Two days. 150 miles. A bicycle, its rider and the open road. That’s how an outsider might sum up the Nashville Tour de Cure. And it would be true. But the annual bicycle road race is so much more than that. It’s an event that brings together dozens of cyclists, all raring to ride in the name of raising money for diabetes research and promoting awareness of diabetes.

 

The 2008 Nashville Tour was part of the national  Diabetes Tour de Cure, which  is a national cycling charity affiliated with the American Diabetes Association. Held on May 31 and June 1, the Nashville race garnered 223 registrations and raised over $101,000.

 

And perhaps even more appropriately, the tour promoted diabetes awareness by promoting exercise and fitness—which, as every diabetic person knows, can reduce the likelihood of complications arising from diabetes. There were 21 teams participating in the event this year. The top fundraising team hailed from the Middle Tennessee Medical Center, which raised over $11,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Vanderbilt Diabetes Center even sponsored its own team this year. The Vanderbilt Diabetes Cycling team was 18 members strong and easily identifiable by its blue, black and gold jerseys, which were custom designed by Canari Cycling. Members of the team included faculty, staff and patients from the clinic, and they raised $3,000.

The 2008 year’s race was a little unusual. The second day’s ride for the 150-milers was unfortunately pre-empted by a series of severe thunderstorms. They had made it all the way from the town square in Murfreesboro to Monteagle on the first day and spent the night at St. Mary’s Convent near the University of the South in Sewanee. But they returned to Murfreesboro by car—except for a group of rebel riders who managed to ride themselves and their bikes back to Murfreesboro on their own.

 

Hopefully, future years will bring better weather, in addition to more cyclists.

 

A special thanks goes out to Carrie Rollins, this year’s tour chair, and to volunteer chair, Cindy Massey, food chair Scott Vinyard, communications chair, Keith Miller, and route chair, David Bird.

 

For more information on the tour, visit www.tour.diabetes.org.