OK people. We are doing the New England Classic this year. It's a long bike ride. 550 miles. Across a bunch of states in New England. We did it together in 2022 and Eric has done it every year since. It conflicted with mom's weekend at Sloan's camp the past few years so I wasn't able to join.
Why *this* outdoor adventure? Excellent question. Here's the answer: It is a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association -- with a specific focus on finding a cure for diabetes and giving children with T1D the opportunity to go to camp in NH @ Camp Carefree.
We are approaching the 5 year mark of Sloan's diagnosis of T1D later in July. We are approaching the 2 year mark of Brendan's diagnosis of LADA diabetes (Type 1.5, yes, that's a thing) in the fall. Most of the time, Sloan and Brendan have had the supports and services that they need to manage this disease that never takes a day, night, meal, growth spurt, workout, or adreneline rush off. If you haven't thanked your pancreas for working, I suggest you start the next time you eat almost anything besides a cucumber, a piece of meat or a slice of cheese. It's a really hard disease. Even just managing the all the supplies is hard. If there's a chance for a cure in the future, we want to be a part of the effort. If kids, who otherwise can't go to camp, have the opportunity to be "care free" at camp (and give their parents the opportunity to sleep through the night for multiple nights in a row), we want to be a part of the effort. And if there's a way to make LADA diabetes more manageable, we want to be a part of it.
Eric can ride the 550 miles. I can't guarantee that I can actually ride 550 miles again (beginners luck?), but at least I know how to use those shoes that click in and out this time!
Please join us by making a donation. No amount is to small.
Holly & Eric
P.S. This is a picture of Eric and me on day 3 of the bike ride in 2022. We will send pictures along the way.
New England Classic Charity Bike Tour 150/550 - 2025
The New England Classic Charity Bike Tour is a multi-day fundraising cycling event that offers two-day and seven-day options starting Saturday, July 12, 2025 in Billerica, Mass. at Courtyard Marriott. The 150-mile NEC 150 and 550-mile NEC 550 travel the same route for the first two days. Indoor, air-conditioned accommodations and breakfast and dinner are included with the fundraising minimum of $600 for the NEC 150 and $3,000 for the NEC 550.
The 2025 New England Classic Charity Bike Tour will benefit the American Diabetes Association. Through research, education and advocacy, the ADA pursues its mission to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. More than 30 million Americans live with diabetes.
NEC 150 riders travel the back roads of the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts into southern New Hampshire and along the seacoast with a destination of Durham, N.H. The Day 2 route takes riders to coastal Maine past beaches, rocky coves and quaint villages. Day 2 ends with dinner and a celebration, then riders take chartered buses back to Bedford while their bicycles are transported there safely.
As Day Three begins, the NEC 550 riders will leave coastal Maine, heading west into the White Mountains region, where the challenge rolls north through Conway and on to the Attitash Grand Summit Resort in Bartlett, New Hampshire.
The journey continues on Day Four with a climb up Crawford Notch on the way to Bethlehem and Littleton, N.H., before turning South at the Connecticut River and riding through the Upper Valley. After a night in West Lebanon, NH, riders cross the river into Vermont and pedal on scenic Route 100 to the Killington area and the welcome comfort of a ski resort.
The trek continues through Vermont and then back into the Monadnock region of New Hampshire with an overnight in Keene, N.H. The final leg heads to Central Massachusetts, winding its way to the finish at the Courtyard by Marriott in Billerica, Massachusetts, on Friday, July 18.
The New England Classic Charity Bike Tour (NEC Bike Tour) is organized and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. The purpose of the NEC Bike Tour is to raise funds exclusively for charitable purposes in support of the American Diabetes Association and their summer camp for kids with diabetes, Camp Carefree.