Help Stop Diabetes!

It's that time of year again! The weather is warm. It's time to put that bike on the road and start training for our favorite ride - the Tour de Cure.

What is the Tour de Cure? It's the largest nationwide fundraiser that is put on by the American Diabetes Association! And it is 100% funded by cyclists!!!!

That's right! Those of you that are cyclists know that we enjoy riding in charity events throughout the riding season. Most of the events are fundraisers for local bicycle clubs to promote community awareness. I'm sure you've seen those "Share the Road" signs. As a general rule, those signs are paid for by local clubs (not a single tax dollar!!)

But this charity ride is different. It doesn't support a local club. It doesn't promote cycling awareness. It helps save lives by funding the American Diabetes Association.

Specifically, the American Diabetes Association has been funding innovative research to combat diabetes since 1955. They fund more than $42 million a year in research at more than 160 research institutions throughout the country (including $3.67 million to the University of Tennessee and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine). And more than $16 million of that comes from cylists in the Tour de Cure.

Most everyone knows someone whose life is touched by diabetes. For us, it's our mother who needs daily insulin shots. Perhaps it is you yourself (which means the YOU are the reason we ride!). And the American Diabetes Association is the only national non-profit organization in the United States to provide support for ALL FOUR TYPES of diabetes (Type 1, Type 2, Gestational, and Pre-diabetes).

We ask all of you to consider sponsoring us in our effort. It's easy to do (and it's tax deductible!). Just go to tour.diabetes.org/goto/bryon and click on the "sponsor me" button. It's all online. It's guaranteed safe. And you will feel good knowing that you helped the more than 90 million Americans with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

And if you would like to do something even more - investigate the Tour de Cure website and see if your city is one of the 78 cities nationwide hosting a Tour de Cure ride. Whether you decided to ride 10 miles or 100 - YOU could be one of the more than 38,000 cyclists that help raise money to put an end to diabetes!