T1D teen shares her experience training with Team NovoNordisk.

Hello! My name is Avery. I am 16 years old and I live in Colorado Springs, CO. I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in 2009 when I was 2 years old.

I don’t really remember a life without T1D.

Until I became capable of managing T1D and its daily struggles on my own, my parents were responsible for my daily decisions (what I was eating, how active I was, dosing insulin, etc.). When I was 6 years old, I discovered a passion for competitive cycling, and I have competed in a majority of disciplines on the bike since then, including Cyclo-cross, and ridden on every terrain you can think of: road, mountain, gravel, track. But I’ve found my joy in road cycling.

As a person living with T1D, I have become more and more determined to keep my body healthy through my day-to-day schedules, especially while training and competing on the bike. One thing I’ve learned as I’ve grown up as a competitive athlete with T1D is that you can’t let the management and nutrition planning around a sport make you fear doing what you love. If anything, let it motivate you to continue striving toward your goals.

This year, I was given the chance to participate in the Talent Identification Camp, hosted by Team Novo Nordisk near Pisa, Italy.

Novo Nordisk is a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Denmark. They are a leading manufacturer in diabetes care medications and devices.

Novo Nordisk is the principal sponsor of Team Novo Nordisk, an all-diabetes professional cycling team and the first professional cycling team to be comprised completely of riders living with T1D.

The application process to participate in this camp was comprised of a 3-day virtual training session that collected our power range data via the Wahoo source. I had dreamed of this experience since I was a young girl, so getting selected felt like a complete dream for me. The camp was 6 days long and consisted of physiological tests as well as 3 days of riding on road, alongside the development team and coaches. While in Italy, we also learned how to best manage our glucose levels before, during and after riding.

Being able to learn so much about managing my glucose levels on the bike from some of the best professionals in the world was nothing short of an incredible and eye-opening experience. At camp, we participated in some really cool lessons that taught us so much about getting the best help around glucose management.

I’ve now been able to connect with some incredible individuals who have motivated me and given me knowledge around the development of my T1D management throughout the entire process of riding.

After being invited to the training camp in Italy, I am now a Talent Pipeline Athlete for Team Novo Nordisk. I also hope that I will be able to ride and race with the team throughout my development and professional stages.

For those out there living with T1D, you are more than your highs and lows. You are nothing short of incredible and you are not limited to your ability to accomplish your dreams. There are no days off from living with T1D, but every day is a new day and a new chance to show the world what you are capable of!

Do you have a passion for biking like Avery and want to join the fight in a world without T1D? Learn more about Breakthrough T1D’s Ride to Cure Diabetes here!