J is for Joe Eldridge
Up until this point, I’ve pretty much been talking about words that describe me, but it’s getting difficult to find words for every letter of the alphabet so I’m going to introduce something a little different in addition to what I’ve been doing. A few weeks ago, I wrote about Mari Ruddy, who in my book is a hero. Today’s entry continues my hero series. Today’s hero (man of inspiration) is Joe Eldridge.
I first learned of Joe when I started cycling. I googled the interwebs to find out what out diabetic cyclists were doing. I found Joe when I found the Team Type 1 website. Joe, a Type 1 diabetic is one of the founders of Team Type 1. He got into cycling when he was in college which is where he met Phil Southerland (they competed against each other).
Joe could tell you his whole story, but I’m going to tell you what made an impact on me. I had an opportunity to meet Joe at the 2007 Colorado Tour de Cure, but I didn’t meet him (I think I saw him but I was too chicken to go introduce myself). I had another opportunity (little did I know) in March when he and I were at the Denver Diabetes Expo. There I met him, and he’s a very cool guy.
What sticks out in my head from the story he called is what I’m calling the “burrito agreement”.
When he and Phil started training together there was always a contest of who had the best blood sugar before they started riding. At one point, there was an arrangement made, the burrito agreement. Whoever had the higher blood sugar had to buy burritos for them after the ride. Joe says there was only once where he didn’t have to buy a burrito. He got tired of buying burritos and decided he was going to take control of his diabetes. He worked hard to get his numbers in check and it didn’t take long before Phil decided that the deal was off, burritos didn’t need to be bought by the person with the higher number.
If my memory serves me correctly, it was Phil that said to Joe “hey, I want to ride in this Race Across AMerica” (RAAM) and together they formed Team Type 1. In their first RAAM they came in 2nd overall and 1st in their division. They were all of 3 minutes behind the 1st place team, that was in 2006. In 2007 they came in 1st place overall, ahead of the 2nd place team by 2.5 hrs (if my memory serves me correctly).
Joe (and Phil and all the other Type 1 riders of Team Type 1) are heroes to me, because they’re out there doing what I’ve only just begun. As they say:
“[they ride] To prove to people everywhere with diabetes that with exercise and good control they can survive diabetes and live a healthy and fulfilled life.”
I’m also riding to prove that diabetes doesn’t have to stop us as it did me for so long. Which they probably ride for too, it’s just in that above statement.
I know that I can do what I’m doing (ride in every state in a Tour de Cure) because there are people like Joe out there riding across America in less than 6 days (all 3000 miles) and doing it with diabetes. That’s encouragement and that’s why Joe is one of my heroes. Joe has had diabetes 15 years, and he’s not letting it control him, why should I let it control me?
One Response to “J is for Joe Eldridge”
Leave a Reply
August 28th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
[...] I did get a picture with Matt Vogel (a fellow diabetic), Dan Holt (not a diabetic because he can’t get anyone to take his pancreas out but I did offer), and Joe (another fellow diabetic and also one of my heroes). [...]