By Alyssa Hillman

JDRF’s cyclists came together for the Ride to Cure Diabetes at the 32^nd El Tour de Tucson at the end of National Diabetes Awareness Month. El Tour de Tucson is one of the largest bicycling events in America, and the JDRF Ride to Cure Diabetes program has raised $20 million for type one diabetes (T1D) research.

After touring around the country to cycling events in six other states, the Ride To Cure Diabetes last stop for 2014 was Tucson, AZ. After months of training, over 7,000 riders came together for the race on Nov. 20-22. 171 Cyclists on the JDRF Ride team trained with USA cycling certified coaches and choose their desired distance – between 40, 55, 75 and 104 miles. In exchange, the riders committed to raising a minimum of $2,000 each for JDRF.

Once participants arrived in Tucson, they enjoyed two days of seminars, team building exercises and a special pre-ride “carb load” dinner the night before the big race… Ride Day!

As the Century Riders – those conquering 104 miles – lined up to race, they were surrounded by over 27,000 supporters cheering them on, and 125 trained bike patrollers to ensure everyone’s safety.

Among those riders was Jewels Doskicz, first time participant. She was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 13, but it hasn’t stopped her from competing in multiple marathons and participating in this race for JDRF.

Doskicz began training for the event this past spring. Because she lives in Flagstaff, she was only able to do a few group rides with her coach.   She relied on her husband and a friend for the majority of her training rides and even a few Tucson riders that traveled north.

Due to Flagstaff’s 7,000 feet in elevation, Doskicz was able to train by cycling shorter distances than the 104 miles she would complete on race day. After extensive training, Doskicz peaked by riding 3-4 days a week with a 75 mile ride on most weekends, typically riding 150 miles per week.

To get through the long distances, an extra meal prior to riding and snacks along the way kept her blood sugars where they belong.   Cliff Shot Bloks, red potatoes, and other whole foods were some of her favorites to bring along on her rides.

For the actual race, Doskicz kept the same foods in her jersey, careful not to switch any sweeteners, remaining consistent with her training method. She also loved stopping at the JDRF booths along the race to grab some extra snacks, Gatorade and to check her blood sugar by calibrating her continuous glucose monitor. She described riding next to the thousands of people as an amazing experience, but also said it made taking care of her diabetes challenging.

“It’s hard when you’re in groups and riding close to one another to start digging in your bag,” she explained. “To eat more than quick sources of sugar it required an occasional stop for a banana, or a bar for long term energy use.”

Throughout the day, she didn’t take insulin for anything she ate and turned her insulin pump down to 65%. Thanks to her training and preparation, she knew what her body needed and was able to complete the entire Century Ride and receive a silver time ranking.

Doskicz had such a great experience, she’s considering doing the Wisconsin and Tucson rides in 2015.

“You don’t really know how well you trained until you actually do something – I finished and I just felt great!” Doskicz said.