sea-to-sea for diabetes with diabetes.
 

Hi y'all,

Am planning to ride the sea to sea in two weeks time from Whitehaven to Sunderland, about 140 miles, for diabetes UK with my sister and a friend. Kim (my sister) has had been an insulin dependent diabetic since she was about six years old and has had a lot of support from the charity. Does anyone have any advice or experience regarding carrying insulin and all the gear (ie, blood monitoring kit, emergency glucose etc..) or indeed any advice as we are all pretty young naive inexperienced cycle tourists. Also, planning on camping the route. Oh! And if anyone fancies sponsoring us please visit; www.justgiving.com/c2c4diabetes.

Thanks. Steve Byford

My wife's a T1 and when we ride (mtb, mostly) we stop every 30 mins for a blood test and, if everything's normal, she'll eat half a power bar. That seems to work very well for her. That was before she started using an insulin pump, and since she got pregnant shortly after starting the pump, she hasn't done much riding. We'll probably start with what worked before and then adjust based on what we see.

I'd recommend wearing a camelback to carry all your supplies. Plus having that much water is almost a requirement, so the camelback is a natural. Will you be using paniers or towing a B.O.B? You might want a little cooler to keep the insulin chilled.

Being a type 1 myself for 32 years I applaud you for doing the ride. As far as supplies I carry my monitor with me all the time and check every 30 to 45 minutes to see where I'm at. I just recently went on the pump, 12 days and my routine has changed somewhat. Not totally figured out yet but I'm working on it.
I would try to keep the insulin cool depending on the temps you are going to have. They do make ice packs that I have taken on trips that keep it cool for around 24 hours. As for the other supplies make up a kit tha tis small and has everything you need. Take a few extras but not to many as to overload yourself. Keep hydrated and keep in a good range and you should have smooth sailing.