Ambassador
AGE OF DIAGNOSIS 10
Diabetes is like cycling – it is a TEAM sport.
PROFILE
Australian Justin Morris is a former member of Team Novo Nordisk’s professional squad and now serves as one of the organization’s standout ambassadors. The talented public speaker raced for two seasons with the men’s professional team before splitting his time between sharing the team’s mission to inspire, educate and empower, completing his university studies and starting his own business coaching and mentoring athletes.
The 35-year-old first discovered his love of biking at an early age. In high school, the Sydney-native noticed his best days were always the days he rode his bike to school. When the Sydney Olympics came to town, the mountain biking event and a key T1 diabetes role model in Aussie Rugby player Steve Renouf inspired him to start competing. After winning his first bike race, he never looked back.
Morris was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 10. He raced mountain bikes as a junior and at 18, added road racing to his regimen for cross-training purposes. On the road, he excelled. In 2009, Morris signed his first road contract with the Australian domestic team MACE/Wilson Racing and joined the Team Novo Nordisk development team in 2010.
Morris has never let his diabetes slow him down. In 2011, he finished fifth overall at the legendary Crocodile Trophy, a grueling 10-day Australian mountain bike event covering almost 750 miles. In 2016, he won the equally grueling Simpson Desert Bike Challenge, a five-day race on fat tire bikes across one of the world’s largest sand deserts. Just prior to the pandemic Morris placed third overall at the Tour of East Timor, a stage race across the mountainous terrain in one of the world’s newest nations and represented Australia at the world MTB marathon championships in Switzerland.
As a Team Novo Nordisk ambassador, Justin has worked around the world spreading the team’s positive message. From 2017-2019, he took part in ‘Pedal for 7,’ a successful cycle event that stopped at various hospitals, schools, and community groups across the UK. He has spent significant time speaking throughout Asia where cycling is not so mainstream to help promote the team and to drive change in diabetes.
Even with all his travels, Morris found time to finish his degree in psychology and education. He is about to become a father in 2022, he lives with his wife and greyhound doggy, splitting time between Michigan in the USA and Tasmania, Australia.
Q&A
Message to people with diabetes: Nothing worthwhile is possible alone, seek out a supportive diabetes team to help you through the challenges the condition will throw at you.
Cycling dream: My cycling dreams these days centre more around my coaching of other athletes, it is inspiring & motivating to be a part of the cycling journey of some amazing athletes. However, Personally I still would love to race the iconic Leadville 100 MTB race in Colorado.
Life dream: I am lucky to have been living my dream; spreading a message of hope & empowerment around the world for the past 13years. My dream is to continue this and to see my son grow up to be a happy human.