NEC150 for Diabetes

I spent the past weekend on the Tour de Cure New England Classic 150 ride for diabetes. This was my 2nd charity ride. The fundraising minimum was $500, and it was easy to meet. With just 2 emails, one to my company and one to friends, I raised twice that. I dedicated my ride to a 5 year old friend named Allison who has had diabetes since she was 3. The Tour de Cure is the only ride where the ride director thanks the participants "from the bottom of my pancreas (it's deeper than the heart)".

The ride was very well organized. The organizers (and many of the same participants) have been doing this ride for years, so they have things down pat, though the route changes a bit. We rode from Woburn, MA to UNH in Durham, NH (78 miles) the first day. The second day took us to UNE in Biddeford, ME (74 miles). The two day riders then came home on a bus, while the 7 days riders continue into NH and VT. There were about 50 7-day riders and 50 2-day riders.

We're having a heatwave in New England now. The route was basically along the NH and ME seacoasts. When we rode along the coastal sections, we had cool air from the water, but 1/4 mile from the coast it was hot. The other problem with the heat was that it sent people to the beaches. Riding past the public beaches was tricky because of all the cars and pedestrians. We also had some stretches along busy roads like Rt. 1 and 1A. But about 70% of the ride was pleasant roads with little traffic. We passed the Bush estate in Kennebunkport, and one rider who had a flat there was descended on by police.

I flatted my front tire the 1st day about 20 miles from the end. A couple riders stopped with me when I changed it, and offered me a CO2 cartridge when my pump wouldn't inflate the new tire (my old Silca pump head and the valve just weren't meshing). That evening I had to remove the tire again and glue it on. But no tire problems on day 2. The heat bothered me near the end of day 1 and I was probably a bit dehydrated. It was impossible to get cool Saturday night - even sitting outside in the shade was warm, and inside the dorm was hot and oppressive, so didn't sleep well. Sunday started off cooler but got hot again, though the humidity wasn't as bad as Saturday. On Sunday I wore a bandana around my neck and squirted water on it frequently, so I survived the heat pretty well. I enjoyed the ride and felt pretty strong the whole way, frequently passing other riders on the uphills.