Area athlete cycles in 100-mile ride to fight diabetes
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Joe Piedalue has ridden his bike 100 miles on the edges of Hurricane Philippe in Vermont and 100 miles through the desert of Death Valley, Calif., all for the sake of diabetes research.
And the motivation to stay fit.
“I’m an old-timer, but I think it’s keeping me healthy,” Piedalue explained. “I can still run, bike and swim.”
And at 60, Piedalue said he’s doing everything faster than in his younger years, when he had less time to train.
Sept. 11 will be Piedalue’s fourth time riding in the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International Ride to Cure Diabetes. And this year he is sponsoring a Ronan teen,17-year-old Jayna Brown, who suffers from diabetes type 1.
“My doctor told me once, ‘It doesn’t own you,’” Brown said.
And that continues to be her motto.
Brown, who found out she had diabetes when she was 11, wears a pump that monitors her blood sugar. The avid soccer player and hunter explained that the complications that go along with diabetes have become so routine, it’s just like brushing her teeth.
Riding for a local adds a little extra drive for Piedalue to finish the 100-mile ride strong and feeling good.
“Jayna is such a positive young girl and she’s high on life,” Piedalue said. “So, it’s going to be fun to ride and have a poster on my door of her.”
Besides a few local community members and a brother-in-law, Piedalue doesn’t know too many people who suffer from the disease.
But he’s one of the few.
Recent statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2008 state that 6.6 percent of Montanans suffer from diabetes, and 24 million people in the United States suffer from diabetes.
And the numbers are rising.
The same CDC statistics reported that another 57 million people have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at risk for diabetes.
The disease is the leading cause of blindness and renal failure in adults, but that’s why Brown is intent on maintaining her health from an early age.
“It is really scary for me that I could go blind,” Brown said. “I really try to check my blood sugar all the time.”
When Piedalue started training four years ago, he wiped the cobwebs off an old bike that he pulled out of his garage and joined local cyclist and runner, Anna Marie Leafty.
He rode 24 miles in a pair of Levi’s that day.
“Very soon after that, I borrowed a better bike,” Piedalue explained, noting an obliging friend lent him a pair of biking shorts as well.
Soon he was up in the mountains, training for the Griz Triathlon and Lake County runs and swims with Leafty.
He’s almost completely off red meat, chowing down on fish and chicken after he trains with his Monday bicycle group.
For Piedalue, training is fun and social. He rides with a handful of like-minded people who keep the retired ironworker on his toes.
“If someone isn’t (training) with me, I will pull over and take a nap,” he jokes.
And as far as Riding for the Cure with JDRF, “I’ve just become a believer,” Piedalue said.
Piedalue explained that 87 percent of the funds raised go toward finding a cure, a high percentage in the world of non-profits.
Piedalue must raise $4,000 to be a part of the ride, and he has a very simple fundraising strategy — he only visits local establishments that he does business with, asking for a few bucks to support a good cause.
This year’s ride will be at Lake Tahoe, Nev. on Sept. 11, but Piedalue can continue to fundraise for a month after that date. To date, Piedalue still has $2,000 to raise.
It’s likely that this year, riders won’t have to endure the heat of Death Valley or the torrential downpours of a hurricane.
Piedalue has no doubt that he will finish at beautiful Lake Tahoe, but after 100 miles, the 60-year-old may experience some aches and pains.
“Oh, it’s going to hurt,” he admits with a sly smile.
To sponsor Piedalue in the Ride to Cure Diabetes, make checks out to JDRF and mail to:
Joe Piedalue
32134 Timberlane
Ronan, MT 59864
To contact Piedalue call 546-7811.
