briandelmo

I'm type 1 just wondering if anyone else on here is the same? Wondering what you take to eat/drink on long rides. Also if anyone does any races and what they do during the race.

sstorkel

I'm a Type 1 diabetic. I drink CarboRocket on long rides and eat Clif Bars. I particularly like CarboRocket: it's not sickly sweet like Gatorade and the complex carbs mean my blood sugar doesn't spike like it does with other sports drinks.

RacerOne

You might try looking at the Team Type 1 website:

https://www.teamtype1.org/

Phil Southerland is Type 1 and blogs about what he does while racing.

tfg111

I am type 1 as well. I started riding more last year. I have only done one race it is was only 15 miles, so I didn't need anything. On rides, I take some crackers and drink water. I have ridden 3 hours without anything. I always have some stuff with me. I haven't figured out if eating some carbs and taking insulin is required. I do turn down the basal rates on my pump.

bigwapitijohnny

Diagnosed last April. Since then I put > 1500 miles on the bike, 470 so far this year...also went from 248lbs to 208lbs...Love biking! I am trying to figure out the carbs necessary to avoid the blood sugar drop from long rides. From what I understand, they recommend that you have 1gm of Carb per 1kg of body weight to avoid the dangerous drop in blood sugar. Good to see a presence of the T1s and hopefully more T2s.

Regards,

BWJ

BigBlueToe

I'm type II for about 12 years now. I bring sandwiches on long rides, or stop at a restaurant and eat something when I feel myself bonking. I also bring Atkins bars as an alternative to Power Bars.

I take self-supported tours in the summer. After a few days of consecutive long, hard rides, I have to cut back on my medication. Cycling is great for helping manage my blood sugar.

rydaddy

I'm a Type 1. During my long rides I just make sure to eat 30-40 grams of carbs (cliff bars, granola, fruit, bagels, etc) per hour. This also depends on the level of effort. I've done all day rides and eat as much as I can get my hands on. I leave the pump off during these rides or set the basal very low.

During races, the pump stays off (don't want to crash and break it!) and I just eat a cliff bar or take a gel before the race. I also make sure there is not much "insulin on board" so that I don't bonk. My races are so short right now that I don't have to eat anything else during the ride. A gel flask will be in order once my race durations pick up. My first MTB race is tonight and I'll be doing an extra lap than what I am used to. I'll probably carry a gel or something similar just in case. Another thing to consider, stress hormones and adrenaline can really affect your blood sugar. You might be suprised with a really high number after a very hard effort during a race.

The best thing you can do is test, test, test until you learn how your body reacts. I pretty much know when I need eat something.... but that comes with experience, and testing.

sstorkel

Continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) are becoming more and more affordable. And insurance companies are starting to pay for them, too. I use the MiniMed CGMS along with my insulin pump and think it's a great tool for monitoring blood sugar trends during exercise. Nice to be able to glance at the CGMS while riding and know approximately what my blood sugar is, rather than having to get off the bike and test...

rydaddy

Yeah, CGMS is a neat tool. However, I just used a loaner from my Dr. and they really annoy me. My skin gets irritated from them and the sweat from my riding makes the 'seal' go foul pretty quickly. I've learned to test without stopping. I don't test all the time. Just when I'm curious to see where I am at during long rides. Usually my instincts are correct.

wrfixed

im a type I diabetic also, and i just recently started on longer rides. im actually training for the tour de cure in may!

ive found that if i eat 40-50 carbs per for each hour i ride my levels stay very well in check. i also carry cliff bars with me to snack on if i feel like i need to. i keep my pump on though, and havent scaled back the basal rates, but as i go on longer rides and farther from home i will probably end up doing that just to be safe. my longest rides so far have been 35 miles or so, so im sure i'll have to do some more adjusting when i work up to longer rides.

RacerOne

You guys with T1 inspire me, my 6 year old boy is T1 and I'd sure like to be able to go long distances with him someday. It's good to know you are out there making it work. Have any of you ever had any close calls with lows while on the bike / working out?

AndrewP

I have been Type 1 for over 55 yrs. I dont race. I drink 25% fruit juice 75% water. When I am riding all day I have to monitor the blood sugar carefully in the afternoon and in the 24 hrs after the ride, as the muscles suddenly decide they have to recover their glycogen levels and suck all the sugar out of my bloodstream.

rydaddy

I'm doing the Roseville TDC this May as well.

I have had a couple lows when I first started riding. My afternoon commutes (~1 hour long) would require me to eat a cliff bar to not bonk (I learned that the hard way ). Mornings, I don't need much of anything before a ride. The most important thing is to always carry some fast acting sugar. Glucose tabs work great for those unexpected bonks.

There's nothing your son won't be able to do because of diabetes. I'm training for a 200 mile ride this April.

briandelmo

I keep my pump on aswell but I havent changed the basal rate cause I havent gone low yet. I thought about getting the new pump with the CGMS, but I just got a new pump im still paying for and my insurance wouldnt let me upgrade this soon anyways

HAMMER MAN

a little off of the topic,do any here use gels, like power gel or hammer gel?
also how do you actually monitor your carb intake,say like @ dinner or lunch?

RacerOne

I don't monitor my own, but I certainly do my sons. To monitor your carb intake you read the labels on the boxes and do the math to estimate what was eaten. When eating out, if there is no nutrition guide available for the restaurant / peoples house you are visiting, there are various resources (books, etc) you can use to get pretty close. We've been at it a short enough time (3 months) that we still screw it up pretty bad every once in a while.

Ratfish

I think I might be borderline hypoglycemic, but cutting out sucrose has fixed that for me.

sstorkel

My skin is very sensitive and I've had similar problems. Using some sort of "skin prep" helps a lot. Something like Bard Protective Barrier Film or Smith & Nephew Skin-Prep. I put on a couple of layers, wait for it to dry thoroughly, then insert the CGMS sensor. I cover the sensor with a Tegaderm dressing which gets replaced once or maybe twice a day. When I replace the Tegaderm, I let my skin "breathe" for a few minutes and I also reapply the skin prep. This regimen seems to work well with the 3-day MiniMed CGMS sensors.

sstorkel

There are stand-alone continuous glucose monitoring systems. Dexcom and Freestyle both make one. I thought my Doc told me that Dexcom had a system that was almost affordable ($400-500 start-up cost?), but my insurance company decided to pay for the MiniMed system so I didn't bother to investigate further. As rydaddy suggests, there are also some docs that can provide a loaner system for short periods of time to help try to solve particular control problems (e.g. exercise).

briandelmo

I have the mini med, but i just looked at the box and mine supports the cgms so i might try that out