Program Pillars
Ride Above T1D aims to directly support, empower, connect and inspire riders through althlete support, education and information, and through events and programs that foster community connection and participation.
Lets Ride Above T1D together
Athlete Support
T1D is hard enough! It’s a constant mental, emotional, physical and financial demand. Ride above T1D aims to give back to these warriors through Athlete Support Grants ($500–$2,000) that will go towards:
- Event entry fee subsidies
- Travel assistance
- Coaching support
- Equipment
- Apparel
- Bike servicing
Endless hypos while riding, crazy highs on the start line, post-ride high one day, post-ride lows the next. Is that my elevation chart or my glucose reading?!? We get it! We’ve been there. Ride Above T1D will facilitate sport-specific diabetes education and professional guidance through workshops and information sessions. These may include:
- Sports nutrition workshops.
- Endocrinologist-led sessions on managing glucose pre-, during- and post-event
- Mental resilience sessions
These programs aim to reduce the often-hidden 24/7 mental, emotional and physical load of managing T1D in sport.
T1D education and support
Community, Belonging and Inspiration
We’ve all witnessed how hard diabetes can be. Whether that’s cuddling and comforting your kid through sensor change, overcoming the emotional ordeal of having to treat a hypo in the middle of a bike race, or wondering who on earth is up in the middle of the night at 3am, then 4am then 5am. Ride Above T1D aims to create a visible, supportive “tribe” of young cyclists who understand each other’s lived experience, and to provide visual role models for young diabetics. The initiative aims to:
- Build a peer community of young riders who understand the unique mental, physical and emotional load of living with diabetes
- Inspire young people with T1D to pursue their sporting aspirations without limitation
- Impact the greater youth diabetic community through a visual reference point for athletes that are performing despite the increased challenges that diabetes can create.
Building Participation
Sport and active living are essential elements to living a healthy life with T1D.
When young people see:
- Other people with T1D competing successfully
- Education tailored to their needs, and
- A visible community
Participation in sport becomes more achievable. Ride Above T1D is therefore not only responding to existing demand — it is encouraging and enabling future participation.