The Week Is Here

This is a big week for The Shafer Family. While this is our second time doing the Ride to Cure Diabetes event, anytime we participate in a diabetes fundraiser I am constantly reminded how important it is to have great Type IIIs to lean on in life. In less than two weeks, I will have my 12 year anniversary since being diagnosed with diabetes. If it had not been for our loyal and gracious friends and family, the journey over the last 12 years would have been much more difficult. From my parents who were with me on Day 1, to Jessica who puts up with me today, day 4,367, I could not have done it for this long by myself.

Everyone has their own trials and tribulations. There are always times when you want to "turn around, pack it up, and call it quits" (- Steve Jobs Quote). Jobs goes on to say "these are the times that you know that you are pushing yourself, that you are not afraid to learn by trying." We all have obstacles to overcome. Life is never easy, living with any type of medical condition is never easy, cycling 100 miles is never easy, taking the plunge for that "job of your dreams" is never easy. Whatever the situation, it is through perseverance, determination, and a support network, that we all make it through.

On Thursday morning, Jessica and I leave for the airport. We fly west and will be in Death Valley by dinner. The entire Ride Weekend is a great testament to the hard work of JDRF. However, and this is frequently said, "JDRF is in business to put themselves out of business." Maybe this is the last year that an event like the Ride is needed. Maybe next week, next month, or next year, a cure will be found. Those of us with diabetes will be cured and then focus on the part of scientists and researchers can be turned to other incurable questions that remain. Until then, please continue supporting anyone you may know who is also in the fight for a cause close to their heart.

Time to start packing and tieing up loose ends before we head out. The high today in DV was 99, Saturday is forecasted to be 100 on the dot. Maybe a rain shower will pass through the desert this week and cool things down! Mm, maybe not...

By the way, I am only $130 away from my $3,000 goal. Pass this on to someone else who you may know that would be interested in making a gift to the cause! Or, just ask them to CLICK HERE. Thank You!

Heading West

The bike is on the truck heading west on "The Gray Lady!" I met Paul, the truck driver for Gainey Transportation Services, on Sunday night around 10pm. The sea of semi-trucks idling in the crisp fall night at the Pilot Travel Center was no match for the Honda Pilot. After knocking on the cab door of the wrong truck, I found the right truck and Paul loaded the Trek. We discussed "The Ride" for a few minutes and then he was back on I-40. From Knoxville he was traveling to Greenville, SC, then on to Atlanta, Indianapolis, Denver, and then Death Valley, picking up a few more bikes at every stop.

Two Weeks From Today

Two weeks from today Jessica and I leave for Death Valley. Thanks to all of you, we are doing well in the fundraising but still hope to raise more as we work for a cure!

In case you were wondering, today's high in DV is 112. Fear not though, temps will get into the 60s at night and only rise into the 90s during the day starting next week. Let's hope winter hits the dessert in two weeks! Here is the ten day forecast as it stands right now.

The semi-truck that drives around the country picking up bikes for each JDRF Ride event will be coming through Knoxville on Sunday night or Monday morning. Paul, the truck driver, will be meeting me to pickup my bike and load it in with the hundreds of other rider's bikes who are making the trip to DV this year.

After my bike is picked up, I hope to ride Jessica's hybrid a few times next week and the following week before we leave. It will be a bit like training for a swim meet with a t-shirt on...helps to have a little "drag" attached to you so that the road bike feels like feathers on October 16th!

Last Day

The last day for the "Ride With Me in Death Valley" challenge is tomorrow. As of tonight, we still have 31 miles available to be sponsored at $10 per mile.

If you have not yet made your gift, please consider doing so, not for me necessarily, but for the millions of diabetic men, women, and children worldwide. Three weeks from tomorrow we fly to Death Valley to begin ride day prep. One week from Friday my bike is loaded on a semi-truck for its own trek across country. This truck goes to many cities throughout the country picking up bikes for riders in the Death Valley event.

Give to The Challenge now and let me know which miles you would like to sponsor. Your name on that list of 105 miles is going to be what motivates me to finish the ride this year. Thanks for your support!

Ride With Me In Death Valley

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Dear Friends and Family:

Back in July, I sent out my 2010 Ride to Cure Diabetes appeal for support of The Shafer Ten Year Team once again this year. Many of you have responded and I cannot begin to express my sincere gratitude and thanks for your generosity to date. As of the writing of this note, you have helped me raise $1,340! Every dollar of that total will be going to research as Jessica and I personally cover all expenses related to this event. Not one penny of the dollars raised support anything but science behind what will one day be a cure for the millions of people with diabetes worldwide. Hopefully lives will be saved and research and healtchare dollars can then be designated to cure yet another disease to save even more lives. It is estimated that the annual cost of diabetes in the US alone is $132 billion annually!

THE CHALLENGE

Now, last Wednesday, I posted a blog and in that entry I wrote about a challenge that would be realeased today. Well, here it is! My goal for the 2010 Ride is $3,000. The ride itself, all 105 miles, takes place exactly one month from today on October 16th. I would like to make a challenge to all of you to support me by the mile. Here is how this will work. For the low low price of $10, you can “ride a mile with me in Death Valley.” It has a great ring to it and I am going to carry a sheet with me during the ride to remind me of everyone who has made this event a success this year. To be fair, the first 15 miles are already taken and the last mile is already taken as well. The first 15 miles go to the 15 individuals or families who have already donated to the cause and you will be given a number based on chronological order of your gift to date. The last mile of the ride goes to Jessica because I know at that point I will be needing the ice cold towel and cold water that she will be holding at the finish line!

So, “Ride a mile with me in Death Valley!” 89 miles of the 105 mile route are up for grabs and when you make your gift, please indicate which mile you want to sponsor. For example, if you give $50 tomorrow, you get 5 miles and you can choose the mile numbers to sponsor (i.e. - miles 50-54). My goal is to get all 89 remaining miles sponsored and in turn raise $890 more dollars towards my goal by next Thursday, September 23rd.

Complete the challenge by GIVING HERE!

Thank you for participating and let’s get all 105 miles sponsored as we all Ride to Cure Diabetes!

Andrew

...if you wanna go and take a ride with me

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!