BAR HARBOR – Donald Rae needed just a week to raise $1,700 for Sunday’s Mount Desert Island Tour de Cure bicycle ride.

It sounds like a lot of money in just a few days but Rae has plenty of experience participating in and fundraising for the annual American Diabetes Association event.

And he has a lot of motivation to raise money for the national organization. Rae, a 41-year-old Ellsworth native, was diagnosed with diabetes 14 years ago. He has participated in every Tour de Cure since he was 28.

The 190 participants in the benefit ride had a choice of three courses: 100 kilometers, 50K or 25K. All three started and finished at the College of the Atlantic with tours of Mount Desert Island and Acadia National Park en route.

The 100K circuit took riders along the Eagle Lake Road, then Route 103 through Somesville, Pretty Marsh, Bernard, Bass Harbor, Seawall and Southwest Harbor, then turned on to Route 3 and went through Northeast Harbor, Seal Harbor, Otter Creek and finally back to Bar Harbor.

The medium- and short-distance routes were confined mostly to the Park Loop Road in Acadia.

Despite gray skies and damp, chilly air, riders on the Park Loop Road were treated to views of popular Acadia spots such as Sand Beach, Jordan Pond and Otter Cliff, as well as lush stretches of spring-green foliage and babbling brooks.

Rae chose the 50K route because he hasn’t had a lot of time to train this year. His assistant sales manager position at Maine Shellfish Company in Ellsworth, along with wife Juli, and daughters Rachel, 11, and Sydnee, 9, keep him busy.

“As I got older and I had family it became more difficult to get in shape this early in the summer for a 100K,” said Rae, who wore a Tour de Cure jersey during the race. “Plus, the 50K route is so much nicer. You don’t have to worry about traffic.”

Rae was 27 when he realized his thirst, exhaustion and increased need to urinate were out of the ordinary. He was diagnosed initially as a type 2 diabetic and was later diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes can generally be controlled through diet and exercise. Type 1 diabetes require regular injections of insulin in order to maintain blood sugar.

Rae uses an insulin pump, which resembles a pager and is worn on a belt buckle. The pump is programmed to give him a certain amount of insulin at different intervals during the day. Before a long workout, such as Sunday’s 50K, Rae can adjust the amount of insulin he receives.

Biking and cross-country skiing have become important ways for Rae to manage his diabetes. Since his diagnosis Rae has bought three bikes.

After Sunday’s workout, the first thing Rae did was test his blood-sugar level.

“It’s an up-and-down battle,” he said with a smile.

Donna Knoop, chairwoman of the MDI race – there’s another Tour de Cure in Kennebunk June 3 – cheered as her husband Erik Knoop crossed the finish line. The Knoops, who live in Levant, have been involved with the ride for several years because Erik Knoop enjoys bicycling.

It got personal in January, however, when Donna Knoop was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

“It was like a slap in the face,” she said. “I’d been doing this for all those out there who don’t have anybody to care for them and now it’s like, wow. … It’s just a great group to work with and it’s one the largest-growing diseases and [one of] the least looked-at.”

While the ride was a fine way to incorporate some exercise into the day, participants know their primary goal is to raise money for the cause.

Emily Williams, who serves as the associate manager for the Maine Tour de Cure for the American Diabetes Association, said the current gross from Sunday’s race stands at $66,000 and could increase by $20,000 more as pledges continue to come in the next two months.

Nationwide, the Tour de Cure raised more than $12.3 million last year.

Abe Furth’s 41-member team from Woodman’s Bar & Grill in Orono raised about $9,000. It was the second year in a row the team has participated.

“Everybody has a family member who has diabetes,” said Furth, a Woodman’s co-owner who rode in the 25K before helping set up for a post-ride barbecue. “I don’t know anybody who doesn’t know someone who has diabetes.”

Rae has another motivation to raising money and riding in a diabetes benefit. He recently read in an American Diabetes Association e-mail that stem-cell research in Europe has proved promising. He’d like to see the same kind of research in the U.S.

“I think the whole country needs to know about that,” he said. “To me, the [pace of research] isn’t fast enough. … Even if I was miraculously cured I could still see myself doing [the ride]. It gives me a reason to keep myself in shape. Other than that, it’s a great cause.”

To donate money to the Tour de Cure, go to www.diabetes.org