Cycling with Diabetes

lindbeckb

New Member
Feb 2, 2022
22
11
Aberdeen
So.... for Christmas last year i got the gift of Type 1 Daibetes. Ive been a avid biker for years and had gotten into ebikes over the last few years, so much so i pre ordered a Cube Action Team back in October. as of last week my new truck had a diff failure so looks like im not doing a 20 mile daily commute on the E gravel bike. once the weather gets a bit better i want to get back out and do my normal 20-30 milers off road. anyone else find issues past a certan point and managing there glucose levels? Im lucky to have a Freestyle Libre 2 and can catch most issues before they arise but am intrested in what others have found
 

Oldcreaky

Member
Feb 8, 2019
37
35
Bristol
So.... for Christmas last year i got the gift of Type 1 Daibetes. Ive been a avid biker for years and had gotten into ebikes over the last few years, so much so i pre ordered a Cube Action Team back in October. as of last week my new truck had a diff failure so looks like im not doing a 20 mile daily commute on the E gravel bike. once the weather gets a bit better i want to get back out and do my normal 20-30 milers off road. anyone else find issues past a certan point and managing there glucose levels? Im lucky to have a Freestyle Libre 2 and can catch most issues before they arise but am intrested in what others have found
I to live with diabetes but it is type 2 now controlled with insulin as well as the tablets i have been taking for over twenty years.
At the moment i am still finding the correct dose which i only inject once a day. Having been out on the bike and found myself heading for a hypo i have taken the diabetic nurse's advice and carry Jelly Beans with me when i am out, her advice is to take five at a time. I now eat the five at different points on my ride depending on distance and climbing this means i return home with the correct sugar level instead of experiencing the symptoms of low sugar levels. I hope my experiences helps but every thing is personal depending on when you inject when you eat etc. also the effort you put in on any particular ride. Best thing to do is to always have something like Jelly Beans or glucose tabs with you and take them before it is too late.
 

steve_sordy

Wedding Crasher
Nov 5, 2018
8,443
8,689
Lincolnshire, UK
My 14-year old grandson was diagnosed with Type 1 when he was 10. Initially he thought his sporting life was over. He has been mad keen on mtb since he was two years old, but he was reluctant to come out with me once he had his diagnosis.

Eventually I persuaded him to come for a ride and all of his fears were unfounded. That first ride was completely free of drama. I take with me "McVities Hobnobs - choccy flapjack", which are basically a small flapjack made with broken Hobnobs and with a layer of chocolate on the top. They prove to perfectly offset the mtb exertions for him. He now has all the best kit (latest Libre version) which makes life a lot easier.
He still does mtb, but rugby is taking over. It seems that the girls prefer lads that do rugby to those that do mtb - who would have thought that? :unsure: :love:
 

GBR66

New Member
Mar 6, 2022
22
12
UK
My 14-year old grandson was diagnosed with Type 1 when he was 10. Initially he thought his sporting life was over. He has been mad keen on mtb since he was two years old, but he was reluctant to come out with me once he had his diagnosis.

Eventually I persuaded him to come for a ride and all of his fears were unfounded. That first ride was completely free of drama. I take with me "McVities Hobnobs - choccy flapjack", which are basically a small flapjack made with broken Hobnobs and with a layer of chocolate on the top. They prove to perfectly offset the mtb exertions for him. He now has all the best kit (latest Libre version) which makes life a lot easier.
He still does mtb, but rugby is taking over. It seems that the girls prefer lads that do rugby to those that do mtb - who would have thought that? :unsure: :love:
Great Grandad!
 

