In 2012, God sent me a message and then followed it up with sign after sign and I was actually paying attention, I really don't know why but it led to a pretty remarkable transformation. I am including a couple of pictures of what happened because I was paying attention. My journey started in May of 2012 and I hope to be part of someone else's journey. I hope to be the impetus for someone to pay attention.

I've lost over 150 pounds, in 2012 I used a cane to get from the car to the office and in 2014 I rode my bicycle from Canada to Mexico and visited every Pac 12  stadium along the way. I didn't do a fancy diet, I actually blew a hole or something through one of those lap bands and gained weight after that surgery, so it wasn't a thumb stomach. I just woke up each day and asked God for strength to make good decisions about what I ate and drank and for safety on my bike ride and if that works out, I can try it again tomorrow. That worked out a lot of times and now I am off all my liver, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar medications. All of them and the best thing is that you can to. These results are typical, if you just get started. Today.

This year I am working with the American Diabetes Association to reach guys a lot like I was, a football fanatic never taking care of himself. Some people like football, I love football. I am an Aggie but I will watch any game on TV, especially if it's a college game. My son and I do a football road trip, for 15 years we've visited the Swamp, seen touchdown Jesus, been to both Death Valleys, seen 2 Iron Bowls, the Rose Bowl, the Big House, the Horseshoe, been between the Hedges and that only covers about half of the places we've been. The problem is for a lot of us is that we settle in around September and don't get out of the chair until we finish rooting for whoever Alabama is beating in the National Championship game. Most of us really don't get out of the chair then, we've got recruiting and the draft to watch as well. It translates into a lot of weight gain.

There is no better way to reach the average college football fan than doing it through the SEC and that is our goal, we would like to get the SEC involved in the local Tour de Cures, to start something of our own to support that, like the Tour de SECure, where we, the SEC, can SECure the cure together. To gain the SEC's approval we need to submit something with a track record, so I am doing my own Tour de SECure, starting in Arkansas, I will ride southeast through Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Alabama and Auburn before turning west and hitting LSU and finally Texas A&M. Along the way, I am going to do an Egg Bowl Roll (100 miles from Ole Miss to Mississippi State) and an Iron Bowl Roll (155 mile bike ride from Alabama to Auburn) for four reasons:

1. To encourage guys like I was to be active, ride a bike, walk the dog and sign up for their local Tour de Cure. If a 54 year old CPA can ride 1,700 miles through the Souteast in the heat of July, they can get ready for a 20 to 60 mile bike ride this fall
2. To raise $100,000 for diabetes research, it's a big number, more than I've got but my daughter has type 1 diabetes. She's got my grandbabies to take care of and we need to find her a cure, to wake up her pancreas and allow her to take that insulin pump off her hip. She just ran a 5K, I am so proud of her for doing her part to keep this disease at bay and I am hoping others will do their part as well.
3. To get the attention of the SEC. The SEC territory is referred to as the diabetes belt by the ADA. Exercising and eating right is such an important message for their audience but it takes a lot to get their attention, to make a proposal to that board to approve lending their brand to an event or cause like this, so that's why I am doing it, it's important to us, their fanbase.
4. I love college football and this will be cool

So that's it. Visit www.tourdesecure.com for more info or to follow along. I could use a pull or two if you are a rider, I would love to see you out there, the complete calendar for the rides is going online or you can email us at rideinfo@tourdesecure.com. Also, please donate - we need a cure.