Steve Holmes

Age: 35

Age diagnosed: 27 t v

Most vivid memory of your diagnosis?
I have two. First, the doctors telling me I had less than a week to live, and "good job we caught you" when they had turned me away just two weeks before... Second, them telling me "You will never ride again." Hmm...

Family:
Married to Tricia, with a gorgeous Vizla puppy called ,Chloe, who is almost 2. My parents and two sisters live back in England, where I am from. I moved to the US in 2001, but visit Europe for training camps and family visiting at least twice a year.

Current A1C: 5

Goal for next A1C: Hopefully the same!

Riding Experience:
Full-on European road Racer for 20 years!

Training Regime / Racing regime:
Have been riding and Racing for 20 years, all but 4 of them in Europe. Rode from Junior to category 4, 3 and 2 in the UK (where you have to get points to keep your category status each year), and attained cat 2 no less than 3 times. Won various crits, road races and hill climbs.

Raced in Belgium and France, including a 4-day stage race in Paris (Les Quatres Jours de Saint-Denis) against a select field containing a little-known German rider called Jan Ullrich.

I train every day of the week, between 2 and 4 hours. During the season (January to October) I race every 1-2 weeks, but if it's a crit weekend I'll do two events if possible (cat 3 and Masters 35+) in a day.

In the winter, I still train the same weekly volume (midday rides), and anywhere from 5-9 hours on both days of the weekend for base mileage and season-long form.

My preference is long, tough, climbing road races - especially when the weather is like spring in Belgium! I just got back from racing the very tough 5-day Tour of the Gila stage race in Silver City, New Mexico, where I finished a solid 31st on the cat 3 GC, and 5th in the Masters 35+ category.

Job/Employer: I am the Creative Director of my own graphic design and motion graphics company, Energi Design, based in Sausalito, CA. The company was started in the UK in 1995, so I recently celebrated 10 years in business. This also explains my ability to train in the daylight most of the year ;-)

School attending/attended:
Attended Comberton Village: College (Cambridge, UK) as secondary school, then went straight to work for a little design firm (no college). Did day-release for 3-years to attain City & Guilds in Design for Print & Typography. When i got my visa for moving to the US for work, I also received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Graphics from the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York for my 12 years of service to the graphic design industry.

What do you enjoy most about being a diabetic?
Living every day knowing I am controlling my future and my health, and feeling great on every single ride simply because I am doing it - whether it's a race or a 40 mile training ride, the feeling of riding and overcoming this disease is the best! Being in a national-level stage race such as Gila, with each day of heavy racing in the high mountains and heat being a challenge for everyone, but being able to compete and be aggressive enough to finish high up in the field despite diabetes, feels so good. Checking blood sugars between 10 and 14 times per day during the race got a lot of attention and comments from my fellow racers, but I don't even think about it. It's life, it's important, but it doesn't stop me from racing hard and fast!

Most memorable event (pre- or post-diagnosis), sporting or personal: Tough one this! Winning my very first race back after my UK doctor's bleak diagnosis was a really wonderful experience. As was finishing 21st out of 3,500 riders in the Death Ride last year. But I'd also have to add meeting Clint Eastwood last year to that list - a lifelong dream for me! :-)

Give us a few words of wisdom, some personal advice:
Train hard, be focused, relax and know that you are in control of your diabetes and your future. Your life is yours to make, and enjoy every single day. Share your knowledge, wisdom and understanding of the disease with other people, diabetic or not, so everyone knows we do everything we want because we are able to.

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"Curing Diabetes One Mile at a Time"