SC Tour de Cure

The 2008 Tour de Cure is a one-day event, which is a change from last year.  In previous years, the Tour de Cure has used a two-day format that would start in one location and finish near the SC coast on Sullivans Island, James Island, or Johns Island.  This year's event will use a common start and finish location near Santee, SC. 

The Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile will serve as the Start/Finish line for this year's event.

All riders can register online at http://diabetes.org/tour.  Be sure to take advantage of the personal web page that is provided by the ADA site.  The personal web page provides a "donate online" button that makes it easy to have family, friends, and others donate on your behalf.

 

To volunteer for the Tour de Cure, go to the home page and click on the "HAM Operator" link.   The HAM section will allow you to provide your contact information and see other HAM Operators that have volunteered.

If you have additional questions regarding the HAM operations for the event, contact Charles Fox via email or by phone at 843-303-3334.

 

Each rider is required to raise at least $150 in order to participate in the event.  In the case of riders who are members of a team, each member of the team is required to raise at least $150.  Additional donations can be turned in up to one month after the event; however, the minimum amount must be turned in by the day of the event.

 Refer to the guide for Handling Cash and Check Donations

Donors should make all checks payable to the "American Diabetes Association".

You can also download the instructions for Handling Cash and Check Donations.

Donations should be turned by the day of the event, but the absolute last date to turn in donations is one month following the event.   Cash and checks collected prior to the event should be turned in at the Early Check-In Party on Friday, June 27 or at Check-In on the day of the event.

NOTE:  Each rider is required to have at least $150 in donations (online, cash, checks) turned in by the day of the event in order to participate in the event.

You can download Sponsor Forms to keep track of who has donated. You can also pass this form around to potential donors for them to fill out to pledge/donate.

Sponsor Forms - available in  Word  or  PDF format
 

You can download Receipt Forms you need to provide donors with a receipt for cash donations.

Receipt Forms - available in  Word  or  PDF format
 

You can download Check Deposit Forms to use when turning in checks prior to or after the event.

Check Deposit Forms - available in  Word  or  PDF format
 

The Start Line & Finish Line is the Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile located near Santee State Park in Santee, SC. 

MapQuest directions are available for the following destinations:

     Lone Star Barbecue & Mercantile
     Santee State Park
     Santee, SC

There are 3 route options available for riders - a 20 mile family fun ride, a 64 mile Metric Century (100K), and a Full Century (100 mi).

All routes are are loop configurations, meaning the routes will start and finish at the same location and follow a generally clockwise path.

 

A draft copy of the routes is available online by going to www.sctourdecure.com and selecting the "Route Maps" link on the left menu or by selecting the "View Maps" link in the middle of the home page.

The online maps are powered by MapMyRide.com and use the Google Maps technology to provide users with the ability to view map, satellite, and hybrid views of the route.   Each route can also be saved to a GPS file or viewed in Google Earth.

The online maps are provided "as is" and are not intended to be the official map of the event.

On the day of the event, riders will be provided with final/official cue sheets and maps.

 

When the route maps are provided online to riders, they are considered a "draft" copy because a change could occur to the actual roadway at any time prior to the day of the event.  Road construction and storms can result in damage to some roads that will interfere with the intended route for the Tour de Cure.  When this occurs, Tour personnel must change the route to provide riders with a detour around the problem area.  Since these changes can literally occur at any time up to the day of the event, all routes are considered "draft" until the day of the event.  Riders should not prepare personal cue sheets for the routes. 

On the day of the event, riders will be provided with final/official cue sheets and maps.

 

Yes.  There will be riders of all levels riding in the Tour de Cure.  Remember, this is a tour, not a race.   While some riders will use the event to work on a "personal best" time, you are to ride at your own pace.

Someone, or a group, will be the last rider(s) on the route, but that does not mean you will be left behind.  The Tour de Cure is fully staffed with rest stops, support-and-gear (SAG) support, and amateur radio operators who keep track of the riders on the course throughout the entire event.

As part of the managed coverage of the event, personnel in vehicles with amateur radio support are stationed throughout the route to monitor the progress of the riders and conditions on the route.   Support vehicles stay with the first and last riders during the ride to allow Tour personnel to keep track of the front and rear of the entire field.   Other vehicles and SAG vehicles travel within the other riders of the field throughout the day until all riders reach the finish line.   SAG vehicles monitor riders on the Century Loop until all century riders are back on the main route.

Each rest stop will remain open until all riders have passed by the rest stop.  

