Hope on 2 Wheels Wrist Bands!!

Want to support a great cause and look cool doing it? Check out these awesome silicone wrist bands exclusively available from Hope on 2 Wheels!!

Cost: $3.00 each or 4 for $10.00 (plus shipping)

PayPal Payment Only

To order:

Send an email to bands@hopeon2wheels.com indicating:

1. How many you would like to order, and
2. Your shipping address.

Once received at Hope on 2 Wheels, we will send you a PayPal payment request by email, and your bands will arrive shortly thereafter!

Special thanks to Rescue Me ID’s for providing these and helping to support our cause!! If you need medical identification, check out Rescue Me IDs!!

Hope on 2 Wheels Team is Expanding!

The Hope on 2 Wheels Team will be growing in 2013!!

Currently the Hope on 2 Wheels Team consists of 24 cyclists (you can see who they are at http://www.hopeon2wheels.com/team). While we would love to have every interested rider join us, logistics of our ride format dictates that we just can’t accommodate everyone. That said, we do want to expand a limited number of slots for the 2013 ride. If you’re interested keep on reading!

As you may have seen, this year’s Hope on 2 Wheels theme is Connecting Kids to Hope. To accomplish this,we will be riding from the Joslin Diabetes Camp in Massachusetts to Camp Nejeda Diabetes Camp in New Jersey. Our mission in Connecting Kids to Hope will be achieved by meeting with the campers at both locations and helping them to understand that their diagnosis does not have to prevent them from accomplishing great things!!

The total route will be approximately 235 miles (exact route details are still being planned). We will leave Camp Joslin at sunrise on Monday July 1, and continue riding until we reach Nejeda later that same evening.

Here’s how it works. The entire Team will roll together for the first 23-mile leg. At that point, the Team will be divided into three groups. Each group will be responsible for a pull of approximately 20 miles, and will then relay to the next of the three groups. This rotation  style relay will continue until the last leg, where we will regroup and ride into Camp Nejeda all together once again.

Do you want to be a part of this epic ride? Do you want to help inspire these kids?

There will be a limited number of spots opened on the team. Here’s how you can pursue your spot on the ride:

Write a letter indicating why you think you should be added to the team and send it to cyclist@hopeon2wheels.com

Tell us your story and connection to T1D. Tell us what you think you add to the team. Tell us about your cycling experience and the rides that you’ve completed in the past 12 months. Tell us anything that you think will make our selection committee say “we gotta have that rider on our team!”

We do have 1 requirement: you must agree to register and raise funds for one of the six JDRF Ride to Cure events in 2013!!

We will be accepting letters for the next three weeks…until January 21, and will be making our selections soon thereafter.

So – write us a compelling letter and send it to cyclist@hopeon2wheels.com. You’ll hear back from us very soon!

Happy New Year – and keep on pedaling!

Hope on 2 Wheels 2013 – Connecting Kids to Hope!

On June 23, 2012 a group of 24 cyclists from around the country left New York City and pedaled 252 miles to Washington, DC. The goal of this one-day ride was to accomplish a daunting task in an effort to raise awareness about two things. First, that T1D does not have to be a barrier that prevents one from accomplishing something great. Second, that the JDRF Ride to Cure program is actively using cycling as a means to raise the funds needed to fund research aimed at improving lives and finding a cure!

Among the more inspirational things that happened during the 2012 ride was our kick-off by The Diabetes Dude, as well as seeing the kids (and grown-ups who used to be kids) with T1D at our rest stops and finish in Bethesda, Maryland. The appreciation and admiration that came from those kids and their families kept us going all day. With that in mind…2013 will be about connecting kids to hope…after-all, what we’re doing is all about them!

If you would like to see more about the ride, check out our documentary here: https://vimeo.com/54501363

To say that ride day 2012 was epic is an understatement! That said, it’s time to come up with another adjective that means something bigger than epic, as we announce our plans for Hope on 2 Wheels 2013!

