Team Type 1

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Marco attended Team Type 1’s training camp and brought back these shots for us. Check out the team’s mission and press release below. Thanks, Marco.

OUR MISSION:

Team Type 1 was founded to inspire people with diabetes around the world to take control of their health through diet, exercise and proper health care.

OUR MESSAGE:

Team Type 1 is driven by a commitment to send a clear message that an active and healthy lifestyle – combined with an understanding and use of the correct technology – will improve the quality, and potentially, the length of life of people living with Type 1 diabetes.


Success in professional cycling is often about taking risks and defying the odds. The athletes on Team Type 1 continually push the envelope of conventional thought regarding the limitations on life. Boundaries that were once presumed no longer apply. Because of the serious consequences that diabetes presents, Type 1 athletes on Team Type 1 are literally defying death when they commit to the rigors of professional cycling.

Team Type 1 serves as an important role model for the diabetic community. We are proving that with a proper understanding of their body, and use of the “advanced” technology and product available today, people with Type 1 can compete on the highest level and pursue a competitive athletic lifestyle. A secondary component to this message is that an active lifestyle will, in

most cases, help an individual better manage their diabetes.

Founders Southerland and Eldridge.

Team Type 1 brings diabetes healthcare message to professional cycling

Atlanta (March 6, 2008 ) – Two-time winners of the Race Across America (RAAM), Team Type 1 will join the ranks of professional cycling in 2008, bringing with them the inspirational message that athletes with diabetes can compete and win at the highest levels of sport with good control of their diabetes.

“Our goal is to inspire people with diabetes around the world to take control of their health through diet, exercise and proper health care,” said team co-founder Phil Southerland who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at seven months old. “As a professional team, racing against the world’s best cyclists, we’ll be able to deliver that message to a much wider audience.”

Of the team’s 13 elite cyclists with diabetes, four will be part of Team Type 1’s professional roster, licensed as a UCI Continental Team, while 10 will compete as an amateur development team in RAAM and other events. 11 non-diabetic riders will join the pro team.

To make the transition, Southerland and co-founder Joe Eldridge, who launched the team in 2004, have collaborated with veteran cycling team managers Tom Schuler and Ed Beamon, who between them have presided over more than 30 pro racing seasons.

Leading the pro squad will be Australian Matt Wilson, a veteran of the European peloton and winner of the 2007 Herald Sun Tour. “This team is no gimmick,” Wilson said. “These guys are the real deal. What they’re able to do as athletes, despite diabetes, is remarkable.”

The four riders with diabetes joining the pro team will be Eldridge, Southerland, New Zealand’s Tim Hargrave and Australian Fabio Calabria.

The remainder of Team Type 1’s pro roster is a balanced group ranging from veterans Ben Brooks, Glen Chadwick and Valeriy Kobzarenko to young talents like Ian MacGregor and Jesse Anthony. Sprinter Emile Abraham, climber Moises Aldape Chavez and all-arounders Dan Holt, Chris Jones and Shawn Milne round out the squad, which includes riders from six nations.

Team Type 1’s primary sponsor will be sanofi-aventis. Other sponsors include Abbott Diabetes Care, Insulet Corporation and Can-Am Care, LLC. The team will ride Orbea bikes with SRAM components and Zipp wheels. Champion System will be the team’s clothing supplier.

Eldridge, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 10, added, “We have a strong group of riders, experienced management, great sponsors, and an important message. Everything is in place for us to have a great year, both on and off the bike.”

2008 Team Type 1 Professional Team (* indicates riders with Type 1 diabetes):

ABRAHAM, Emile; 34; Trinidad & Tobago

ALDAPE CHAVEZ, Moises; 27; Mexico

ANTHONY, Jesse; 23; USA

BROOKS, Ben; 29; Australia

*CALABRIA, Fabio; 21; Australia

CHADWICK, Glen; 32; New Zealand

*ELDRIDGE, Joe; 26; USA

*HARGRAVE, Tim; 23; New Zealand

HOLT, Dan; 27; USA

JONES, Chris; 29; USA

KOBZARENKO, Valeriy; 31; Ukraine

MACGREGOR, Ian; 25; USA

MILNE, Shawn; 27; USA

*SOUTHERLAND, Phil; 26; USA

WILSON, Matt; 31; Australia

2008 Team Type 1 Development Team (all riders with Type 1 diabetes):

BARTELS, Nathan; 26; USA

BOWDEN, Alex; 19; USA

BROOKS, Matt; 21; USA

HANLEY, Monique; 30; Australia

MEAD, Andy; 30; USA

PATTON, Morgan; 20; USA

POWELL, Tim; 41; USA

SCHRANK, Bob; 40; USA

SUPRENANT, Mark; 44; USA

 HYPERLINK “http://www.teamt1.org” www.teamt1.org 


12 Comments

Anonymous

nice pics and article. can’t imagine trying race with that handicap.

on first glance I thought the guy named Eldridge was Matt Damon

Marco Quezada.

I know its funny a very brave writing in
with out posting your name.HA HA HA
coming from a family with this condition.
it is not easy trying to live a normal life let along race your bike.
so to answer your…??
millions of people care. and are doing everything they can to raise awareness
to this condition.
even if it means been redacule by you
who is perfect.
(and I really dont mean to sarcastic couse I just you that you are perfect sitting in the little cubacle by your
self. waiting for nobody to go by. and went they do you pretend
to crunch those #s)
I hope I answered your….?
Cheers and have a nice life.
MQ

Ray Alba

and he is my teammate. I am amazed that he is able to race and he tells me it is very hard at times because he can’t take products with sugar. He can’t even carbo-load.

On a couple of the longer races I was concerned for him but, it seems that he has figured out how to do them.

It is great that Type 1 is really making other aware that even with diabetes you can still be active – and for the few that are crazy – maybe even bike race!

Great pics Marco and I hope the team does well – Shout out to Chris Jones too.

Chris

How do you race bikes with diabetes? What happens if you have one of those events then blood sugar gets really low? Do they need to stop some races to take an insulin shot? Do you carry extra food?

Anonymous

why Marco was unavailable to take free photos of me in last week’s SS race? Come on, get your priorities straight. Great shots and article.

Anonymous

what these riders need to do, specifically with regards to nutrition on or off the bike which is different to someone without diabetes.

also I imagine that they have the type of diabetes which is not lifestyle related (forget if it’s type I or II)

Comments are closed.