He has been active all of his life playing tennis, but about 5 years ago, he started seriously training on a bike after he was given an old 10 speed bike from a friend. Since then, JT has been unstoppable. He currently rides 10-15 miles/day and 100 miles over the weekend. He has noticed his lung capacity improving from 50% to 75-80%, since training regularly on the bike and his legs have improved in strength and endurance, decreasing the force applied to his aching knee joints.

JT doesn't just ride for pleasure or for competition, he rides his bike in charity events helping raise thousands of dollars for worthy programs. Last summer, he participated in the "GTE Big Ride Across America", raising money for the American Lung Association. JT wasn't alone on this journey. He, along with 715 fellow cyclists, rode their bikes from Seattle Washington to Washington DC in 45 days! The riders averaged 90+ miles/day totaling 3,400 miles! The hardest part of the ride for JT wasn't the miles but the Cascade mountains. It was at the summit on "Snoqualmie Pass", with the wind chill at 20° in freezing rain and sleet, where he couldn't squeeze his brakes due to numbness in his hands from the cold. The riders were going down a 20 mile decline while coasting at 40 miles per hour and he needed to be able to use his brakes. While there in the high altitude where oxygen is scarce, Todd was tempted to quit. He was wheezing badly, his hands were numb and his knees were killing him, but he thought about his "riding buddy", Art Pepin, whose name and D.O.B. were inscribed on dog tags around his neck. Art Pepin is a friend and inspiration to JT. Art was one of the 1st courageous recipients of a heart transplant in the country and to this day is still doing well. "Art kept me going when things really got tough", replied JT. Another difficult day when JT was about to give up, an amputee passed him near mile 85 with 5 miles left before reaching the camp. He no longer felt sorry for himself and his aching knees, after all, he had two of them. JT suffered one accident during the whole ride. He cracked one rib and pulled his groin muscles but he got back on the bike to finish. He taped a cane to his bike to use while at each camp to help alleviate his knee pain and crossed the finish line with it mounted on his bike! JT received an award after the ride from the American Lung Association for "the rider most determined to finish the ride".

JT is currently a "Team in Training"™ mentor for the Leukemia Society of America 100 mile Century ride to be held on May 16th. There will be 15 riders from his local chapter. This ride is held in Santa Fe New Mexico at elevations reaching over 7,000 feet. In April, he rode in the American Lung Association 100 mile "Clean Air Bike Ride" in central Florida. He also has ridden in the Multiple Sclerosis 150 mile ride and the Diabetes ride for the cure where he met Greg LaMond and rode with him for 20 miles.

Along with cycling, JT also lift weights regularly, does calisthenics, and stretches. He is a strong advocate on exercising as you age to improve your quality of life and he leaves you with this closing thought: "keep on pedaling and ride safe".