Get ready to strap on your helmet and start moving for a good cause. The Chesapeake Bay Tour de Cure, slated for Saturday, May 17, is the perfect time to cycle and help the fight to Stop Diabetes. The one-day tour, designed as a unique combination of family fun, fitness, new challenges and philanthropy, offers a wheeled-journey through Talbot County for everyone from the occasional rider to the experienced cyclist.
Hosted by the Maryland Chapter of the American Diabetes Association, this signature tour supports riders from start to finish with rest stops, food to fuel the journey, and fans to cheer riders along to the finish line. Cycling options include 10, 31, 62, and 100 miles along scenic country roads, through picturesque farmland and small towns, along prominent waterscapes, and aboard the legendary Oxford Bellevue Ferry. The 10-mile ride is perfect for families and kids are certain to enjoy their tour at Cottingham, an organic farm, located on the bank of Goldsborough Creek. Power riders searching for new challenges can participate in the Century or Metric Century routes and the Time Trial, a true race against the clock.
Chesapeake Bay Tour de Cure participants can form a team; join a team or ride as an individual or Red Rider, an individual with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Riders raising $1,000 or more earn recognition as Champions to Stop Diabetes®. After crossing the finish line as a hero in the fight to Stop Diabetes®, riders can meet up with friends and family to enjoy a delicious lunch and festivities, visit vendor and sponsor booths, listen to music, and celebrate with fellow riders at the host site – the Talbot County Community Center.
Event chair is Ken Mann, managing partner of Equity Partners, whose daughter has type 1 diabetes. Chesapeake Bay Tour de Cure youth ambassadors are Nick Lewis, a 8th grader from Preston, Maryland, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and Allison Holdgreve, a 3rd grader from Centreville, Maryland, who was diagnosed three years ago with type 1 diabetes. When asked why she rides, Allison says “Why do I keep riding? I ride because I do not want to have diabetes forever. I ride because I should not have to prick my finger 10-15 times a day or carry around an insulin pump 24/7/365. I ride because because it is hard to be different from all the other kids in my school. I ride because I do not want to see other kids have to experience what I deal with every minute of every day. I ride because I am not alone and I want to help others just like me.”
Cigna is the event’s regional presenting sponsor and Hearthstone Health and Fitness is the local presenting sponsor. Additional sponsors include Kelly Benefit Strategies, PNC and McCormick. Community partners include Easton Cycle and Sport and Cross Court Athletic Club.
Non-riders can honor friends, relatives or the organization through donations. Please mail checks to the American Diabetes Association, Attention: Chesapeake Bay Tour de Cure at 2002 Clipper Park Road #110, Baltimore, Maryland 21211. For complete event and registration information, visit the American Diabetes Association, Chesapeake Bay Tour de Cure at www.diabetes.org/chesapeaketourdecure.
In 2013, Chesapeake Bay Tour de Cure’s 500 riders originated from 14 states including Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, and Virginia plus the District of Columbia. The annual event is hosted the American Diabetes Association – Maryland Chapter.
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