Cycling competitively but can't stop hypos

[andrewkerr91]

Hi Guys,

I've searched on the forum there is loads of advice etc and I know myself how to control my sugar levels excerise and I manage to do so fine with every other activities apart from cycling.

I can't seem to get the sugar in the quick enough I stop all my insulin all together and eat a good meal before a long ride/ race but then constantly during the cycle I can't seem to keep my sugars levels about 4-5 constantly on the low side and always dipping below that also.

For instance I can go through a pack of jelly babies and 5-6 bottles of still lucozade.

Just wondering if anyone has any issues like this before and could give me some pointers ?

Thanks

Andrew

 

[catherinecherub]

I can only think of @ElyDave who may be able to help as he is a keen cyclist. I am sure there are other members too so will bump your post up in the hope of some replies.

 

[andrewkerr91]

Excellent thanks very much

 

[copepod]

Sounds like you're doing the obvious things. Are you reducing both long acting and short acting insulins before a long ride?
Have you looked at www.runsweet.com which covers principles of exercise with type 1 diabetes, plus case studies for most sports, including cycling. Also team blood glucose website is strong on cycling.

 

[andrewkerr91]

Yes completely stop taking quick and fast Insulin altogether but still can't seem
To keep my levels up, it's quite frustrating as you can imagine and is holding me back now which I've never had an issue like I said before with any other sport, it just drops and there is no control over it. I have used run sweet for lots of advice previous but none of the advice seems to work personally for myself with cycling.

 

[ewelina]

Yes completely stop taking quick and fast Insulin altogether but still can't seem
To keep my levels up, it's quite frustrating as you can imagine and is holding me back now which I've never had an issue like I said before with any other sport, it just drops and there is no control over it. I have used run sweet for lots of advice previous but none of the advice seems to work personally for myself with cycling.

You said quick and fast insulin. Do you reduce your background (such as Lantus) as well?

 

[andrewkerr91]

Novo rapid and levemir I stop taking all together on the day of cycling

 

[ewelina]

Novo rapid and levemir I stop taking all together on the day of cycling

That is really weird. Sorry I cant help but I hope someone more experienced will come to advice you. Do you take split levemir? Maybe try reducing the night before as well?

 

[andrewkerr91]

I've had tried everything you can imagine. Yes I take a split but my levemir runs out in the morning at around 8 and I won't cycle till the evening so I'm baffled the whole situation is just frustrating

 

[ewelina]

I've had tried everything you can imagine. Yes I take a split but my levemir runs out in the morning at around 8 and I won't cycle till the evening so I'm baffled the whole situation is just frustrating

I can imagine how frustrating it is. I didn't know you can go low with no active insulin. There must be some way to avoid though. There are diabetic Olympians out there!

 

[andrewkerr91]

Oh yes of course. That's what I'm trying to find out how they get around etc.

 

[teacher123]

Hey buddy - I can't advise but interested to find out more about your routines for cycling/general exercise as I'm a keen runner and cyclist. I know everyone is different but interesting to see how you deal with diabetes and exercise.

Andy

 

[ElyDave]

I've had tried everything you can imagine. Yes I take a split but my levemir runs out in the morning at around 8 and I won't cycle till the evening so I'm baffled the whole situation is just frustrating

how long have you been diagnosed Andrew?

I'll try adn lay out my routine over the next day or two, but you can work through the exercise thread and find some of what I've posted on the subject, or take a look at my blog.

 

[andrewkerr91]

Nearly 11 years now Dave. Okay I will check it out excellent thanks

 

[kimbelina]

I read an article by Olympian rower Steve Redgrave which, in short, said that he had basically no insulin in the day despite eating masses, and then made up for it at night with a higher dosage, to boost his energy levels back up again. However he is on a pump so I'm not sure if that's of any help. (It helped me coz I was getting big highs at night but also lots of hypos in the day, as I am pretty active, so I could work out I needed a very variable dosage.)

According to the Levemir website, and my consultant (when I was on it), Levemir can last up to 24 hours, so stopping it the night before might be too late. My understanding is that missing your morning split dose will leave you with half your levemir dose still going (from the night before). I guess this is why your levels don't sky-rocket by the time you go for your ride. (I'm assuming, here!) What sort of BG are you getting before setting out? Also, in our pump induction group most of us were on very small doses until our long-acting insulin had completely gone out of our system, and this took around 2 days for most of us. So clearly there is some insulin going through for a while.

Personally what I do is let my levels rise to about 12/13 before exercise, have a meal with reduced bolus, then take off my pump, and STILL have juice every 20-30 mins as well...

 

[Matt J]

I'll be interested in how you get on as I do quite a bit of cycling - not competitively (unless you count strava segments) as I'm usually out on my own. I tend to do 40, 50, 60 mile rides without adjusting my insulin doses too much (NovoRapid and Levemir). I take plenty of carbs with me on the bike if my levels drop. Hypo on the bike is bad news but on the other hand high levels are not good as they make me sluggish with heavy legs.

It's not every time but after a longer ride it can carry on affecting my blood sugar levels as they can still be dropping during the night. After almost 30 years I'm still trying to work it out!

 

[andrewkerr91]

think ive found some light after all, i done a FTP test yesterday on the turbo, so now i can tell roughly when i will burning the most sugar above a certain heart rate, i think my problem was going all out all of the time, managed to control it alot better yesterday by just having some rice cakes pre ride and topping my sugar levels up in the usual way when riding.

i get the same thing matt j after a long ride a couple hours later my sugars will drop of course, i combat this by having a good meal post ride and only giving half the normal units that i would normally take for that meal. That way i seem to stay fairly level post ride.

Of course its down to the individual person, its all trial and error but is quite satisfying when you finally start getting it right.

perhaps my issue has also been not getting enough carbs in along with the sugar to give me some long lasting energy, other than the quick burst that i seem to burn through in minutes.

 

[RuthW]

Have you got Sheri Colber's book, Diabetic Athlete's Handbook? She gives lots of examples of the daily routines of athletes and how they manage their routine. She also explains the background science to it. I recommend it if you haven't got it.

 

[andrewkerr91]

Excllent I will check that out too. Thanks

 

[Auckland Canary]

I'll be interested in how you get on as I do quite a bit of cycling - not competitively (unless you count strava segments) as I'm usually out on my own. I tend to do 40, 50, 60 mile rides without adjusting my insulin doses too much (NovoRapid and Levemir). I take plenty of carbs with me on the bike if my levels drop. Hypo on the bike is bad news but on the other hand high levels are not good as they make me sluggish with heavy legs.

It's not every time but after a longer ride it can carry on affecting my blood sugar levels as they can still be dropping during the night. After almost 30 years I'm still trying to work it out!

I am very similar to you and although it doesn't help Andrew I find that I don't really adjust doses too much for those type of distances, I just eat carbs. However I am a special case and I will actually get increased levels when cycling in the morning and then drop like a stone if I cycle in the afternoon. It's very weird.