It took Bob Avritt and his cycling team seven days, seven hours
and 24 minutes to race across America.
For 3,000 miles, the eight-man team averaged a speed of about 20
mph, battling terrain in 14 states and climbing more than 100,000
feet — all while actively managing their Type 2 Diabetes.
“Cycling is the best thing to happen to me since peanut butter,”
said Avritt, of Littleton. “I can’t imagine watching the world go
by.”
Avritt, who diagnosed with diabetes more than 10 years ago, led
a sedentary lifestyle until his kids begged him to take a bike ride
with them.
Aside from the terrain, Avritt said the most challenging aspect
of Race Across America was managing the disease, not to mention,
sleep deprivation.
“Controlling your blood sugar is difficult especially when you
haven’t done something as epic,” he said.
And he would know since he took on the role of “climbing
specialist,” meaning he was the cyclist to lead the team up
mountainous terrain in order to gain time.
“La Manga Pass is surprisingly steep,” he said nonchalantly as
if he experienced 10,230 feet from the passenger seat of a car.
Thanks to intelligent eating and medication that allowed the
cyclists to actively manage their disease on the road, the team
quickly got a handle on their blood sugar, reporting stable numbers
on Twitter.
About halfway through the trip, the eight riders (John Anderson,
Bill Arnold, Bob Chaisson, Larry Cleveland, Peter Cowley, Mark Thul
Denny Voorhees) began cycling in three-mile riding shifts — to up
their average speed by nearly an entire mile-an-hour in a 24-hour
span.
Avritt said they wanted to do everything they could to go fast
until they hit the Appalachian Mountains because they knew they’d
give back some time once they got there.
Avritt said the affects of the physical activity lingered for
days, yet he’s already making plans to race again next year.
“There are a lot of misconceptions about type 2 diabetes. It’s
very much a lifestyle disease. If you maintain good numbers the
possibilities are endless,” he said. “You’ve got to get up and
move.”
