106 Degrees

That is today’s high temperature in Death Valley, California (DV). Over the next ten days the lowest temperature predicted is 71 degrees and the highest is 110 degrees. In a short 39 days from today, I will be riding along side others fighting for a cure for diabetes. This fight will be in all friends, family, volunteers, riders, and staff at the ride. This fight will take place during the fourth of five JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes events in 2010, the Death Valley Ride to Cure. The third event of the season is actually this weekend in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

To date, you have contributed $915 or 30% of my $3,000 goal for 2010. Through your support, I am hoping to surpass my goal of $3,000 and afford JDRF the opportunity to continue to support ground breaking research to rid the world from the constraints of diabetes.

It has been some time since I last wrote on this blog and sometimes life takes a turn that you do not expect. “Life on life’s terms” unfortunately can throw you a bit off track and this is why I have not written on the blog over the last few weeks. I hope to get back on track and regularly update you on where things stand with my training. I also plan to release one more fundraising challenge on next Thursday, September 16th, exactly one month prior to the big event.

To update you on where things are to date, I have been trying to do a strenuous ride each weekend while riding during the week as much as possible. My goal has been to ride twice during the week and once on the weekend but unfortunately that has not always happened. Training is going well and I feel good about where my legs are right now but I still need to get a few more long rides on the saddle prior to DV. I have participated in two events during this training season, the 67 mile Knoxville Tour de Cure to benefit the American Diabetes Association and the 50 mile Bike Ride Across Wilson County as part of the 2010 Wilson, TN County Fair!

Please stay tuned for more frequent updates on the blog and for the big fundraising challenge set to start next Thursday, the 16th of September. Until then, thanks for your support, help me spread the word about the Ride, and Go Vols against the Ducks of Oregon this Saturday!

BRAWC Finished!

For those not from Tennessee, Wilson County is the county directly adjacent to Nashville in Middle Tennessee. The Bike Ride Across Wilson County is an event with a couple of hundred riders as part of the annual Wilson County Fair. Big time! A friend of ours who now lives in Nashville, Brian, and I did the ride together. He is also the one who came up to Knoxville for the ADA Tour de Cure back in June. We had a good ride and did all 50 miles in just under 3.5 hours. I think I was probably holding Brian back from his full potential but that is a pretty fast pace for me. The hills were classified as "rolling" but the only rolling that I wanted to do on a few of the "rolling hills" was quit pedaling and roll backwards! However, we did finish!

At the finish, we had an awesome cheering section with Jessica, my Mom, Dad, and two sisters, as well as Jessica's Mom and Dad. It was great to have them all there for us as we entered back into the Wilson County Fairgrounds with temperatures pushing 97. The ice cold towels at the finish line sure hit the spot. A few photos are below from the day's event. Thanks to our family who came out to support us and to Brian for doing another ride with me. I am entering the two month mark before the big kahuna in Death Valley on October 16th.

...still collecting ride donations. Give today, HERE! Thank you for your support!

Bike Ride Across Wilson County

This Saturday. If you are in middle Tennessee, join us around 10:30am CT at the finish line!

Join us!

Month After Next

We can now officially say that "month after next" will be the second run of the Ride to Cure Diabetes for The Shafer Ten Year team. For anyone interested, you can click on the photo to the left for the full album of photos from the Ride's first stop of this year in Burlington, Vermont. Back in July, Riders descended on Burlington for a weekend of riding, all for a great cause!

I am still in the process of training and amidst the heat; I was able to get two good rides in this weekend. I did a short ride Friday after work and then a longer ride early evening tonight. The heat is killer and the humidity is killer's accomplice but I guess I better get ready for the heat that is waiting for us in Death Valley! I feel good about where I am fitness wise and my legs are finally getting in shape. A little cross training may be a good thing for me so if anyone has grand suggestions for weights or other training that could benefit cyclists please let me know!

A couple of weeks ago I sent out my annual appeal letter to friends and family. I also posted this letter on the blog (July 20th). If you have not already done so, please consider a gift to our team! I am constantly reminded of the need for a cure and with each passing day more and more people around the world are diagnosed with this dreaded obstacle in life, diabetes!

I hope that everyone has a great start to the week and if you find yourself in Knoxville, please let me know. I would love to ride!

Fundraising Begins Today

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Dear Family and Friends:

One year ago, it was with much anticipation that Jessica and I participated in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s Ride to Cure Diabetes event for the first time. This experience is one that many told us would change our lives and our outlook on diabetes and the hope for a cure. After participating in the experience in June 2009 for the first time, our prior conceptions of the event coupled with our deep desire for a cure combined to produce a feeling of accomplishment and a reinvigorated hope for that cure! The whole ride weekend helped us realize that this hope for a cure extended far beyond our own family.

We had a wonderful experience in 2009 and thanks to your generous support we were able to raise almost $9,000 that was directly deposited into JDRF’s account for a cure. The research that is being funded by JDRF is some of the most innovative in the world and in 2009 over $101 million were contributed directly to research initiatives. However, if a cure is not found by 2025, it is estimated that over 380 million people worldwide will be faced with diabetes.

For its second consecutive year, The Shafer Ten Year Team continues its quest for a cure by participating in the Ride to Cure Diabetes. I will be riding while Jessica will be volunteering at the event this year. We will be participating in the Death Valley, CA event on Saturday, October 16th. The 105 mile route will wind through hot Death Valley National Park just east of the California/Nevada state line.

Once again, we are writing to ask your support for a cure by contributing to our fundraising efforts for the 2010 Ride to Cure Diabetes. Your gift goes directly to research and does not cover any travel related costs for the event. Donations can be made by cash, check, or online transaction. Online gifts are quick, simple, and secure and a link to the online donation site can be found on our 2010 blog at http://shafer2010.blogspot.com. Checks should be made out to JDRF and can be mailed to our home address.

Just as it was last year, our team name is The Shafer Ten Year Team. When I was diagnosed with diabetes in 1998, I was told that a cure for the disease would be found within 10 years. Now, going on 12 years later, there is still not a cure. Here we are in year two of our ten year team. I am going to do the training, sweating, pedaling, and fighting on the road. All that I ask is that you consider a gift to our cause!

No matter the size, please know that every gift, big or small, makes a significant impact in our fight. Whether you can make a cash contribution or not, please keep us in your thoughts and prayers during training and the actual ride event on Saturday, October 16th.

I am very thankful for each of you and your support, you are the Type III Diabetics in my life and for details on what that means you can visit our blog’s May 24th entry. Additionally, you can follow our progress over the next several months via the blog or on Twitter. Thank you for your support both financially and morally during this entire process. We are The Shafer Ten Year Team, riding again in 2010!

Sincerely,
Andrew