# Cycling with Diabetes.



## J.Y.Kelly (Dec 6, 2014)

Any cyclists on here? I am returning to cycling after a 4 year lay-off due to back problems, which thankfully seem to have been dealt with successfully. I was a keen club cyclists prior to 2011 and was wondering if anyone on here cycles. I don't mean competitively, I mean for leisure, commuting, shopping or touring etc. It would be interesting to swap experiences regarding diabetic control.


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## Copepod (Dec 6, 2014)

Lots of advice here: http://www.runsweet.com/DiabetesAndSport.html and http://www.runsweet.com/Cycling.html

I cycle a fair bit for commuting & leisure. As always with diabetes, the key is to always carry meter, insulin and food. 

I'll move this to Exercise / Sports section, where you will find more threads about cycling.


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## HOBIE (Dec 6, 2014)

I am out tomorrow. Prob 3 or 4 mile.  I have a new Freestyle Libre that gives you graphs of your bg. Have a look at Exercise posts


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## KookyCat (Dec 7, 2014)

I cycle too, although less successfully than I used to, but I'm getting there .


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## Nyadach (Mar 14, 2015)

Done the C2C a few times, End2End, various sportives and other daft things. Gotta just love getting out riding


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## Sharkbread (Jun 9, 2015)

*Newbie advice*

I'm looking to start cycling as part of a fitness regime.
I'm terrified of having a hypo and was hoping for some advice from experienced persons on here.
I have read some of the posts and comments yet still require some reassurance.
Sorry to be a pain.


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## Northerner (Jun 10, 2015)

Hi Sharkbread, welcome to the forum  I'm not a cyclist, but I have been a distance runner for many years, both before and after diagnosis, so do have quite a bit of insight into keeping that going with diabetes. The good news is that it is perfectly possible to be a cyclist even and the highest level with diabetes, and on insulin - there is a team if elite cyclists (and runners, and swimmers!) called Team Novo Nordisk. Sponsored by the insulin company, they compete around the world in all top-level competitions. There's also a GB-based group - go to http://www.teambloodglucose.com/TeamBG/Home.html for information. 

Now, whilst you may not be able to reach that level (I certainly couldn't!), it does show what it possible with planning and knowledge.

For me, the planning part consists of making sure I have some fast-acting sugar when out of a run, and the knowledge part comes from building up a picture of my reactions to exercising whilst on insulin. After I was diagnosed I started out very cautiously, with fairly gentle exercise and very regular testing both before and after exercise. It's very important that you find for yourself how your body reacts, since there is quite a wide range of possibilities. By testing before, and then at half-hourly intervals I gradually found that I was fine for up to about 8 miles before needing a 'boost' of sugar - in my case a jelly baby or two, or a sports gel if I plan on running much further. Much will depend on your level of fitness when you start out. Practically everyone finds that they become more sensitive to their insulin after exercise, sometimes fr as much as 48 hours afterwards, so therefore doses and ratios need to be reduced accordingly. Again, this knowledge should be built up gradually and cautiously so you can be as confident as possible each time you head out.

It may seem like a long and tedious process at first, but once acquired the knowledge and experience will stand you in good stead. I have found that I need to eat/inject about an hour or two before going out so I have food digesting and insulin circulating - something that you will need to experiment with to find the best set up for you. You might be interested in getting a copy of the Diabetic Athlete's Handbook - I found it very useful when starting out after diagnosis. I recently ran a half marathon, level was 7.5 prior to starting, and a healthy 5.1 at the end. One thing to bear in mind is that you shouldn't commence exercising above 15 mmol/l as levels can increase.

How long have you been diagnosed, and what insulin regime are you on? Howe has your control been? Please feel free to ask any questions you may have, and we will do our best to help out!


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## KookyCat (Jun 10, 2015)

Hi Sharkbread
I have always cycled but haven't always had diabetes (late bloomer last year at 40) so I understand the terror, I had visions of getting on my bike and toppling off it whilst hypo.  I don't find cycling makes me hypo really but I'm not a speed cyclist I tend to go at medium speed.  In my limited experience different types of exercise impact people differently.  I will usually as a rule of thumb have hypo episodes if I'm doing anything that involves lifting or intense muscle use in the upper body, but cycling, walking and dancing are OK.   Here's what I did when I first started cycling again, I did a cycle round a park with a companion, had a biscuit before hand to nudge me into the 7 range, and cycled for 15 minutes, stopped and tested, and then cycled a bit more and stopped to test.  I had a bottle of juice and water (50/50) for quick top ups but didn't really need them.  The thing I was concerned at to start with was my legs are my most reliable hypo indicator, when I'm on the downward spiral I get wobbly legs, and since I hadn't been able to cycle for a while I got wobbly legs pretty much from the start   after cycling I find my insulin use is generally more efficient so I usually adjust my bolus for the next meal to work with that increased efficiency.

If you don't normally cycle it might be worth hiring a bike and doing an off road trip to see how you react to it and work out a hypo strategy before hand.  I have to confess I'm less keen on cycling on road now because of traffic and the potential for hypos but I'm getting there.  Cycling is great I missed it when I couldn't do it, so definitely worth it


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## HOBIE (Jun 10, 2015)

Nyadach said:


> Done the C2C a few times, End2End, various sportives and other daft things. Gotta just love getting out riding



I have done a few c2c & Hadrian's. But this guy did Lands End John o G totally by himself. 800 plus miles  For JDRF.


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## Copepod (Jun 10, 2015)

Welcome to the forum Sharkbread. Lots of inspiration in the websites mentioned by Northerner etc.

If you're looking more for information about physiology of exercise with type 1 diabetes etc, then you may find the links in my post on 06-12-2014 more useful initially.

Happy cycling!


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## Northerner (Jun 22, 2015)

My niece (who isn't diabetic) has really got into cycling over the past couple of years. Yesterday she cycled 150 miles - and it wasn't flat either, over the Pennines from Yorkshire to Lancashire and back!  As I don't cycle, and never have, I've no benchmark for how impressive this is, but suspect it's pretty good going, maybe equivalent to running a marathon?


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## HOBIE (Jun 22, 2015)

Good for her Northy


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