A team of South New Jersey cyclists, led by a Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance employee, will be traveling to Tahoe, Nev., and Tucson, Ariz., to ride in the fight against type 1 diabetes.

BEACHWOOD, Ohio – A team of South New Jersey cyclists, led by a Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance employee, will be traveling to Tahoe, Nev., and Tucson, Ariz., to ride in the fight against type 1 diabetes. The team has currently raised almost $40,000 in support of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

The group of 10 cyclists is led by coach and trainer J. Michael Chadwick, Tremco’s roofing advisor supporting Southern New Jersey. Chadwick, of Woolwich Township, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes almost 29 years ago, at the age of six. However, he has not let this stop him from leading an active lifestyle, from hammer and discus throwing in college to participating in the Philadelphia marathon last year. He will travel with six other riders from the South Jersey Ride Team to participate in the century ride in Tucson.

While all the riders from JDRF’s South Jersey Chapter have some sort of connection to type 1 diabetes, Chadwick is the only one on the team to have the disease himself. He currently uses an insulin pump, a device that is attached to him all day and continuously drips a basal rate of insulin, while allowing for delivery of extra insulin after meals or in cases of high blood sugar. He also uses a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) that monitors his blood sugar every few minutes and alerts him to low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) or high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).

Chadwick is candid about the extra precautions he must take in his training to ride 100 miles. “Training with diabetes offers unique challenges. I have to know when and what to eat to fuel my body to avoid hypoglycemia during the ride. I also have to know what base rates to use on my pump so I don’t drop low after the ride. Through experience I have learned how my body is going to react to increased mileage. I have to protect my pump and continuous glucose monitor while sweating on the ride. All of this is just as important to a type 1 cyclist as wearing a helmet.”

As coach of the South Jersey Ride Team, Chadwick is responsible for recruiting riders, scheduling practice rides, and helping each rider with their individual challenges to reach their mileage goal. “The biggest challenges are finding the time to train and supporting each rider at their own level of experience. Beyond that, it’s pretty easy - everyone is determined to do their best at the Ride to Cure Diabetes,” Chadwick said.