Hope on 2 Wheels 2013 – Connecting Kids to Hope

On Sunday June 30, 2013 the Hope on 2 Wheels Team will convene at the Camp Joslin outside of Worcester, Massachusetts. We will have a wonderful opportunity to interact with the campers and hang-out at the camp fire with them that evening. Perhaps we will inspire them to live healthy lives, to manage their T1D to the best of their ability, to think big and be adventurous, to be bold, and to never let their diagnosis get in the way of accomplishing great things!

On Monday July 1 we will wake up before dawn and begin our one-day, 225-mile journey to Camp Nejeda Diabetes Camp in northwestern corner of New Jersey. There is not much to say about the ride at this time, but we know that the stories of inspiration and accomplishment afterwards will be almost too many to describe!

On Tuesday July 2, given our late arrival the night before, we will have breakfast with the campers at Camp Nejeda and will leave them with the same message that we gave at Camp Joslin the day before.

Please stay tuned to this blog, to our web site, and to our facebook page over the coming months as we post our route, tell you about our team members, and announce specific plans for ride weekend…it’s gonna be bigger than epic!

Diabetes Poem for the Holidays

‘Twas the first night of Chanukah, when all through our home

My wife and kids were sleeping, but the halls I did roam;

The menorah was burning, candles lit with great care,

But blood sugars were soaring, so sleep I don’t dare;

 

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of latkes, candles and dreidels danced in their heads;

They’re sleeping safely, I hope with all of my might!

But Diabetes can strike in the deep of the night.

 

Then from one of the bedrooms there arose such a clatter,

I sprang down the hall to see what was the matter.

To the kid’s room I flew like a flash,

Tore open the door with my heart beating fast.

 

I found my son sitting there on his bed

Sweaty, and thirsty, with pains in his head.

When, what my wondering eyes should gaze,

A glucometer with the highest reading in days!

 

It’s time for some insulin…another needle stick;

I knew at that moment he could be very sick!

An hour later his blood sugar falls,

 

And again, through the night, “Daddy!!!!” he calls;

He’s Low! He’s High! More insulin please!

He’s peeing! He’s puking! He’s weak in the knees!

More sugar! More insulin! More needles for sure!

Now Please! Please! Please find a cure!”

 

And then, in a twinkling, he falls back to sleep

So soundly he lays there, not making a peep.

As I sit there watching his chest rise and fall,

My other son comes walking straight down the hall.

 

Dressed in his PJ’s, with slippers, and a teddy,

In his hand a phone…to call 911 he was ready;

I hugged and thanked him, and sent him to bed.

He said he was scared to some night find his bro dead.

 

His eyes, they looked worried! His lip quivering so!

Could he too get diabetes? We just don’t know!

I told him that for all of the kids we are working,

A cure is what we need and in some lab it is lurking;

While needles, pumps and monitors may do the trick,

They are just Band-Aids…these kids are still sick

 

So we’ll walk at the Walks, and dance at the Galas,

And we’ll Ride thousands of miles

Until a Cure brings us smiles!

 

By thousands, or hundreds, or just dribs and drabs,

We’ll raise tons of money to fund the doctors and labs;

We’ll fight for the cure and we’ll never stop trying,

So that night time is safe, and my son can stop crying,

So that we all can exclaim, when we win this fight,

 

“Happy Holidays to all, and may you sleep safe through the night!”

 

by Scott Kasper December 2011

It’s Time to Ride

It’s been nine months in the making and its hard to believe that we’re about to deliver!!

In September of 2011, my wife Rachel and I rode in the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes in Lake Tahoe. For so many reasons, it was a life changing experience. At the base of it all, the experience instilled in me the idea that I had to do something to call attention to this great thing known as Ride to Cure!! More people need to know about it. More people need to sign up. More people need to help raise money, and more money needs to be raised in order to address the needs of the community of people living with Type 1 Diabetes. So how should I accomplish that goal?

