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Type 1 Newly diagnosed type1
- Thread starter Altraws
- Start Date
deborabaratto
Well-Known Member
Hey!
I'm a type 1 diabetic also and I bike frequently
I would say an important thing is to have as little active insulin on board (IOB) as possible (for example, try to go for a bike ride at least 3 hours after your last rapid-acting insulin shot), because if you have too much IOB, it makes a lot easier to have a bad hypo during the ride.
Other, for me, I noticed that each 15-20 minutes riding at a speed of 16- 20km/h I need one dextrose tablet (1 tablet contains 5g of carbs, which increases my blood sugar in about 20mg/dL). If I eat a meal during a long ride, I usually take half the amount of insulin I would need to cover all the carbs/protein.
And for short rides, if my BS is in range I use one Dextrose tablet (5g of carbs) or a small snack before (like 5 grapes, 1 small peach). If it's around 130/150 I do nothing, just keep checking my Libre to see the trend lines during the ride.
Do you have already a Libre/Continuous glucose monitoring?
I hope it helped somehow
Big hugs, Debora.
I'm a type 1 diabetic also and I bike frequently
I would say an important thing is to have as little active insulin on board (IOB) as possible (for example, try to go for a bike ride at least 3 hours after your last rapid-acting insulin shot), because if you have too much IOB, it makes a lot easier to have a bad hypo during the ride.
Other, for me, I noticed that each 15-20 minutes riding at a speed of 16- 20km/h I need one dextrose tablet (1 tablet contains 5g of carbs, which increases my blood sugar in about 20mg/dL). If I eat a meal during a long ride, I usually take half the amount of insulin I would need to cover all the carbs/protein.
And for short rides, if my BS is in range I use one Dextrose tablet (5g of carbs) or a small snack before (like 5 grapes, 1 small peach). If it's around 130/150 I do nothing, just keep checking my Libre to see the trend lines during the ride.
Do you have already a Libre/Continuous glucose monitoring?
I hope it helped somehow
Big hugs, Debora.
- Messages
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Hello and welcome @Altraws
Unfortunately we can't advise you on doses, as Helen has said we are all different so our needs can vary. I also ride anything from 25km to 40kms at a time, I try and start out with my levels above 8/9 mmol/l and no active fast acting insulin on board, I stop and test every 30 minutes as i've found riding can drop you pretty quick, so carry glucotabs, jelly babies, a museli bar and a drink. I ride with a partner too, as i've been caught out riding alone and once you go hypo your judgement can be impaired, so more likely to make poor decisions like continuing to ride, or not stopping long enough to treat a hypo properly. Take it easy when you first start out, it's about building confidence levels again, it will happen, now I use a Dexcom G6 so get an alarm once I drop below 5 mmol/l and I also watch out for the next 12 hours too as your muscles can deplete your glucose stores too.
Unfortunately we can't advise you on doses, as Helen has said we are all different so our needs can vary. I also ride anything from 25km to 40kms at a time, I try and start out with my levels above 8/9 mmol/l and no active fast acting insulin on board, I stop and test every 30 minutes as i've found riding can drop you pretty quick, so carry glucotabs, jelly babies, a museli bar and a drink. I ride with a partner too, as i've been caught out riding alone and once you go hypo your judgement can be impaired, so more likely to make poor decisions like continuing to ride, or not stopping long enough to treat a hypo properly. Take it easy when you first start out, it's about building confidence levels again, it will happen, now I use a Dexcom G6 so get an alarm once I drop below 5 mmol/l and I also watch out for the next 12 hours too as your muscles can deplete your glucose stores too.
deborabaratto
Well-Known Member
I never tried it! But it's a great idea, I'll totally give it a try, thanks so much! 
Marie 2
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,435
- Type of diabetes
- LADA
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- Pump
A pump makes exercise much easier because you can decrease your insulin needs before, while and after. Otherwise on a set ratio of basal insulin you have to make up for the exercise by consuming extra carbs. That will vary on the intensity and length of your cycling. You also want to watch out for the 3-4 hours later drop that can sometimes happen especially with more intense exercise. Make sure you have plenty of hypo treatments available until you learn how you respond and really all the time because things can just change for no reason!
