andrew carter

I’ve been training to ride in the Tour de Cure in Redmond on May 19. I’ve never done a ride like this before. I’m going to be riding with my wife’s company - PacifiCare (part of United Healthcare). We’ll be doing the 45 mile loop.

I started getting into cycling last summer. I bought my first road bike - a 2006 Cannondale CAAD8 R800. It took me the whole season to get comfortable with the bike and to improve my technique. I had previously only had mountain bikes.

By the end of the year, I was hooked. I logged about 300 miles on it. I know lots of people do way more than that in a year but I felt it was a good start.

This year, I wanted to expand on what I learned and push myself to get more serious about cycling. My goal is to ride at least 500 miles. I bought a second bike - a new 2007 Specialized Rockhopper Comp Disc mountain bike. I want to get back on singletrack and there are some gravel trails near my house. I’ll spend more time on the road bike but mixing it up with the mountain bike will be good.

The week before I started my new job, I did rides of 20, 25, and 30 miles over 5 days. This last week I’ve been fighting off a cold so I only got in two 15 mile rides. But I feel pretty confident that if I’m healthy, I’ll be ready. The ride will be a challenge. In addition, the cause is one that has affected my family. Both my grandfather and my uncle died of diabetes. Also, my best friend from high school has diabetes. I’m glad to do some small part to help find the cure.