NORWICH – Cycling has helped Dr. Scott Cohen lose weight and keep it off. The best part: It’s been fun.

Using his most recent ride as an example, Cohen, who is a doctor at Bassett Healthcare and the medical director for Chenango County’s Public Health Department, said it was less a workout and more of a social gathering.

“It was three hours of being outdoors with five friends,” said Cohen, who began road and mountain biking regularly about two years ago. “It was incredible exercise... but we were able to see the countryside, burning calories instead of gasoline.”

Promoting an active, healthy lifestyle – through biking and other forms of exercise – is a main focus of the “Tour de Cure,” a series of nationwide cycling tours that raise money for the American Diabetes Association.

Sponsored by AIM Fitness and Chenango Memorial Hospital, Cohen and several of his fellow riders are participating in a Tour de Cure event June 1 around Oneida Lake. The group, know as “Team Chenango,” also participated last year, and is actively seeking more riders from the surrounding communities – at all skill and experience levels – to join them for this year’s event.