Second Ride to Cure Diabetes in Saratoga Springs

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.>> The riders come from all over.

As far as Alaska and California they arrived over the last couple days through air. Some drove from Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Thirty of the bicyclists riding Saturday live in the Capital Region. In total, over 500 will bike for JDRF’s Ride to Cure Diabetes.

It’s the second straight year JDRF has a location in Saratoga Springs. Bikers begin at 7 a.m. with festivities happening at the Saratoga Springs City Center all weekend.

Cyclists ride one of three routes ranging from 25 to 100 miles. All routes follow an out-and-back course north up the Hudson River.

Tom Hoffman, CEO of Hoffman Development Corporation, serves as a member of the Capital Region team.

He has had Type 1 diabetes for 34 years. Even though he’s not an avid bike rider, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to ride in the first Saratoga Springs event last year. He plans to ride 100 miles again Saturday.

“I’ve enjoyed the benefits of the hard work and the research dollars that the JDRF raises,” Hoffman said. “It’s a way that I can support the fundraising activities, plus with business contacts and all my friends I’m blessed to be able to raise a lot of money, especially because of our business.”

Entering Friday, Hoffman and his team raised the sixth most money out of the 81 teams registered for Saturday’s event.

Last year more than $2.7 million was raised.

Denise Nicastro, director of development for JDRF Northeastern New York, said the event brought in more than half a million dollars of extra revenue for Saratoga Springs.

“Our riders are here as tourists as well. The event itself is one day, but for the four days that they are here they spend so much time in town. They get to know the store owners,” Nicastro said. “We encourage all of our riders to visit the shop.

“Go in and support our local businesses because they are supporting us.”

There are several Ride to Cure Diabetes throughout the country.

Sites in Wisconsin and Colorado have already held their ride this year. Florida, California and New Mexico are scheduled for later this year. It all began almost 18 years ago with Death Valley as the first Ride to Cure Diabetes. It’s grown rapidly; to date the rides have raised more than $38. 42 million for Type 1 diabetes research.

JDRF invested $110 million over 10 years to help support the Medtronic 670G’s development and worked closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to facilitate the system’s approval in a third of the time it usually takes.

Hoffman has a Medtronic 670G, the first commercially available artificial pancreas systems in the United States. He’s had it for almost a year and a half now.

“It’s been an incredible improvement in managing for my diabetes, especially during exercise,” Hoffman said. “… It’ll be pumping much less insulin, if at all, during the ride to help keep my blood sugar normal, or as normal as possible while I’m exercising during this 100-mile extravaganza.”

Hoffman said the best feature is the device “nearly eliminated all of the low blood sugars I used to experience before I had the pump.”

Nicastro rode alongside Hoffman last year. She rides for her daughter.

“What brings us together is we all share the love and passion for finding a cure for our loved one that has Type 1 diabetes,” Nicastro said. “People are either riding with the disease or they’re riding for someone in their family that has Type 1, usually a child.”