My name is Tony Cervati and I was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes 31 years ago at the age of 8. Exercise has been a consistent element throughout my lifetime and has contributed to my ability to maintain a stable 6.3 or lower A1c. In that time, I have been through numerous insulin therapies (Beef, Pork, and Humulin regular and NPH, Lantus, and Humalog), tested my blood sugar approximately 75,000 times, and have taken almost 52,000 injections.

I was diagnosed by my pediatrician, Dr. Calderone. When he told us, I remember thinking that diabetes was something that old people got. I don't know why I thought that as I didn't know any diabetics at that time. I remember two specific things that he told me that day. First, my Mom was wondering how she was going to monitor what I ate at birthday parties and such. He instructed my mom to "let him eat cake". Right or wrong, that stuck in my mind all of these years because it indicated to me that although I had diabetes I could live a normal life. The second thing he told me was "that I would turn out healthier than most people as I would see doctors more often". I came to learn years later that this was true. I could use being a diabetic as an advantage, rather than consider it a liability. Seeing the doctor more often has helped me to learn more about my health, catch any illnesses earlier, and develop a better relationship with medical professionals. Furthermore, diabetes has forced me to pay more attention to my diet and exercise patterns.

Sports have always been a central part of my life. I enthusiastically participated in Pop Warner football, little league baseball, raced BMX bikes when I was younger and went on to play high school football earning multiple varsity letters and team captain positions on the track team. All of these activities required a disciplined and dynamic approach to diabetes management.

When I began college, the lack of organized sports and the fact that the people I "played" with were gone, led me to an 18 month layoff in physical activity. Over that time I began to gain some weight and noticed my body composition change. I needed to get back into some kind of regular activity that I really enjoyed. I always liked riding my bike and had had enough running while playing sports in high school. So I began mountain biking, which immediately became an obsession. I found myself riding in almost all of my spare time and even sneaking in quick 60 minute rides between classes. I learned that being able to successfully control my diabetes was instrumental in allowing me to enjoy extended and more ambitious rides.

After a few years of honing my riding and blood sugar control skills, the competitive bug bit me. I started to do some short to mid distance cross country mountain bike races. About that same time I became a Reebok certified cycling instructor.  In the past 13 years I have taught just short of 2000 group exercise classes, and have done over 17,500 miles of riding as an instructor in cycle classes. Since 2000 I have designed and run an outdoor bi-monthly mountain bike clinic as part of the group exercise programs for area health and fitness clubs. Currently at the University of North Carolina Hospitals Wellness Center at Meadowmont, I take beginner to intermediate cyclists out to local off road trails and teach them mountain biking skills and techniques. We have great success with this free program and many members enjoy the option of getting exercise outside while learning a new activity.

In the past couple of years I have also contributed to a diabetes education series at the UNC Wellness Center at Meadowont by assisting in its planning and serving as a speaker. I was able to interact with other diabetics in an educational classroom environment and talk about our experiences including successes and challenges. Some of the topics included Playing Sports and Diabetes, General Information for Newly Diagnosed Diabetics, and a really great session hosted by my wife Kirsten about being a “Type 3” Diabetic. Due to its success this education series is going to become an annual event and I am looking forward to this year’s program during National Diabetes Month.

While holding discussions during the Wellness Center series, I discovered that there where a LOT of individuals seeking information about the disease and participating in cycling events. I began to think about trying to put a site together to help support diabetic riders. At the 2005 national Diabetes Exercise and Sports Association conference this idea began to take more shape. I attended a session there on Diabetes and Cycling and it was one of the most well attended sessions. As I was waiting to receive an AAA Honorable Mention Award at the DESA Annual Athletic Awards banquet, the words of the award winners and speakers solidified my interest in creating this organization.

In 2004 my wife and I competed in a 24 hour endurance mountain bike race as a two person team. Most of these races start on Saturday at 12 noon, and end at noon on Sunday. It was in the early morning hours on Sunday after riding my last 4 hour stint that I decided that I needed to do one of these races solo. I was exhausted and completely spent, but yet psyched thinking about the preparation for my individual race. I wanted to see how I would do in terms of my diet and insulin intake. It was soon after this race that I switched to pump therapy to make it easier for these types of events.

I first used Type1Rider.org as a platform for documenting my preparation for my first solo 24 hour mountain bike race. I openly discussed and posted my daily activities, my pump properties, my blood sugar readings, my life events, and how they all affect each other.  Since that first race in 2005, I have continued to use this site in a similar fashion documenting preparation and outcome of my racing seasons and formed a team comprised of diabetic cyclists across the country.  The mission of Team Type1Rider is to promote diabetes awareness and education, and provide support and encouragement for all diabetic cyclists. The team does this by competing and participating in events, while identifying themselves as being diabetic. Winning is not paramount, although team members are very competive in the races that they attend. Going out and competing successfully as participants who have diabetes and setting a positive example for other diabetics is our principal objective. We also use our race and training experiences to give other diabetics useful data and information about blood glucose control while cycling.

I hope that we can all compile valuable information from this experience, and learn from one another by participation in the forums.