I’ve got several noteworthy items from The Dream Tour today.

First, I totaled up the mileage so far and I passed the 6000 mile mark as I rode into Geneva last Friday. Only 4000 miles to go!

Second, I’ve got my infusion site problems solved or at least vastly improved. I purchased a new supply of IV3000 while we were in Joliet last Thursday, but it was no better than the supply I already had. In fact, I wrote in last Friday’s entry how my infusion site actually fell out for the first time during the tour. So, late Friday afternoon, I called Diabetes Specialty Center, my diabetes and pump supply store in Salt Lake City. I was hoping I could arrange for a supply of IV3000 and infusion sets (with all the site changes, I was running low) to be sent to me overnight. I’m pleased to report they arrived Saturday morning just before we left the motel to head to the Chicago Cubs game and my interview with Ron Santo. Last night I changed my site using a sheet of the new IV3000 (expiration date of January 2009). I must say a big thank you to Tracy Roxburgh and the staff at Diabetes Specialty Center for their special effort to get these supplies to me.

Third, I experienced firsthand the heat wave that has spread across nearly all of the 48 contiguous states. The high temperatures during my ride were in the mid-90’s, but when you throw in the humidity, the heat index today was around 110 degrees. Man, it was hot! We decided that Pat should stay a bit closer to me today and I should call her more frequently on the cellphone. It was probably not a good day to try to do a 70 mile ride, but I did alright. I stayed hydrated and the first 25 miles or so of the ride today was actually on the Fox River Trail, a multi-purpose mostly paved and mostly shaded trail that parallels the Fox River on the far west side of the Chicago area.

Finally, just in case anybody was wondering, I didn’t ride yesterday. We took another rest day, but it was a busy one and I didn’t have the time to do an entry. But, I would like to add a few paragraphs about what we did yesterday. In the afternoon, we went to Turin Bicycle in Evanston, Illinois. We were invited to talk there about The Dream Tour. Also at this event was Bryce Walsh, who finished in fifth place in last month’s RAAM (Race Across America), a 3,040 mile bicycle race from the west coast of the United States to the east coast. He did it in just under 11 days and 16 hours. Wow! It was an honor to be on the same stage as this incredible athlete.

Here’s the press release that Turin Bicycle sent out about this event:

Two Cross-Country Cyclists Appear at Turin Bicycle in Evanston on Sunday, July 30^th, from 3 to 5 P.M.

Bryce Walsh, who finished 5th place in last month’s 3,040-mile Race Across America and Peter Hoogenboom, a bike racer from Salt Lake City, riding The Dream Tour of 9,700 miles will speak at Turin Bicycle.

Walsh, a Chicago resident finished the race from Oceanside, CA to Atlantic City, NJ in less than 12 days. Walsh, 35, began ultra marathon cycling in 2003 to keep a friend company in the qualifying events for the 790 mi. Paris-Brest-Paris (P-B-P) brevet and so enjoyed the rides, he completed P-B-P with his friend that year. Since then, he has competed in the Furnace Creek 508 (miles) in California, Boston-Montreal-Boston, five 24-hour races, and won the 1200 Km Gold Rush Randonnee. Last winter, he put his freelance web development and programming business on hold and relocated to Austin, TX to train for The Race Across America.

Hoogenboom, a Salt Lake City native, will appear at Turin the day after his interview at Wrigley Field by Ron Santo. Hoogenboom, 47, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 33 years ago and has been racing and touring for the past 22, leading up to The Dream Tour of seven months to 48 states. He is sharing his success in living well with diabetes through self-management and an active, healthy lifestyle and wants to inspire all people with diabetes with this trip. He is three-quarters of the way through his Dream Tour, funded by the Bayer Dream Fund, which has a goal of demonstrating how diabetics can accomplish their dreams while managing their diabetes well. Learn more about Peter and his tour at www.thedreamtour.org.

Both athletes, riding thousands of miles across America, are achieving their cycling vision in two different ways and have much to share about their experiences, including what motivated them, how they prepared, how they won support from family, friends, and financial backers, what challenges they faced en route, what equipment they’ve found most valuable, and, most of all — would they do it again.

Turin Bicycle is a leading shop for Chicago-area cycling enthusiasts and the general public. Since 1965, its knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff have offered a wide selection of brands, fit bikes to each individual, and shared their passion for cycling. The mission at Turin is more than selling bikes; it is to show customers the joy of cycling, whatever their style or goals may be. Turin is well positioned to assist anyone seeking to start riding for exercise or fitness, with access to a wide range of cycling clubs and events.

Here are a couple photos that Pat took during that event at Turin Bicycles.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 31st, 2006 at 7:10 pm and is filed under The Dream Tour, Diabetes, Bicycling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.