About a month after returning to the Tahoe ride, I was sitting in the pews at the funeral of a man I had truly admired and respected, Jerry Ackerman. Jerry was an extremely kind-hearted man, who was committed to helping others in his community. As I sat patiently for his funeral service to start, I was discussing this ride stuff with someone from my office. I explained to her my sense of pride for having completed the Tahoe challenge and my sense of determination to do something more next year. We started brainstorming…what if I left my house and rode my bike to the next JDRF ride? What if I rode out in 1 direction for 24 straight hours to see how far that would take me? What if I rode laps of my local high-school track for 24-hours to raise money….what if I rode to DC? Ah…the idea was conceived!! Ironically enough, the journey that we are about to undertake will be documented in a video by an amazing videographer named Gary Ackerman…Jerry’s son!

I developed this idea a bit more…let’s make a statement and not only ride to DC, but let’s start on the front steps of JDRF in NYC!! Where in DC should we conclude? It summer and our legislators are not likely to be in town. What about NIH? The National Institutes of Health is responsible for for oversight and funding of a significant number of important research initiatives related to T1D and the cure. That would be perfect!

So I found a partner in this crazy scheme, Michael Chadwick. Mike had been my coach as I prepared for the JDRF Ride to Cure and he has T1D. This guy is a stud athlete and I admire his determination to demonstrate that his diabetes will not hold him back!! Once again, I find inspiration!

Mike and I started rolling speed ahead. With the help of my good friend Dave Lippincott, we got a logo! We started to reach out through social media to develop our team. We connected with Team Type 1 to help develop the logistics. the work went on and on…until today!

Today, we load the bikes into our vans and head to the starting line. Today we begin the journey that is aimed to letting more people know about this thing called T1D and about the amazing program called the JDRF Ride to Cure. We’ve had media attention in the newspapers, in blogs, on TV and more (check out the links for each!!!). We’re truly trying to spread the word!!

We’ve assembled an amazing team!! There are a total of 24 cyclists…each has their own unique story to tell about why they’re doing this and what personally motivates them. I’ve come to know some of them quite well and look forward to knowing all of them by the end of this journey…

That doesn’t sound quite right…this journey will not come to an end when we reach NIH…frankly, its a journey that we must continue to travel until we do reach our final destination, which is a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. Two of my three sons have Type 1 Diabetes and like any father does, I hope that they out-live me by many happy and healthy years. More than that, though I hope they live those years free of the potentially debilitating and even deadly complications of T1D! That’s my motivation…that’s why I ride…that’s why I am truly humbled and honored that 23 others have chosen to take this journey with me tomorrow!

Please help us spread the word! “Like” us on Facebook. Follow our journey live on the map. Come out to Cheer Zones and route for us as we ride through your community! Most importantly, if you feel inspired by this, come check out http://www.ride.jdrf.org…consider signing up for a ride…you can do it, you’ll feel great about yourself when you’re done, and you’ll help propel us closer to the cure!!

Stay tuned for live updates tomorrow. We’ll update the blog. We’ll post photos and video…this is gonna be epic and we want you to live through it with us!!

Scott Kasper

Cyclist and Co-founder, Hope on 2 Wheels

Not Finished…Thoughts from Scott Kasper

In each of the last several weeks, we have been sharing the profiles of our Hope on 2 Wheels team members with you. Today, something completely different. Scott Kasper, whose official profile will be shared over the coming weeks, is the father of three sons, two of whom have Type 1 Diabetes. Scott is one of the Founders of Hope on 2 Wheels, along with his friend and riding companion Mike Chadwick, a Type 1 Diabetic since the age of 6. We got a hold of a recent email sent by Scott and wanted to share that with you.

“I just wanted to let you know about my latest hair-brained idea…if you choose to follow my lead, great…if not, that’s equally great…everyone does this for different reasons and with different goals…that’s one of the things that makes the Ride to Cure so awesome! Anyway, I know that I can complete a century ride, so I’m not doing the VT Ride to Cure for the personal challenge of completing the ride. There are, however, two reasons that I’m doing it. As a JDRF Coach, I am honored to be doing the ride to assist others in meeting their goals and to make the ride a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone! On a more personal level, I am doing the Ride to make the statement that we need to continue to endure, to adapt, and to overcome the challenges of life with T1D until a cure becomes a reality.

