The following is an extract of an interview the author did with Phil Southerland the founder of Team Type 1 professional cycling team. The full article is available in the January/February 2012 edition of Southern California Bicyclist magazine currently available for free at most bike shops in the Southern California area:
Professional cycling continues to be beset by drug scandals, mostly from prior years with former riders coming forward admitting past use of performance enhancing drugs; most notably Tyler Hamilton’s admissions on 60 Minutes that also involve Lance Armstrong. Some of my cycling heroes have admitted to be drug cheats, and the success of others, most notably Lance, have been called into question. It is never good for a sport to hold up for the admiration of its fans the best performance by a cheater among other cheaters. Yet when we look back at pro cycling, many of us suspect that is what we have.
Cycling fans need to look forward to find new heroes. One of mine ironically uses drugs, and he founded a pro cycling team with several members who also use drugs. He is Phil Southerland, the founder of Team Type 1 (TT1) and author of his memoir/sports adventure Not Dead Yet. He and some of his riders have diabetes and they use drugs legally not to enhance their performance at races, but to stay alive. The riders on TT1 are winners by just showing up at the starting line. I had the pleasure of meeting Phil at the Amgen Tour of California and have seen TT1 race several times. My interview with Phil follows:
Question: Phil, how is TT1 different from other pro cycling teams?
Phil: I would say that the major difference is that our pro cycling team is a vehicle for empowerment, to change the face of the disease, and ultimately to save lives. Every athlete on our team is part of the global vision. Of course, they race to win, but they also take pride in knowing they are racing for a greater good. They race for the human race. We also have 6 other teams run, comprising 80+ athletes who do outreach events to people with diabetes, health care professionals, attend trade shows, and much more.
Question: But most of the cyclists on the pro team are not diabetic?
Phil: Five of the riders on the pro men’s team have Type 1 diabetes. Right now, there are not enough type 1 riders to field an entire professional team; however we are working on that with our development team. Our entire development team is made up of type 1 athletes and there is a ton of talent there so more of them will join the pro ranks soon.
Question: You now have more than just the TT1 pro cycling team?
Phil: Yes, in addition to the men’s pro cycling team and development team, we have a women’s team, an elite team, a running team, a triathlon team and a Type 2 team. All in all there are seven teams who all compete under the banner of Team Type 1-SANOFI. We are home to more than 100 elite athletes, the majority of them with type 1 and more than 20 with type 2 diabetes. Every day, these athletes are pushing the boundaries of what is possible for diabetes and sports. More importantly, they are role models and global ambassadors, spreading a message of empowerment and hope to the millions of people around the world with diabetes. Right now, our programs include athletes affected by diabetes from 10 different countries. We want to be the home for elite athletes with diabetes, not only to grow what already is a one-of-a-kind athletic program, but to give these athletes the support they need to perform at their best and achieve success.
Question: Why did you write Not Dead Yet? [St. Martin’s Press 2011, available in bookstores or at www.teamtype1.org]
Phil: I wrote the book to help people with and without diabetes to realize that you don't have to walk the path that is expected, but rather the one you choose. We all have experienced adversity in our lives, and the bike was my greatest tool to overcoming mine. Over the past few years, I have become well-known in the diabetes community, and I wanted people to hear my background, understand my struggles (the same struggles everyone with diabetes has) and realize that if I could do it, anyone can do it. My biggest satisfaction in writing the book is when kids with diabetes or parents of kids with diabetes come up to me and tell me it gave them hope and made them feel for the first time, like everything would be ok. That they would be ok, that their kids would be ok.
Question: In 2011 you were appointed to a position with the World Health Organization; what is that role? What has that experience been like?
Phil: The role is Director of Health Care Policy, Planning and Patient Advocacy. In this role, I am part of a five-year project in China to develop governmental diabetes policy, and help to build advocacy networks in a country where type 1 diabetes discrimination prevents people from school, work, and much more. We are currently working with The President of Chinese Diabetes Society, SANOFI, The International Diabetes Center, the Mayo Clinic, and the International Diabetes Federation to abolish the discrimination, train health care professionals, and get people to stand proud with the disease via Chinese Twitter, micro blogs, etc. This position is independent of TT1. It is a voluntary position, and one I take great pride in. When the Minister of Health of Nanjing learned that two type 1 athletes competed in The Tour of Qinghai Lake [an international stage race in China], he was stunned, and moved to abolish discrimination, and pay for the treatment of people with diabetes.
Aside from this, I will also work in Rwanda, helping to build a model for access to insulin, test strips, and excellent care that can be scaled to other countries in Africa, so that having diabetes will no longer be the death sentence, as it is in many developing countries.
Having an official WHO title gives me the ability to help influence policy which will save lives and improve them. Most people don’t know that there are many countries in the world where people with diabetes do not have access to the essentials of diabetes care, namely blood sugar test strips and quality insulin like we have here in the U.S.
Question: Up in Tahoe you told me you started TT1 while you were still attending the University of Georgia. Now it has ballooned into a full time career and organization; how large of an organization is it and were you surprised-or were you always confident that it would grow as it has?
Phil: I got the idea while I had to ride my bike home for Christmas (no car for last 2 years of college) and while on the 300 mile journey from Athens to Tallahassee, I knew the bike would become the platform to change diabetes forever! The ride took 2 days and loved it! When I returned to school after that Christmas break I wrote the original business plan [for what became TT1]for a course I was taking.
I could never have dreamed the organization would be as big as it is today. I started TT1 with a $400 gift from a stranger as a grassroots initiative to help people take control of their diabetes using cycling as a platform. Today, we’re a global sports organization of more than 150 in the organization with people competing across the globe in cycling, running and triathlon. We also launched the Team Type 1 Diabetes Sports Research Institute this year to fill a major void in diabetes research (there are currently no guidelines for diabetes and sports) and have expanded our humanitarian role in places like Rwanda.
Question: With pro teams such as HTC folding for lack of sponsorship, how solid are your sponsorship deals?
Phil: Our partnership with SANOFI is incredible. Our relationship is much more than a sponsorship, but a partnership for better health for people with diabetes around the world. SANOFI believed in TT1 from the beginning. They recognized an opportunity to learn from us and in turn, provide patients with better care and better chances of success because of what TT1 athletes are proving is possible.
Together, we are changing the stigma of diabetes on a global scale. Tenyears ago, diabetes was a disease of CAN’T, “you can’t do this” or “you can’t do that.” That is rapidly changing and will continue to change even more because of this partnership
We also have great sponsors in Colnago, Shimano and Limar. We aim for long term partners who believe in the vision, and want to be a part of social change and to date have some great ones.
Question: What is/was your favorite bike? Do you still have it?
Phil: Colnago C59 with Di2. I will never get rid of that one
Question: If you could have the chance to meet someone living or dead who would it be and what do you think you would talk about?
Phil: Martin Luther King Jr. I would want to learn about how he persisted swimming the uphill battle for so long.
Question: How can my readers help or contact TT1?
Phil: There are a few ways to help. First donations, which can be done on our website at www.teamtype1.org All proceeds donated go toward the purchase blood glucose test strips for our Rwanda mission, where we are building the model for diabetes care in Africa. Additionally, if they know someone with diabetes, please encourage them to follow Team Type 1. Our team is hope for millions, and the impact will last a lifetime. Finally, if you are an athlete with diabetes interested in joining our program, contact us for more information. Besides the web site they can phone 1-800 Victory for more information. They can also contact Celina Beaver at: Celina.Beaver@teamtype1.org
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