Sanjeeves

Member
Jul 24, 2021
9
3
Bolton
So.... for Christmas last year i got the gift of Type 1 Daibetes. Ive been a avid biker for years and had gotten into ebikes over the last few years, so much so i pre ordered a Cube Action Team back in October. as of last week my new truck had a diff failure so looks like im not doing a 20 mile daily commute on the E gravel bike. once the weather gets a bit better i want to get back out and do my normal 20-30 milers off road. anyone else find issues past a certan point and managing there glucose levels? Im lucky to have a Freestyle Libre 2 and can catch most issues before they arise but am intrested in what others have found

Congratulations on joining the damaged goods club! :LOL:
I've been a type 1 for over 10 years now and have a few tricks I use for the longer rides. I usually turn down my basal rate (on a pump) about an hour before I head out to get some extra glucose in the system then it stays on a reduced rate until after the ride. Also have a top up of some faster acting glucose like a bit of full fat coke every hour or so depending on the climbing done to keep some juice in the tank. The biggest trick I have is changing the alarm on the sensor to well before you actually go low though. My golden number is 4.4 to catch it but it took some trial and error I have to admit. Have to say nothing kills the fun like getting that zombie feeling from a low 🧟‍♂️
 

rod9301

Member
Oct 10, 2020
147
79
US
Interesting. I have type 1, for a couple of years, controlled with ozempic.
I ride about 5-6 days a week.

My blood sugar goes up during the ride, which is mostly 2-2.5h
 

lindbeckb

New Member
Feb 2, 2022
22
11
Aberdeen
all good input guys.
i am still finding the correct dose which i only inject once a day
i wish i could get down to one injection daily. for me its every carb counted for every meal and then adjust the shot to suit. luckly i have been keeping food logs with my finess pal for years as a old habit carried over from the US Marines.

taken the diabetic nurse's advice and carry Jelly Beans with me when i am out
ive got one hell of a bag of goodies with me at all times, no less than 4 welches fruit snacks, a protein bar and some SIS gels.

ive had to expidite my return to cycling because i got a new ford ranger and with less than 15K on the clock the rear end has locked up. whilst it is away for warranty repairs im now doing a commute in to work, about 10.5miles each way and pick up the kiddos on the way home for hte last 2 miles.
IMG_0528.jpg

I need to start working out Watts to Glucose or calories to Glucose so i can be more ahead of any Hypos but at the moment if i start my work to home commute @ 7.5 or so can make it home and will only need 10 G of carbs. to keep me in the safe range. ive also cut 2 units of my morning long acting insulin and take it at 7:30 in stead of 5:00.

sounds like justifacation for a power meeter but i doubt accounting (wife) will approve any more bike related stuffs this year.
 

lindbeckb

New Member
Feb 2, 2022
22
11
Aberdeen
Interesting. I have type 1, for a couple of years, controlled with ozempic.
I ride about 5-6 days a week.

My blood sugar goes up during the ride, which is mostly 2-2.5h
i was reading about just that the other day. apparently aerobic excersise will lower Glucose whilst anaerobic (sprinting, all out effort, panic) will cause the body to release more glocose inturn causing a the numbers to go up, sometimes rapidly.

 

lindbeckb

New Member
Feb 2, 2022
22
11
Aberdeen
Is that Merida a rear hub motor Eeb?
yea its a Mahle Ebikemotion x35 hub drive and 252Wh internal battery,. gives a gentle push nothing overly exciting, say 2 steps above nothing. I took the Cube full fat in today what a differance.
 

Sanjeeves

Member
Jul 24, 2021
9
3
Bolton
ive got one hell of a bag of goodies with me at all times, no less than 4 welches fruit snacks, a protein bar and some SIS gels.
hahahaha always just the essentials! Pretty sure I could feed a small family with the "just in case foods" in my backpack when I'm riding 😆

ive had to expidite my return to cycling because i got a new ford ranger and with less than 15K on the clock the rear end has locked up.
Ouch! Surprised they've not given you something as a run around while yours is getting its back end seen too 👀

sounds like justifacation for a power meeter but i doubt accounting (wife) will approve any more bike related stuffs this year.

That doesn't sound like bike related stuff to me..... sounds more like a diabetic necessity 😁
The Watts vs glucose would be interesting to see, I think the Kiox does have an option to show Watts on the screen..... next time I'm on the Trek I'll have a fiddle in the settings and see if it can show it.
 

rod9301

Member
Oct 10, 2020
147
79
US
i was reading about just that the other day. apparently aerobic excersise will lower Glucose whilst anaerobic (sprinting, all out effort, panic) will cause the body to release more glocose inturn causing a the numbers to go up, sometimes rapidly.

My rides are low intensity, even though it's technical terrain, definitely in the aerobic zone
 

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