The Breakthrough T1D Nevada Chapter is thrilled to announce our first local coach to support our riders training for the Breakthrough T1D Ride to Cure Diabetes destination rides. Colleen Corey is not only a Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE) but she is also an expert cyclist. She has participated in the El Tour de Tucson five times, and one year even finished 8th overall for women on the 104 mile course.

After graduating from college, Colleen moved to Washington, DC where she worked as the Dietitian for National Geographic Society. She eventually left for her Registered Dietitian (RD) internship with Marriott Corporation and continued working for them until moving to Las Vegas to work at Valley Hospital. She led the nutrition department for 4 years and obtained her Certification in Diabetes Education (CDE). She also worked at Southwest Medical Associates as a Health Educator and in their Endocrinology Department for over 15 years. Most recently, she began working for Dignity Health in their Dream Fund Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic.

Colleen shared that, “after being an avid runner in college and beyond, my knees could no longer take the pavement pounding so cycling became a natural choice. I started riding with some girlfriends that also needed a new activity and so we met every morning at 6 a.m. on the corner to get our days started with a bike ride. This then developed into a total love of cycling!”

Colleen has quite the competitive spirit and sees racing as a great outlet. She has been able to win and place well in several races including the Sea Otter Classic, which is one of the biggest cycling races on the west coast.

She just celebrated her 27th wedding anniversary with her husband Bill. They met while both working at National Geographic. He is also very involved in cycling from a business standpoint as he started his company, Gizmo Socks, that has branched into being the US importer for Gaerne cycling shoes, SH+ helmets and sunglasses and Bottecchia bicycles all from Italy. They are working on some Breakthrough T1D Ride to Cure Diabetes themed socks to help support the Nevada Chapter ride team.

Colleen’s goal for the riders this year is for them to have fun and reach their goals and that having a group ride schedule and training program will help our program grow and include more riders every year. With rides that everyone can participate in, whether it is a roll around the parking lot or a distance they never rode before, it is the perfect opportunity to get some exercise and try something new.

Colleen’s advice for someone considering joining the team is this: Just do it! Find an inexpensive bike on Craig’s list or at a garage sale to get started. Anyone can do it and it is really fun! She is ready to assist you in getting set-up with a bike and all of the cycling accessories you need.

Breakthrough T1D Ride to Cure Diabetes coaches are certified by USA Cycling and assist everyone from seasoned cyclist to those just getting started to develop a training program that helps you reach (and even exceed!) your individual cycling goals.

Find out more about our team and join us for a training ride by checking out our Facebook group. You can also donate to a rider on our ride team fundraising page.