Basking Ridge Kids Bike 30 Miles For Diabetes Awareness

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Eight-year-old Ananya and 6-year-old Aakash Mehta of Basking Ridge completed a 30-mile bike ride for the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure on June 25.

It was Ananya's second year and Aakash's first time biking the race. Their team raised more than $1,000.

“It was awesome,” the children’s father Rajkumar Ganesan told Patch of their accomplishment.

Rajkumar’s father had been diagnosed with diabetes and so had the kids’ friends’ grandparents. Their friends Rishabh, 8 and Riya Dagli, 7 also biked as part of their team.

The ride was to help the children get a better understanding about what others are going through, Rajkumar said.

“I wanted them to understand what diabetes is,” Rajkumar said. “They were in pain around the 20- to 30-mile range. But if normal people are going through pain, they can understand what it would be like to have diabetes and going through pain. They can understand what other people go through.”

The ride also taught the children how to fundraise and give back to community.

The team finished the course in 3 hours and 13 minutes.

“It was pretty awesome and we were surprised they finished in a short time,” Rajkumar said.

For more information on the bike ride visit tour.diabetes.org.

(Images provided)

Photo 1 - Group shot of the team riding.

Photo 2 - Ananya.

Photo 3 - Aakash.

Photo 4 -Ananya.

Photo 5 - Rishabh.

Photo 6 - Riya.

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