This photograph captures one of the proudest moments of my life. It was taken just after my wife Rachel and I pedaled across the Finish Line at the 2011 Ride to Cure in Lake Tahoe. Recently, the thought occurred to me that the banner over my head should really read “Not Finished“. That’s what spurred the following thought.

The 2012 JDRF Ride to Cure season will be one leg of a more epic journey that will not end upon the completion of the Ride in Burlington or even Tucson at the end of the season. I truly hope that the journey will be shorter rather than longer, but as it currently stands, it will be a journey that continues long after this Ride to Cure season ends.

Therefore, when I approach the Finish Line in Burlington (and any other JDRF ride that I may end up doing), I plan to dismount from my bicycle and walk around the banner rather than ride beneath it. I will ultimately pedal across the finish line when we are indeed finished…when we have a cure. Until that time, I’ll keep the finish line in close site so that I am motivated to ride the next ride. Soon, hopefully, I’ll cross the finish line on our Ride to Celebrate, which we will FINISH after the cure becomes a reality.

These thoughts and sentiments exemplify why Hope on 2 Wheels will be rolling from New York City to Washington DC on June 23. We won’t stop there. We’ll keep on rolling with the HOPE that prevention of T1D, innovation in treatment and therapy, and ultimately the cure may be right around the next corner…until then, we’ll keep on pedaling!

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Do you need a new cycling jersey or shorts for the 2012 riding season? You’ll look great in the Hope on 2 Wheels riding kit, and now you can order one and make a donation to JDRF all at the same time, as a portion of each sale will be donated to JDRF!! Order yours today at http://hopeon2wheels.zaavy.com and enter the password “hope” when prompted

Cyclist Profile: Mike Clark

We are thrilled to have Mike Clark as a member of the Hope on 2 Wheels Team. Mike is one of two National Head Coaches for the JDRF Ride to Cure, and an all around great guy! Get to know Mike, the self proclaimed Banjo playing bike rider from Michigan, through his answers below:

1. Tell about your connection to T1D (this can be as detailed as you want).

At Coach meetings I used to say that I “have no direct connection” to Type 1. It’s true that my family hasn’t been touched – I actually don’t have a single relative w/ T1D – but for the last 5 years or so I’ve come to treasure the vast number of dear friends and team mates I’ve been lucky enough to meet and ride with via JDRF. They are my connection. 

2. Tell about your cycling background and experiences (i.e. how many JDRF rides have you done, any competition highlights, etc)

Good Lord……I’ve ridden pretty much non-stop since my 9^th grade Sunday School teacher (and Fuji importer) sold me a bike in a box. I’ve been in the bike biz for 31 years. I’ve raced pretty much every kind of race there is, ‘cept track stuff. Road races, crits, cross-country mountain bike stuff, 100 mile mountain bike stuff, 12 & 24 hour mountain bike races, lots of cyclo-cross and now some fat bike events. I was the Michigan State 50+ ‘cross champ in ’09, on the podium in the tandem class for the Barry-Roubaix (a huge local dirt-road race) in ‘10 and ’11, and I’m usually Top 5 (or so) in the local season-long points competition for the training race series in Grand Rapids. I’ve done some guiding for touring companies in Moab and toured across Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest. I ride about 10-12k miles a year these days – mostly leading shop and team rides. A fellow JDRF team mate and I have a 31 month string of at least 1 century a month going.

I believe the term you’re looking for is “Jack of All Trades, Master of None!”

I’m also kinda on a mission to disprove the theory that someone that’s run a bike shop for as long as I have doesn’t have the time or desire to ride!

