All-diabetic team to race RAAM

A team of eight diabetics will start this year's Race Across America on June 11 with high aims. Team Type 1 plans to win the eight-rider division of the non-stop coast-to-coast race in record time, and along the way "to prove to the world that type-1 diabetics can do anything, without restriction," as team member Steve Holmes put it.

As well as its race goals, the team is working towards raising US$1 million for the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation (www.jdrf.org).

The team was founded by former top collegiate cyclist Phil Southerland in 2005 as a way to raise awareness and education of type-1 diabetes. Other team members include Jay Hewitt, a ten-time Ironman competitor; former pro cyclist Steve Holmes; and Pratt Rather, the first diabetic to race in and complete the RAAM in 1995 (as part of a team). Rounding out the team are Linda Demma, Troy Willard, Robert Heyer and Joe Eldridge.

With the help of Abbott Diabetes Care and their Freestyle monitoring device, Team Type 1 hopes to make winning the team division look, well, as normal as possible. You can find out more information about Team Type 1 and their goal to raise $1 million for JDRF at www.teamtype1.org.