Sometimes... It is About the Bike...

I was diagnosed as a Type 1 Diabetic on January 21^st, 2012.  That was 367 days ago.  After spending the first 30 years of my life as a healthy and active person; this came as a great shock and devastated me mentally.  I was never one to eat junk food, sit around, or even smoke and drink.  I lived my life in order to ride and race my bikes and be successful at that.  I exercised and stayed fit to do what I love.  I believed that I would never be able to ride and race again.  I walked away from my bike for 7 months.

One of the most important things for a Diabetic person is exercise.  We need to stay active.  It helps a TON in managing our blood sugar and being able to function just like a non-diabetic.  Well, I had a room full of exercise…  A Seven Axiom SL road bike…  A Seven Sola SL 29er… A Trek X02 cross bike...   A Fuji Track Pro track bike.  What excuse did I have for not doing something other than my own mind?  The answer?  None…

 

July rolled and I was feeling more confident in my control and I had a new shiny CGM that was constantly checking my blood sugar, so I put my shorts on and clipped in.  Wow… What a feeling!  I have always enjoyed my time on my Seven, but after 7 months away from it, you really do appreciate the ride and how perfectly we fit together.  The ride was short, only 30 some miles, but it opened my mind and my eyes to the fact that I was still who I always was.  A few weeks later; I rode a 100 miles.  I just went out and keep going; just like the old days.

For me, the bike was always secondary to my love of riding and racing.  Don’t get me wrong, I do love my bikes and appreciate how great they are.  They are awesome machines and definitely help my riding, but they were never something I needed…  Now; I need them.  They keep me healthy and alive.  

Do I want to say my bikes helped save my life and allow me to be typing this today?  Yes… Yes they did.  My bikes have transitioned from an aid in my love of cycling to something I need in my life.  My bikes helped me find the best Endocrinologist in the world, some great new riding partners, and my sanity again.

I hate clichés and I loathe spins on clichés, but sometimes it is about the bike.

Jason