G’day, Amakhurro, Hej and Hola,
The past few weeks have been a whirlwind since the Crocodile Trophy. Many miles in the plane, train, bus, car, skis and bike have brought me here to Alicante, Spain. The racing season which is usually in a gradual taper from September was extended somewhat for myself this year. Prior to the Crocodile Trophy I was informed I would be travelling to Rwanda, Africa for the UCI Tour of Rwanda with Team Type 1. Before leaving for this journey I decided to compete for the 3rd time in the Highland Fling MTB marathon. Teaming up with fellow road stalwart Chris Jory this would turn into one of the hardest races of the year and contributed to draining a nearly empty tank coming into the 8-day tour in Africa. However, apart from an incredibly difficult and well staged race there was so much more to experience in Rwanda.
Team Type 1 has been attending the tour of Rwanda for 3 years now. In a collaboration with the Rwanda Diabetes Foundation our visit is coupled with some amazing outreach and philanthropic endeavours. In Rwanda and many parts of Africa in general the treatment and management of diabetes is chalk and cheese when compared to the amazing support us diabetics appreciate in countries like Australia. Diabetes is far too often a death sentence in Rwanda due to a lack of Insulin, syringes and blood glucose testing devices. Without these life saving resources the message that I and Team Type 1 are so passionate about spreading that anything is possible with diabetes is mere lip service. Hence, myself and team mates Paolo, Matt and our venerable boss Phil and wife Biljana had the oppurtunity to visit one of the only diabetes health services in Rwanda in a town named Gisenyi on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. Here we met Crispin and many of the local children and adults who have the oppurtunity to utilise this service, we also donated many blood glucose meters and strips to the diabetes foundation to help foster the hope that we as a team are dedicated to spreading to all diabetics worldwide.
The race itself was extraordinarily difficult, Rwanda is known as the land of 1,000 hills, however it felt to me like the land of a million mountains! I started the tour in good spirits with a top-10 in the prologue. However as the mountains began my body was shutting down, it didn’t want any more racing! But I pushed on and finishing this tour within time cut, and nearly getting the lanterne rouge was a dream that I thought near impossible on the first few days of this tour. On the last day team mate Paolo snuck onto the podium in 2nd place which was a great achievement and highlighted the message we were there to spread! Anything is possible with diabetes!
But the memories that will remain with me from this adventure stem from the people we met along the way. Rwanda is a country with a horrifically tragic past. This is evident in every village and memorial you see. The people are more than aware of what has happened in their land, they carry these horrific histories with a truckload of courage! This is a country of courage, the people are incredibly friendly and only want the best for every visitor. They cling to hope for a brighter future and it’s coming, I’m sure. But there is still more work to do here, not just in the diabetes sector. I feel very privileged to have been here and look forward to staying involved and help the strong bond between my cycling team and this country. A life-changing journey.
Flying out of Rwanda, I could not have asked for a starker contrast. After a stop in Uganda I landed in perhaps the richest and coldest nation in the world: Norway. After washing clothes in the sink and drowning myself in mozzie repellent for the previous 2 weeks, the creature comforts here were very much appreciated. I have some wonderful family in Norway. Heather and Andreas and 2nd cousin David welcomed me into their home in Hamar. It was so nice to put the bike to one side and enjoy some good food, walks in the snow and putting the legs up by the heater. From Hamar, it was off to the Norweigan ski town of Hemsedal with the old mate from High school Sean Van Steel.
High in the hills was Justin Morris whilst on a whirlwind trip to Norway. Photo: Justin Morris
The Boss Sean managed to tee up an alpine chateau for us and a group of Aussie engineers who were visiting Scandinavia. A terrific few days up here driving fancy cars in the snow, skiing the slopes, scaling peaks and sipping latte´s by the open fire was again a real memorable and special experience.
After a week with the Nords it was off to see the Danes! I was honoured to be involved with the official launch of team Novo Nordisk 2013. This is the continuation of the terrific work of Team Type 1. We are now a fully professional cycling team comprised entirely of athletes with diabetes. This has never been done before in sport and it’s exciting to be a part of this journey. Me, my Dutchy team mate Martijn and the man, the legend Phil Southerland met with all the inspirational and equally excited people involved in getting this off the ground in Copenhagen over a few days of meetings and a tremendous launch at the Novo Nordisk global headquarters.
It was sad to leave Scandinavia after an awesome nearly 2 weeks enjoying top food, top coffee, top people and class! Everything here works! To a tee! It is just sooo frickin cold and the sun is a distant memory to many of the locals. Lucky for this sun hungry Aussie, it was straight off to warm weather, beaches, and glorious sun here in Alicante, Spain. Team Novo Nordisk is holding their inaugural training camp here in this Spanish siesta town. An awesome oppurtunity to meet some new faces and reunite with old mates in a fully pumped, fully gee-ed up environment. This team is a phenomenal opportunity and has such a powerful potential for impact not just on diabetics but for all people that face challenges in their lives worldwide. It is exciting times ahead.
From here, it is finally back home sweet home, sweet Sydney! I miss home and look forward to spending Christmas with those most important to me!
Good times ahead!!
Adios Amigos!
Justin/Mad Dog
[Ed – you can follow Justin on Twitter here]