 "Photo: Jess Williamson")
It does not take a star to bike for a cure. UT students do it every year.
The Tour de Cure, a bike ride from San Antonio to Austin, aims to raise money to cure diabetes - the fifth deadliest disease in America. UT kinesiology senior Kelly Blackstone does not have diabetes, but said she is invested in finding a cure and hopes other students are too. The ride is sponsored by the American Diabetes Association, and parallels the Multiple Sclerosis 150, a bike ride from Houston to Austin.
The central Texas Tour de Cure is in its sixth year and raised $540,000 in 2007, said Chip Rayburn, Tour de Cure event chair. About 1,100 riders participated last year, but Rayburn said he is hopeful Blackstone's involvement will attract more student participation. Blackstone is a student intern for the American Diabetes Association this semester.
"We want to bring awareness to all segments of the population," Rayburn said. "If a bike ride does that, we want to get college students involved."
Blackstone said she will recruit more cyclists in Austin through a grassroots campaign focused on community support and students in the Texas Cycling Club and the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education.
UT students in the Sense Corp Texas 4000 for Cancer raised $50,000 for both the American Cancer Society and Children's Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson Cancer Center with their bike ride from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska in 2007. Despite recruiting challenges, the group has been successful over its five years of existence, said Chris Condit, founder and executive director.
"Recruiting on the UT campus is hard," Condit said. "You have a four-year turnover rate, so you can't rest or get lax on promoting."
Condit said the 50 cyclists in Texas 4000 are dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, but does not think that should keep the group's members from participating in other similar bike rides.
"After 70 days, students are passionate about cycling. If you can use that passion as a vehicle to help fight other illnesses, I applaud that," he said.
The Tour de Cure is planned for May 17 to 18, the same weekend of UT's graduation. Blackstone said she is hopeful non-graduating students will participate in this year's race.
It is estimated that one in three children born after 2000 will contract diabetes at some point in their life, Rayburn said. The Baylor College of Medicine was named as the first diabetes center in the Southwest this week and, with the help of the National Institutes of Health, will research a cure for diabetes, a disease that affects 1.4 million Texans.
Students interested in participating in the Tour de Cure should visit the organization's Web site at www.diabetes.org/tour.
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