Tour de Cure returns this weekend

Published 6:02 pm Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Tour de Cure, the annual fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association, is set for Saturday at Windsor Castle Park in Smithfield.

The event has been held virtually for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tour de Cure is the largest fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association and has been coming to the Hampton Roads area for over 30 years.

Email newsletter signup

Registration is $15 and participants must have raised at least $250 in donations. Donations can be submitted online or be made via cash, check or credit card at the registration tent on the day of the event.

Riders have course options of 10 miles, 30 miles, 63 miles or 100 miles to choose from.

The check-in times are 6:30 a.m. for the 63- and 100-mile courses, 8 a.m. for the 10-mile course and 7:30 a.m. for the 30-mile course. Each ride will start an hour after check-in and the park closes at 5 p.m.

Participants are required to bring a helmet (which must be worn by all cyclists for the duration of the ride), their insurance card, driver’s license, any necessary medical IDs or bracelets, two full water bottles and are encouraged to bring layers and sunblock to account for unpredictable weather changes.

Along the routes, participants can find motorcycles and support and gear vehicles offering assistance to riders, including roadside assistance and medical or emergency assistance. Additionally, there will be rest stops spread out along the route where riders can take a break, get a snack, sip on Gatorade, refill their water bottles and use the restroom.

After the ride, participants will find massages and free blood pressure screenings provided by ECPI, music, beer provided by MoMac Brewery, and a family fun zone provided by Max Media Radio and Planet Fitness. Breakfast will be provided by The Cockeyed Rooster, lunch will be provided by Q Daddy’s Pitmaster BBQ and The Cockeyed Rooster, and Neighborhood Harvest is providing fresh fruit and organic granola in the Wellness Village located at the finish line.

This year’s event will be showcasing some new vendors, including Q Daddy’s Pitmaster BBQ. “We’re excited to be involved this year. They contacted us because they were looking for a couple of local vendors to provide meals for participants,” said Joy Andrus, co-owner and marketing and special events coordinator for Q Daddy’s Pitmaster BBQ, “So, we worked together on the menu and are looking forward to treating participants to some local flare.” They will be providing BBQ sandwiches or smokey chicken salad sandwiches as an option for lunch.

This is also the first year the event will be held in Smithfield. “We’re excited to be working with the ADA this year, and we’re happy to have them here in Smithfield and we hope to welcome them back in future years as well,” said Amy Novak, director of Smithfield Parks and Recreation.

For more information, to register or to donate visit tour.diabetes.org