Cell phones may be used and may have a signal during most of the route.   The route travels through rural parts of South Carolina, so some cell phone carriers may not provide coverage along the entire route.   Refer to the coverage grid of your cell phone carrier to determine where you may experience outages, if any, in your cell phone service.

Information on hotels in the Santee area is available on the Accommodations page

A pace line is a group of riders that ride single file, but close together, to take advantage of drafting in order to ride faster and more efficiently as a group.   Below are some links to articles that describe pace lines and drafting.

Yes, pace lines are permitted, but should be used with caution since all riders in the event are not familiar with pace lines.   Groups using pace lines should be especially careful when passing riders.

Dual pace lines are not permitted !   Dual pace lines are actually two single pace lines running side-by-side and create an increased danger for all riders in the event.  

Remember to use pace lines in a safe manner.

NO !   If you have not trained with pace lines in other groups, you should NOT attempt to ride in any pace lines during this event.  Riding in a pace line requires the wheels of one bike to be within inches of other bikes, and poses a serious threat to the safety of the untrained rider and to other riders with whom he/she is riding.  Learning to ride in a pace line takes hours and miles of practice.  The best place to learn how to ride in a pace line is with a group of riders in your community, outside of a special event.  Groups associated with local bike shops, clubs and teams are usually more than willing to teach you the skills required to ride a safe pace line.

This not to say you cannot ride single-file in groups.   Riding casually (single-file) in a group is much different than riding in a formal pace line.   Riding with others whose pace matches yours is permitted and can help to motivate all riders in the group. 

The route for the Tour de Cure is marked in several ways to assist riders.  While maps and cue sheets are available at check-in the morning of the event, the marking of the route is intended to be thorough enough to allow riders to follow the route with confidence without having to use the maps or cue sheets.  Riding in a group may ease a rider's concerns about the route; however, groups can easily fragment into smaller groups and into individual riders throughout the route.   The route markings are done in a standard manner to make it easy for groups and single riders to identify and follow the route and enjoy the ride and be sure they are still on-course.

The route will be marked with painted "road hickies" (or marks) and signs to assist riders.   A road hickie is a marking painted on the road that indicates the correct direction of travel.   The markings consist of a white circle and a white, blue, or orange line extending from the circle to indicate the correct direction of travel.    In marking the route, the plan is to err on the side of caution and provide as many markings as possible to provide the highest level of comfort possible and remove rider concerns about missing a turn.

RIDERS should always follow the painted marks as the PRIMARY NAVIGATION AID !    Signs are a secondary visual cue, but are not the primary navigation aid.  Signs are subject to tampering by vandals; therefore, use the painted road markings to resolve any conflicts that you may encounter.   ALWAYS confirm that the painted marking matches the sign that is posted.   If the sign does not agree with the painted mark, IGNORE THE SIGN.

Signs for the event are placed the evening prior to the event.  This is done to limit the timeframe that the signs are physically posted on the route to keep tampering by vandals to a minimum.  There may be situations where vandals may move or remove signs.

When signs are removed from the route by vandals, the rider should rely on the painted markings.

When signs are moved or switched with other signs, a conflict in the navigation can occur.  Vandals may move or switch signs in an attempt to confuse riders. 

RIDERS should always follow the painted marks as the PRIMARY NAVIGATION AID !    Signs are a secondary visual cue, but are not the primary navigation aid.  Signs are subject to tampering by vandals; therefore, use the painted road markings to resolve any conflicts that you may encounter.   ALWAYS confirm that the painted marking matches the sign that is posted.   If the sign does not agree with the painted mark, IGNORE THE SIGN.

 

Painted markings for the Family Fun Ride will be marked with a WHITE CIRCLE and ORANGE LINE.

ORANGE signs will be used for the Family Fun Ride.

 

Painted markings for the Metric Century will be marked with a WHITE CIRCLE and BLUE LINE.

BLUE signs will be used for the Family Fun Ride.
 

Painted markings for the Century will be marked with a WHITE CIRCLE and WHITE LINE.

GREEN signs will be used for the Century. 

Turns can present problems if not properly marked; therefore, we take additional measures to mark turns by providing three marks at each turn.   These marks are used to (1) prepare the rider for the approaching turn, (2) indicate the turn, and (3) provide confirmation that the rider made the correct change in course after completing the turn.   These marks will appear in sequence as noted below.  

Long, continuous stretches of a route can cause concern, doubt, and worry for riders if the route is not marked periodically just to confirm that they are still on the correct road.   The route is marked approximately every two miles with a "feel-good" mark to let riders know they are still on the route and have not strayed off of the course.  While the multiple marks at turns should keep riders on-course, these marks provide extra assurance to riders that they are still on-course.