Bike Support

Bob was diagnosed with T1D in October of 1992 while on a business trip in Lansing, Michigan. He had been a runner since the age of 10 and was still training hard when the usual symptoms appeared. After a few days in the hospital, he flew home and the very first thing he did was go for an easy 30-minute run to the railroad tracks and back. When he got back, he realized he was still alive and all was right with the world. He won races, he lost races, but still loved lacing up a pair of the lightest racing flats he could find and running hard for 15 to 31(ish) minutes.

Any more time or distance than that would just be silly. Of course, all those foot and hamstring injuries started to take their toll and so, on a lengthy business trip, he bought a bike. Thanks to a few very patient friends, exercise got fun again and he started racing on the velodrome as well as on the road and dirt. Bob has competed in 100’s of bike races like Superweek, Green Mountain Stage Race and the Race Across America (RAAM), and he still puts a number on here and there, but it’s all for fun now, though, because, you know, old. Bob was a member of Team Type 1 for five years, competing in RAAM 3 times as well as managing the amateur teams and sponsorship commitments. Bob says the camaraderie of being around others with T1D made it feel like a perpetual summer camp. He still enjoys close friendships with those athletes today. It’s what drew him to DTC.

Bob lives in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois, just one block south of the Wisconsin border. He has been married for 30 years to his very lovely wife, Joy (she has the insurance!), and cares for several feral and not-so-feral rescued cats. Bob is a custom painter who refinishes cherished racing bicycles, adds personality to steel and carbon, & strives daily to convince people that sparkles are magic.