Tour de Cure July 28, 2012
The annual Tour de Cure, the charity bike ride event that raises money for the American Diabetes Association, is scheduled for Saturday, July 28, 2012. The rides start and end at the Hillsboro Stadium in Hillsboro, Oregon.
A cyclist can register online at http://www.diabetes.org/portlandtourdecure.
There are 5 routes: 5, 26, 45, 65 and 100 miles. The two shortest routes are mostly flat. The three longer routes have a few category 5 climbs, plus numerous rollers and small hills, thus more of a challenge. Each route has a different start time. There is a rest stop every 10-15 miles; a cyclist does not need to stop at each rest stop on the longer routes.
Tour de Cure has training rides for all levels of cyclists starting on March 3, the first Saturday in March, and each Saturday up through the third Saturday in July, with the exception of any holiday weekend. A cyclist DOES NOT have to be registered with Tour de Cure for the event ride to join in and participate in the training rides. As the cycling season evolves, the rides will get longer with more hills to climb, and sometimes a few category climbs. On the weekends of the Cookie Monster Metric, the Ride Around Clark County, and the Pioneer Century, the TDC training group will honor the local cycling clubs and participate in their event rides instead of a TDC training ride.
The TDC training group is now online at: http://www.meetup.com/Tourdecurepdxvan/ All of the training rides will be posted in advance of the day. Anyone can register and join in the training rides, and beginner cyclists are encouraged. There is a lot of volunteer support and SAG support when the routes increase in distance. The training groups are at individual paces, however for beginners there will always be a volunteer sweep there to provide assistance and for the more advanced riders there will always be someone faster to draft behind. A RSVP to the meetup posted training ride is appreciated.
Cyclists who are registered for the event ride and who participate in the training group rides will receive a Team in Training long-sleeve t-shirt. A diabetic cyclist registered for the event and participating in the training rides will receive a Red Rider cycling jersey in their size after the first $25 donation.
I hope to see you at a training ride! If so, please come up and introduce yourself. I am on the steering committee, the training group ride committee, a sometimes Ride Captain and a Co-Captain of Tommy's Team/Team Red. This is about health and fitness for everyone, including diabetics.