As for JDRF – I’ve been the coach of the West Mi Team since it’s inception in ’05. They made me Co-National Head Coach in the spring of 2010 (although my perception of that is that I’m Tim’s back-up, not equal) and I’ve been in charge of the Bike Room since 2008. I’ve attended about 28 Rides and ridden…I dunno….22? 23?

My main claim to fame as a cyclist is that I can play the banjo while riding rollers.

3. What bike will you be riding (brand, model, etc) on the Hope ride?

Well – that’s months away so who knows? Most likely is my custom ti Seven Axiom (assuming I convert it back to a geared bike. It’s been a fixie for the past 2 seasons). Otherwise the Cannondale CAAD 9 I used for the Rides last year. (Or some sweet demo I get hooked up with ‘tween now and then)

4. What was your favorite bike ride ever?

Jeez…….that’s like picking your favorite kiss! Standouts include the “sandstorm year” in DV (2007?), my unsupported ride of the Kokopelli Trail from Moab to Fruita Co (to celebrate my 50^th B-Day), riding the “Ronde Van Vaanderen” (the Sportif version of the Tour of Flanders) in Belgium last April (with 19750 other riders!!!) or pretty much any ride w/ good friends. (Geez that sounds corny…True though!!)

5. What’s the one message you want the world to know about you and your efforts related to T1D?

We are going to ride until Type 1 is history. It’s an honor to ride alongside such a passionate and committed group of people. I consider myself VERY blessed to have stumbled across JDRF.

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Do you need a new cycling jersey or shorts for the 2012 riding season? You’ll look great in the Hope on 2 Wheels riding kit, and now you can order one and make a donation to JDRF all at the same time, as a portion of each sale will be donated to JDRF!! Order yours today at http://hopeon2wheels.zaavy.com and enter the password “hope” when prompted

Cyclist Profile: Andrew Chadwick

Andrew Chadwick is a Hope on 2 Wheels rider with a special connection. His brother, Mike Chadwick, is one of the co-founders of the ride!! When you read what Andrew has to say, you’ll understand why we ride!

1. My connection to T1D is my brother, Mike. He was diagnosed when I was 2, so I don’t remember Diabetes not being part of my life.

2. My cycling background comes from my other brother, David – he was a competitive rider through his college years. I rode my bike like any normal kid, and then didn’t ride again until about 2-3 years ago, when I built up a fixed gear and started commuting to work.

3. For Hope On 2 Wheels, I’ll be riding a custom-built frame by Michael Brown/Maestro Frameworks. It actually hasn’t been built yet, but should be ready long before the ride. It’s a sport-tourer, lightly based on the Surly LHT and the Velo-Orange Rando. I’ll be building it up myself with my favorite parts.

4. My favorite ride ever would have to be either – When I did the entire length of the C&O Canal Towpath, over 3 days, at age 12. I rode it with 2 of my friends and one of their dads. The other candidate for best ride would be last year’s El Tour de Tucson for the JDRF. That was my first century, I got to ride it with my brother, and we had an absolute blast.

5. My message? I think the best I can come up with is that we can’t wait for anyone else to step up and try to make a cure happen. If we want to find it, we’ve got to fund it.

Do you need a new cycling jersey or shorts for the 2012 riding season? You’ll look great in the Hope on 2 Wheels riding kit, and now you can order one and make a donation to JDRF all at the same time, as a portion of each sale will be donated to JDRF!! Order yours today at http://hopeon2wheels.zaavy.com and enter the password “hope” when prompted

Cyclist Profile: Josh Stahl

As you read his post you’ll see that Josh Stahl, who comes to Hope on 2 Wheels from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, may be a man of few words. What’s more accurate, though, is that the few words he has chosen send a powerful message about why he rides!

1. Tell about your connection to T1D: I am the father to a 4 year old Type 1 Diabetic. His name is Gavin and he is the bravest little man with the way he handles this disease.

2. Tell about your cycling background and experiences (i.e. how many JDRF rides have you done, any competition highlights, etc): I have completed 1 Ride to Cure diabetes in Lake Tahoe (Sep, 2011). In this ride I was awarded the prestigious JDRF Spirit jersey (Polka Dot) which goes to the Rider who most exemplifies what the ride is all about.

