A few questions

I am a type 1 diabetic and have been so for just over 40 years. Last autumn I
did a 50 km bike ride for a fundraiser (Diabetes Association) and there were pit
stops every 8 to 10 kms. every 12 or so kms i checked my blood sugars and ate
some fruit at a piut stop if necessary. Otherwise, it was just water to keep
hydrated. I was possibly the oldest rider (55 years old at the time) but
returned in the middle of the pack.

Just use your blood tester to check things out and drink fluids. If you need to
boost your blood sugar, well you know what to do. Since you are not in a
competition the time spent doing the finger [censored] and bkood test will pay BIG
dividends. The cycling will be good for your metabolism and body, but do the
monitoring! The monitoring will also tell you what you need to do with your
medication too - remember the effects take some time to sort out AND be careful.

I am planning some long touring trips requiring about 125 km/day for about a
month, and it will take a bit of time to get my own levels sorted out too. More
than 4 tests per day for the first week or so...

Ken
Winnipeg, Canada

P.S. see additional comment at the end.

Ray said:

OK, I've been riding for a few years, but....
snip...
Another thing to keep in mind is that I'm 32 years old, have Type 2
diabetes, weigh 260 lbs on a 5'10" frame...so yea, I'm fat and getting
old...sounds grim doesn't it? LOL

I remember 2-3 years ago being able to do 75-100 km rides and feeling it,
but was still enjoyable, and I still weighed the same as I do now. Now, I
seem to bonk out at 15-20 kms, where the rest of the trip after 20 kms is
pure struggle. Now becuase of my diabetes, taking pure carb gels or similar
would be suicide. I have a lower carb(15-20g carb), high protein bar around
the 10-12 km range, but that doesn't seem to change anything. Anybody have
ideas? I've only done about 3-4 trips in the 15-20 km range so far this
year. Do I just need to continue and ramp up the endurance?

Second question. My hands have always been a problem on long rides.
Numbness, pain, etc...maybe cause of the extra weight on them. I have the
biggest, and softess grips I could find, I wear padded gloves, and I also
have to end bars to give me a few different holding positions. It does help
somewhat, but I still suffer quite a bit by the end of the ride.

I also have this problem, but for now I put up with it. I don't have this
problem with my old Peugeot road bike, just with my Chinese-made MTB. The road
bike has the curved type of handle bars from the '70s while the MTB is like
yours. Perhaps it is the seat and bar heights and your torso weight on your
arms. Are your arms straight or are they bent?

Thanks Ken.

I try and keep my arms bent a little, and I actually have it setup so I'm
not so bent over when riding. The adjustable stem on the bike is right up
and I have the seat about 1/2" lower than the hand grips.

Yea, I have a 2L Camel back for liquids, and a couple of bike mounted bottle
and go through alot of it. I experienced severe dehydration on one of my
100k rides 3 years ago and thought I was going to die. The cramps in the
calf and quads was simply amazing, let alone the diziness. Then it got
worse...I got a flat about 5 kms from the end of that ride..LOL Ever since
then, I alway have more water than I need.

My diabetes isn't that bad as I can now control BG with diet alone, no meds.
I do the lower carb meals for breakfast and lunch and have a regular meal at
supper time. It's been working out real good, plus I'm losing 1-2 lbs a
week. I hate taking meds, so I do whatever I can to try and avoid them. My
BG never sees higher than 8 after a meal (without meds) so I'm happy with
that. This AM after my 23 km ride, when I got home I checked my BG and was
at 6.2.

Ray

"Ken Pisichko" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am a type 1 diabetic and have been so for just over 40 years. Last

autumn I

Quoted message said:

did a 50 km bike ride for a fundraiser (Diabetes Association) and there

were pit

Quoted message said:

stops every 8 to 10 kms. every 12 or so kms i checked my blood sugars and

ate

Quoted message said:

some fruit at a piut stop if necessary. Otherwise, it was just water to

keep

Quoted message said:

hydrated. I was possibly the oldest rider (55 years old at the time) but
returned in the middle of the pack.

Just use your blood tester to check things out and drink fluids. If you

need to

Quoted message said:

boost your blood sugar, well you know what to do. Since you are not in a
competition the time spent doing the finger [censored] and bkood test will pay

BIG

Quoted message said:

dividends. The cycling will be good for your metabolism and body, but do

the

Quoted message said:

monitoring! The monitoring will also tell you what you need to do with

your

Quoted message said:

medication too - remember the effects take some time to sort out AND be

careful.

