing things about that; how much better I felt as soon as the tube was out and how long that sucker was. I had about 8 inches of plastic tube the width of my index finger inside of my chest. The docs said the lung was 95% mended and should be 100% within the next day or so. After another virtually sleepless night I was released Tuesday morning to make the long drive home. Thanks to my lovely wife Mary for doing all the driving.

I got my 9th JDRF medal in the hospital room instead of at the finish line.

My prognosis is for a full recovery. However until that happens I can't ride my bike or participate in any physical activity that might bump my body for 6 weeks. I can't lift more than 5 pounds or mow the lawn. And I can't drive until I'm off the narcotic pain medication early next week. So I'm looking for volunteers to rake leaves in my lawn over the next few weeks. Any takers? Seriously thank you to all my cycling team mates, friends, and family for their outpouring of prayers and concern. This is the worst sports injury of my life, but I know it could have been a lot worse. I consider myself fortunate to have had this accident at such a well supported ride. And the bottom line is I raised $3,000 for diabetes research, our family raised over $9,000, and the entire Nashville ride raised over $1.5 million. Plus, Ian finished the full 100 miles for his first JDRF century. So despite my mishap this was a very successful ride. Thanks again everyone for your help and concern and donations.

P.S. I have photos of the bruise on my left side. It starts in the middle of my back and runs all the way down to just above my left knee. I'll not be posting that, but if you'd like to see it just let me know and I'll send you an email.

Almost "Go Time"

It's hard to believe that the months of training and fundraising are over and in just a few hours we'll be heading out for the 2013 JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes in Nashville, Tennessee. There are 515 riders, which makes this the largest JDRF ride ever. As of this morning this ride has raised $1.5 million, which is the most money ever raised by a ride. This is an amazing event to be part of. There are about 40 of us here from West Michigan. Some are riding, some are coaching, some are working in the bike room, and some are here as supporters. We will make a good showing tomorrow and when we're done we'll be 100 miles closer to finding a cure for diabetes.

Thank you to everyone who has supported us this year, both financially and emotionally. We hit our $9,000 family goal on Tuesday so we are ready to concentrate on just riding tomorrow. Wish us luck.