Hi JDRF friends,

It was 18 years ago when, with my 14-year-old son Michael at my side (he had been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes 2 years before that), I rode through the finish line in Monterey, CA, at my first Ride to Cure Diabetes. What an awesome feeling it was to cross that line with so many like-minded, determined, enthusiastic people, all with the same passionate desire as me – to do anything they could to find a cure for T1D.

I had sipped the proverbial Kool-Aid. A big gulp it was, too!

Since that day, I have returned to the Ride 48 times, averaging almost 3 rides a year. Over the years, I have seen so much at the rides; beautiful locations, different routes with varying difficulty, riders at all levels of ability, bikes of every kind, price, color, and style, and people of all ages from all over the world. But the one thing that never changes is my feeling at the end of the ride weekend—I am always pumped, motivated, moved, and inspired!

This year,  I look forward to celebrating my 50th Ride to Cure (the first person in the program to reach this milestone) in Amelia Island.  My goal for this year is to have 100+ Georgia and South Carolina Riders at the starting line helping to find a cure. And I want our team to be the Top Fundraiser this year, to which end I have committed to personally raise $50,000.

Although a cure has remained elusive, the promising advances in the area – many driven by JDRF – give me hope that the future is bright. The need for funds to drive the research for the cure is more than ever.

Click here www.ride.jdrf.org to register and join me and the Georgia/South Carolina Team for this historic event!  I guarantee you will have a moving experience, both on the bike and off it!

Barry Falcon