Quoted message said:

I am planning some long touring trips requiring about 125 km/day for about

a

Quoted message said:

month, and it will take a bit of time to get my own levels sorted out too.

More

Quoted message said:

than 4 tests per day for the first week or so...

Ken
Winnipeg, Canada

P.S. see additional comment at the end.

Ray said:

OK, I've been riding for a few years, but....
snip...
Another thing to keep in mind is that I'm 32 years old, have Type 2
diabetes, weigh 260 lbs on a 5'10" frame...so yea, I'm fat and getting
old...sounds grim doesn't it? LOL

I remember 2-3 years ago being able to do 75-100 km rides and feeling

it,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but was still enjoyable, and I still weighed the same as I do now. Now,

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

seem to bonk out at 15-20 kms, where the rest of the trip after 20 kms

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

pure struggle. Now becuase of my diabetes, taking pure carb gels or

similar

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

would be suicide. I have a lower carb(15-20g carb), high protein bar

around

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

the 10-12 km range, but that doesn't seem to change anything. Anybody

have

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

ideas? I've only done about 3-4 trips in the 15-20 km range so far this
year. Do I just need to continue and ramp up the endurance?

Second question. My hands have always been a problem on long rides.
Numbness, pain, etc...maybe cause of the extra weight on them. I have

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

biggest, and softess grips I could find, I wear padded gloves, and I

also

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have to end bars to give me a few different holding positions. It does

help

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

somewhat, but I still suffer quite a bit by the end of the ride.

I also have this problem, but for now I put up with it. I don't have this
problem with my old Peugeot road bike, just with my Chinese-made MTB. The

road

Quoted message said:

bike has the curved type of handle bars from the '70s while the MTB is

like

Quoted message said:

yours. Perhaps it is the seat and bar heights and your torso weight on

your

Quoted message said:

arms. Are your arms straight or are they bent?

Ray said:

OK, I've been riding for a few years, but in the last 2 have
declined significantly..not sure why..negative motivation maybe.
But now, I'm starting out full swing again. Keep in mind, I do this
for fitness and the enjoyment of the fresh air, and not to get from
point A to B under a certain time. My average speed is 20-25 km/h
if the weather conditions are good.

My bike is a pretty decent hybrid. 2003 Rocky Mountain Metro like
this one: http://www.bikes.com/bikes/2003/excursion/metro.aspx

Another thing to keep in mind is that I'm 32 years old, have Type 2
diabetes, weigh 260 lbs on a 5'10" frame...so yea, I'm fat and
getting old...sounds grim doesn't it? LOL

Well, actually, that does sound grim in terms of your long term health
prospects. I know way too many Type II diabetics missing legs, kidney
function, eyesight... I'm sure you already know about this. IMHO it
gives you two great reasons to ride a bike- it's fun and it'll improve
your health. Heck, if you lost the 80 excess pounds your blood sugars
might remain in the normal range without treatment.

Quoted message said:

I remember 2-3 years ago being able to do 75-100 km rides and
feeling it, but was still enjoyable, and I still weighed the same as
I do now. Now, I seem to bonk out at 15-20 kms, where the rest of
the trip after 20 kms is pure struggle. Now becuase of my diabetes,
taking pure carb gels or similar would be suicide. I have a lower
carb(15-20g carb), high protein bar around the 10-12 km range, but
that doesn't seem to change anything. Anybody have ideas? I've
only done about 3-4 trips in the 15-20 km range so far this year.
Do I just need to continue and ramp up the endurance?

Has your medication changed in the intervening time? That can make a
difference. You may very well need to adjust your hypoglycemics or
your diet if you're getting more exercise. Many diabetics have their
blood sugar drop when exercising more than a normal person does, and
have to compensate for this.

Of course, it may just be that you're less fit than you were before
and need to build up, so your last question may hit the nail on the
head. That'll just be a matter of time. I think if I were in your
shoes I'd have a chat with my endocrinologist (or whatever doctor you
see- I would recommend seeing an endocrinologist, however).