3. What bike will you be riding on the Hope ride? 2011 Cannondale Synapse 5 Road Bike

4. What was your favorite bike ride ever? Lake Tahoe 2011, that is until we partake in the first Hope on 2 Wheels ride in June of 2012.

5. What’s the one message you want the world to know about you and your efforts related to T1D? I will not stop riding until the day I ride because we have found a cure.

Gavin cannot take a break from diabetes so I will not take a break either.

Thanks Josh!! Good luck in your Ride!!

Do you need a new cycling jersey or shorts for the 2012 riding season? You’ll look great in the Hope on 2 Wheels riding kit, and now you can order one and make a donation to JDRF all at the same time, as a portion of each sale will be donated to JDRF!! Order yours today at http://hopeon2wheels.zaavy.com and enter the password “hope” when prompted.

Cyclist Profile: Matt Schmitz

Each of the Hope on 2 Wheels cyclists was asked the following series of questions:

1. What is your connection to T1D?
2. What is your background and experience in cycling?
3. What bike will you be riding on Hope on 2 Wheels?
4. What is you favorite ride ever?
5. What is the message that you want the world to know about you and your efforts related to T1D?

Over the next several weeks we will share those responses with you one at a time so that you will have a chance to get to know our Team.  Here, in no particular order, is the first of those:

Meet Matt Schmitz:

1. I have Type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed at age 19 when they found sugar in my urine during a routine drug test for a summer job. At the time I was either asymptomatic or had failed to recognize any of the symptoms. My fasting blood sugar was in the 300s and I was told I was one of the lucky few who was diagnosed prior to ending up in a hospital. I’ve now had Type 1 for 8.5 years.

2. Last year was my first year participating in the JDRF Ride to Cure program. I found out about the program online and decided I wanted to have a personal challenge/goal to meet and that it was time for me to start being an active member of the diabetes community and the efforts to find a cure. For me it was a huge leap as I’d never ridden a bike farther than a leisurely 20 mile ride in the local forest preserves or as a way to get around before I’d gotten my drivers license. As part of my training for the full 100 mile Ride to Cure route I decided to participate in the Chicagoland Tour de Cure where I completed my first metric century ever. After a great spring and summer of riding culminating in the JDRF Ride to Cure weekend in La Crosse, WI, I was officially hooked and began racing this past fall in the Chicago Cyclocross Cup.

3. I’ll be riding my 2012 Cannondale CAADX 5 105…we’ve already been through a lot of good times together.

4.  My favorite ride was the 2011 JDRF Ride to Cure weekend in La Crosse, Wi.

5. Type 1 diabetes is 24/7 – 365. It’s always there. No matter how well controlled your diabetes is there’s no saying when something could change. Our efforts to find a cure should be equally committed. I often get asked by family and friends “What’s it like having diabetes?” and I think that it shocks many of them when I respond that I can’t really remember what it’s like not having diabetes. For a long time after I was diagnosed I attempted to keep it a secret from as many people as was feasible so that I could remain “normal.” I didn’t want Type 1 to define me or control my life so I wasn’t open about it with people unless they had to know – this was my disease and I could handle it. As I became more comfortable with having Type 1 it gradually became my new “normal” and I accepted that just by being open about Type 1, it didn’t define me. In fact I was probably giving Type 1 more control of my life by worrying about appearing “normal” all the time and not wanting people to find out about it, because as I said before it’s always there. I’m motivated to rid the world of Type 1 diabetes so that kids won’t have to go through hiding this from their friends or becoming used to a new “normal.” I’m motivated so that others won’t have to have milestones of how long they’ve lived with Type 1. I’m motivated so that parents won’t have to worry and lose countless hours of sleep to making sure their child sleeps safely through the night. I’m motivated to make sure that someday we won’t be going off to a Ride to Cure but instead a Ride to Celebrate weekend.