Members of Team Type 1
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Team Type 1 Update: 2008 Race Across America
This summer, people with type 1 diabetes got a huge "Yes, we can!" when Team Type 1 crossed the finish line of the Race Across America.
By Julie Mettenburg
At 7:08 a.m. on June 17, 2008, eight bicyclists pumped across the Race Across America finish line in Annapolis, Maryland. Team Type 1 had been racing for 5 days, 13 hours, and 40 minutes, taking turns relay-style to cross the country. Over 3,014 miles, the riders had battled extreme temperatures, soaking rains, leg-burning hills, fatigue, and one rider's high-speed crash in their long journey from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
All eight members who make up Team Type 1's amateur team battle diabetes. They ride in this difficult race to prove that they are winning their battle.
"We're out there to prove that with good control, people with diabetes can do anything and everything people without diabetes can do. And no offense to people without diabetes, but sometimes even better," says the team's founder, Phil Southerland, a professional rider who is recovering from surgery and did not ride this year.
Team Type 1 also rides to win. Alas, after record-setting victories the past two years, this year the team placed second to a team from Norway. Still, "not bad in a race of this caliber," says Southerland.
Where diabetes is concerned, Team Type 1 races with the goal of maintaining blood glucose control that's so tight, it matches the blood sugar of riders without diabetes. The team uses cutting-edge diabetes technology, including a wireless continuous glucose monitor (mounted on some of the riders' handlebars) and an insulin pump/management system.
Southerland believes this tight control can actually give the type 1 athletes an edge over athletes without diabetes. The Team Type 1 riders are constantly vigilant about their blood sugar and avoid what endurance athletes call "the bonk": a dip in blood sugar resulting in an energy crash. "With this new technology, by learning from it and using it properly, we are able to level the playing field. Diabetes is no longer a weakness; rather, it's our strength," he says.
Team Type 1's mission is also to encourage people with diabetes to "Strive for 6.5" with their HbA1c levels. The HbA1c, a blood test that tracks your blood sugar levels over time, provides one of the best indicators of your overall blood glucose control. Team Type 1 riders post their HbA1c status (at goal or not at goal) online.
The Team Type 1 "Strive for 6.5" challenge is a three-week program to help people with type 1 diabetes form good habits that will help them achieve the HbA1c they choose. "A 6.5 is a good starting point, but you can set your own goal. Use the challenge to help you achieve it," encourages Southerland. "Kids, work with your parents to find a reward that you both agree on for achieving the goal."
Indeed, Southerland became inspired to teach others about the HbA1c after he befriended fellow cyclist Joe Eldridge in college and helped him lower his HbA1c from 11 to its current 5. Southerland and Eldridge formed Team Type 1 in 2004, with the goal of winning the Race Across America. And that is exactly what they did in 2006 and 2007, even setting a ride record in 2007.
What's next for Team Type 1? To put the first rider with type 1 diabetes in the Tour de France in 2012. Toward that end, a professional team of riders now races and advocates for type 1 diabetes. As of now, 4 of the 15 riders have type 1 diabetes-Southerland and Eldridge, plus Tim Hargrave of New Zealand and Fabio Calabria of Australia-but they intend for that number to grow, with the help of the Race Across America.
"The RAAM team has turned into our development team," says Southerland. "We want to use that as a training tool for younger cyclists with diabetes, so they can develop. Hopefully, each year we can pull one, two, or more type 1's onto the professional team."
In addition, an all-women's professional Team Type 1 is due to debut in 2009, as well as a Team Type 1 cycling camp for kids.
That's a lot of cyclists riding for type 1 diabetes! The truth is, Southerland says, everyone with type 1 diabetes is a member of Team Type 1. "No matter what your dreams are, if you use technology and strive to have good control, the likelihood of achieving your dreams will be much higher."
You can ride for Team Type 1 by entering any bicycle race in your area and wearing Team Type 1 gear, available at www.teamtype1.org. You can also keep up with the team's blogs and request more information about joining the RAAM development team.
Southerland envisions a future with a type 1 rider in the Tour de France every year-possibly one of CFK's readers. He says, "I wonder: Which kid reading this today is going to be part of the team someday?"
To learn more about Team Type 1, visit the team's website at www.teamtype1.org