Quoted message said:

Second question. My hands have always been a problem on long rides.
Numbness, pain, etc...maybe cause of the extra weight on them. I
have the biggest, and softess grips I could find, I wear padded
gloves, and I also have to end bars to give me a few different
holding positions. It does help somewhat, but I still suffer quite
a bit by the end of the ride. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas
that could help in this area, other than "get a recumbant"? LOL

There are several possibilities. Numb hands is a very common problem
for bicyclists, especially in the little finger and outer half of the
ring finger. This is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve
against the handlebar. I personally find that I cannot ride flat
bars, with or without bar ends, without this being a problem within a
half hour. Drop (road) bars, rarely a problem. Sometimes getting the
bars up higher is enough to solve the problem. You might consider
having a professional bike fitting done at a good bike shop (if you
tell us where you live, someone may be able to suggest a specific
shop).

I did a 55 km ride today and averaged 21.3 km/h according to my bike puter.
Even though it was really hot around here, I felt good until around the
45-48 km range, then, I had to slow down drastically (15-17 km/h) to keep my
heart rate in the 150-155 range. So I guess that was the bonking point..LOL

I had a lower carb/prot bar around the 20km mark and still felt good.
Around the 35 km mark I stopped at the store and got a small pita type
sandwhich with a can of V8 juice, and another 1.5 L of water to refill the
Camel back.

Still didn't feel that bad once I got back to the truck so I think it's just
a matter of me ramping up again.

When I got home (30 mins after the ride), my blood glucose (BG) was at 5.7
which is normal so I was happy about that.

Thanks for the info guys. I will keep biking, maybe try and get 15-20 kms
2-3 times during the week evenings and a solid 50-65 kms for next weekend
again.

BTW, I'm located in Hamilton.

Ray

"Tim McNamara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Ray said:

OK, I've been riding for a few years, but in the last 2 have
declined significantly..not sure why..negative motivation maybe.
But now, I'm starting out full swing again. Keep in mind, I do this
for fitness and the enjoyment of the fresh air, and not to get from
point A to B under a certain time. My average speed is 20-25 km/h
if the weather conditions are good.

My bike is a pretty decent hybrid. 2003 Rocky Mountain Metro like
this one: http://www.bikes.com/bikes/2003/excursion/metro.aspx

Another thing to keep in mind is that I'm 32 years old, have Type 2
diabetes, weigh 260 lbs on a 5'10" frame...so yea, I'm fat and
getting old...sounds grim doesn't it? LOL

Well, actually, that does sound grim in terms of your long term health
prospects. I know way too many Type II diabetics missing legs, kidney
function, eyesight... I'm sure you already know about this. IMHO it
gives you two great reasons to ride a bike- it's fun and it'll improve
your health. Heck, if you lost the 80 excess pounds your blood sugars
might remain in the normal range without treatment.

Quoted message said:

I remember 2-3 years ago being able to do 75-100 km rides and
feeling it, but was still enjoyable, and I still weighed the same as
I do now. Now, I seem to bonk out at 15-20 kms, where the rest of
the trip after 20 kms is pure struggle. Now becuase of my diabetes,
taking pure carb gels or similar would be suicide. I have a lower
carb(15-20g carb), high protein bar around the 10-12 km range, but
that doesn't seem to change anything. Anybody have ideas? I've
only done about 3-4 trips in the 15-20 km range so far this year.
Do I just need to continue and ramp up the endurance?

Has your medication changed in the intervening time? That can make a
difference. You may very well need to adjust your hypoglycemics or
your diet if you're getting more exercise. Many diabetics have their
blood sugar drop when exercising more than a normal person does, and
have to compensate for this.

Of course, it may just be that you're less fit than you were before
and need to build up, so your last question may hit the nail on the
head. That'll just be a matter of time. I think if I were in your
shoes I'd have a chat with my endocrinologist (or whatever doctor you
see- I would recommend seeing an endocrinologist, however).

Quoted message said:

Second question. My hands have always been a problem on long rides.
Numbness, pain, etc...maybe cause of the extra weight on them. I
have the biggest, and softess grips I could find, I wear padded
gloves, and I also have to end bars to give me a few different
holding positions. It does help somewhat, but I still suffer quite
a bit by the end of the ride. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas
that could help in this area, other than "get a recumbant"? LOL

There are several possibilities. Numb hands is a very common problem
for bicyclists, especially in the little finger and outer half of the
ring finger. This is caused by the compression of the ulnar nerve
against the handlebar. I personally find that I cannot ride flat
bars, with or without bar ends, without this being a problem within a
half hour. Drop (road) bars, rarely a problem. Sometimes getting the
bars up higher is enough to solve the problem. You might consider
having a professional bike fitting done at a good bike shop (if you
tell us where you live, someone may be able to suggest a specific
shop).