PICTURE YOURSELF HERE JULY 14!

Why does everyone wait for some dumb rodent in Pennsylvania to get yanked out of his hole and announce that spring — at least eventually — is coming?

I can just look at the calendar and see that two months after that varmint appears April will be here and we’ll be chompin’ at the bit to get our butts on our bikes to train for the 2012 NEC! So why wait for that little bugger in the Keystone State to give us the cue it’s time to start thinking about July?

IT’S TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE NEC! THAT MEANS NOW, PRONTO, PDQ, CHOP-CHOP AND LICKETY-SPLIT!

By the time that hibernating furball shows his face on Feb. 2 lets have 125 riders registered to raise funds for the ADA and pedal their tails off to beat the tar out of diabetes. Spread the word to vet and newbie alike that the torch has been passed to a new generation that includes 200 NEC riders, registered early  with their minimum raised by April 1 and their eyes on bringing in even more funds after that to help 26 million Americans win their fight with diabetes.

Stay tuned.

It is now less than 100 days until the New England Classic rolls out of Woburn to make a fund-raising loop around the region for the ADA. The sooner you sign up to ride, the sooner you can start raising funds to fight diabetes and be a part of a fabulous cycling event.

Start today and be at the start line in July

This year promises to be better than ever with new destinations, tweaks to the route and a commitment to raise record funds for the ADA. Don’t miss your chance to ride along with the internationally famous New England Classic Caravan of Crazies.

Get in shape! Have fun! Help the ADA and the nearly 24 million Americans who battle diabetes every day of their life! What could be better?

So sign up today and get out there riding your bike and raising funds. You’ll be glad you did.

April Fools’ Day has come and gone and that means New England Classic riders need to get down to business. There are almost 24 million people in this country with diabetes counting on us to get serious about raising the funds that will help improve their lives and find a cure for the disease they battle every day.

It looks like here in New England we can actually put aside those plans for building an ark and tune up the bike. Get on the road and start training folks. It’s now less than 100 days – 99 to be exact – before we roll out of Chomerics on Day 1 of the NEC. A well-trained butt is a happy butt so we need you to get yours on the bike so it’s merrily riding along with us in July.

As for fund raising, the sooner you get started the sooner you’ll have raised well more than the minimum.  It’s all about just asking. Whether it’s in person, by phone, in a letter or email, you need to take that first step of asking people if they would like to help defeat an insidious disease afflicting their neighbors, co-workers, friends and family. That’s no exaggeration. Almost 8 percent of the U.S. population or about 1 in 13 people have diabetes.

So what are you waiting for? Don’t be shy. Make your fund-raising efforts something everyone will want to be a part of. Maybe this time of year you can give out jelly beans to everyone who contributes. And when they say, “But diabetes and candy don’t seem to mix,” simply explain that the NEC is “a sweet ride to beat diabetes”. At the same time you’re reminding them that the simple pleasure of a sweet treat that they take for granted isn’t such a simple matter for people with diabetes.

Now don’t finish reading this and make the mistake of telling your self that July is still a long way off. It’s really not. With your training and fund-raising it pays to build momentum early. No ride is too short because every mile in the saddle makes a difference.  No contribution is too small because every dollar makes a difference.

See you on the road.

YOUR BUTT BELONGS HERE

In February your heart belonged to your valentine. Well, it’s March now and regardless of how you fared romantically your butt belongs with us — on a bike that is — in July, riding to raise funds for the American Diabetes Association.

The 2010 New England Classic rolls out in just 4-1/2 months, just 19 weeks or just 132 days depending on how you choose to count. But no matter how you count it’s closer than you think. And if you haven’t registered to ride yet it’s way too close. What are you waiting for? Spring?? Spring doesn’t really exist in New England. So if you are already sick of winter do your psyche some good and pretend it’s already summer.

What does that mean? That means the NEC is just around the corner and you better get your butt in gear, get registered, start fund-raising and at least think about training!

Don’t believe me? I’ll tell you what. Go down to Parker-Hannifin Chomerics at 77 Dragon Court in Woburn at 1 p.m. Saturday and tell me you don’t see a bunch of cyclists talking about this great ride around New England they are doing to support the American Diabetes Association. There’s no surer sign of summer than a gathering of the NEC Caravan of Crazies.

See you there at the Rider Roundup.

Unfortunately for New Englanders the ride on the sun-baked asphalt will probably have to wait at least until May. But your best cycling buddies are hoping you’ll join them Feb. 28 at Clark University in Worcester for the American Diabetes Association’s 2^nd Annual New England Classic Rider Roundup. Follow this link for directions to Clark where we’ll be meeting in the Grace Conference Room of the Higgins University Center: www.clarku.edu/admissions/visit/directions.cfm

We’ll be hanging out from 1 to 4 p.m. to share a few memories, and laughs, from last year’s ride and to talk about plans for the 2009 New England Classic, July 11-17.

Be sure to bring along any fun photos you may have from last year and more importantly bring along any cyclists you think might want to join us in having a great time on a great ride for a great cause. We’ll answer any questions they have about the route, training or fund-raising. And this year we hope to have someone available to tell us about diabetes research and the great work being done by the American Diabetes Association.

Haven’t registered for this year’s ride yet? Well go to www.newenglandclassic.org

and sign up now to join us for another adventure!

Until then we’re looking forward to seeing you at the roundup.

Tim Wilson

New England Classic Organizing Committee

First and foremost, thank you to all the sponsors. Your donations are what this is all about. On behalf of the 24 million Americans with diabetes, thank you for your support and commitment.

Thanks to the riders. It was tough, it was fun. It was a swell week.

Thanks to the volunteers. It can’t be done without you.

Thanks to Bob and Erik, our mechanics who really went above and beyond the call to keep us all going.

Thanks to Bill Lacy who organized this whole thing for, like, what? 120 years in a row now? It runs like clockwork.

Thanks to the organizing committee members who divide up the chores to make it all a bit easier for everyone

Thanks to the route markers who keep us from getting lost.

Thanks to the cities and towns we pass through for granting us permits.

Thanks to the staff of the American Diabetes Association, especially Faith Linsky, for putting together another spectacular event.

And, from all of us – the riders, volunteers, and persons living with diabetes – thanks to the American Diabetes Association for taking the lead in fighting this disease.

Please call 1-877-ADA-2008 today and urge your members of Congress to help the 20.8 million Americans with diabetes by supporting an increase in research and prevention funding for diabetes at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

We need all the help we can get so please let your friends, family and co-workers know about this.  We need to make sure Congress understands the effect diabetes has on the lives of millions of people living with this disease.  For more info on Call to Congress, please visit our website at www.diabetes.org/calltocongress.

Want to do even more – register for the New England Classic and raise money to help fund ADA’s own research projects.  Have a great time riding your bicycle around New England while supporting this important cause.

Your help is really important.  Thank you in advance for your support.

The Diabetes EXPO will be held at the Seaport World Trade Center on Saturday, March 15 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Admission is free. Click here for the day’s schedule.

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