For the past four years, we have been doing the ADA's Tour de Cure. We lost Rachel's father, Ken, a few years to diabetes. In addition, Rachel and a number of family and friends have diabetes. Therefore, we like to support the ADA when we can.

As Rachel and I do not normally ride our bikes, we are in poor shape for this event; had it been a walk, we would have an easier time. Additionally, even with the liberal application of sunscreen, we still become sunburned. However, we still enjoy doing the ride.

Unfortunately, this year was not as fun. We did not raise as much money this year as we had last year. In fact, we had to make a sizable donation just to reach the minimum this year. Of course, we understand that times are difficult for everyone.

This year's ride was at Blossom Music Center. As the event had been held there for the previous two years, we were looking forward to it. We knew the route would be relatively easy. And, even though it was a sunny day, a good portion of the route would be in the shade.

We started packing up around 8:00 AM and left shortly thereafter. We arrived well before our scheduled time. We registered for our course and specified our tee shirt sizes. Unlike the previous years, they would be handing out the shirts after the ride. I know that is not the point of the ride. But, Rachel and I like to wear the event's shirts during our ride.

With over a half hour to kill, we walked around the center. They had some breakfast items left, which was surprising. Generally, by the time we get there, breakfast is all but gone. While some of the items looked appetizing, we abstained. Heck, we just had our breakfast a short while ago.

Shortly before 10:30 AM, they announced our division, the "Family Fun Ride." The ride is generally around 10km. Additionally, the ride does not leave the center. So, unlike the longer distances (up to 100km!), we would not have to contend with other traffic. Since it can be difficult to get a 10km route at the center, we usually have to do two laps.

At 10:30 AM, we lined up at the start/finish line. Apparently most of the other riders were taking the longer routes. We only had about six people for our route. Last year, I think there were twenty or thirty riders on our route. They announced that our route would be shorter (meaning we would have to take more than two laps). Because of the shorter route, they would no longer have a rest stop at the halfway point.

This was one of our first disappointments. Part of the point of riding is to interact with other individuals. We do not normally need to stop at the rest stop. But, we like stopping there to talk with the volunteers and other riders.

It did not take too long to finish. We parked our bikes and turned in our registration tags. We picked up our goodie bags and headed back to the vehicle. The plan was to secure the bikes, change into the event tee shirts, and then go back for lunch and meeting with vendors.

While I was tying down the bikes, Rachel noticed that the shirts were several sizes too small. We figured that it was a simple mistake. We headed back to the registration booth to exchange them. Apparently, they were all out of our sizes. That was our second disappointment. We wanted to take our team picture while wearing event shirts.

While walking around, I noticed that there was a "red rider" booth. People wearing these shirts were riders with diabetes. Since Rachel has diabetes, I asked what it would take for her to get one of those shirts. She had registered as a red rider, but did not receive any communication about it. I found out she was indeed registered. But, like the registration booth, they had also run out of shirts in her size. This was disappointment number three.

Our next disappointment was lunch. Generally, they have good, diabetic-friendly meals. Our choices were pizza and hot soup. Both tasted good. But, they are not necessarily good choices for diabetics who are hot and exhausted. Our fluid choices were water and coffee. Water is definitely a better choice than coffee. But, it does not replace all the nutrients that were lost during the ride.

I did find one vendor that looked interesting. They were showing an insulin pump without tubing.

So, the event was not quite as fun as it had been the previous three years. But, we raised money and awareness for a good cause. We also made it home safe and sound. I guess that in the end that is all that matters.