Coast 2 Coast In a Day - A 150 Mile Sportive With Diabetes and Pies - A Short Novel

** Pre-warning - I've tried many ways to make this post shorter and less demanding to read. After several failed attempts I'm throwing the challenge over to you the reader to complete it without needing food, gels or water along the way. Sorry. **

I’m writing for a mixture of readers this time so I hope I can get a good balance between cycling, diabetes and cycling with diabetes. To help those just here for one bit or the other I’ll put the diabetes specific stuff in italics. 

The Sign-Up Discussion

It was a short conversation on Twitbook and email in June 2015 that was to have a massive impact on my next 13 months. I’m paraphrasing a little but the feelings on both sides are still spot on….

James: I’ve reserved you a place on my annual Coast 2 Coast in a Day cycling sportive.

Dave: Whoa! W-w-w-when did I say I could do this? I don’t have a suitable bike. And the whole idea is just crazy!

James: You have a good base of fitness and the right attitude.

Dave: What about the bike?

James: Roddy has a bike shop; he’ll point you in the right direction. See you in June 2016!

And that was sort of it. I’d accidentally entered a cycle event that would entail cycling 150 miles, 4500m in ascent (and descent) including some of the steepest roads in the country, across three National Parks and it was all meant to be completed in under 17 hours. For those more used to clipping your shoes into your bike pedals and spending a day in the saddle this might sound like a grand day out. I was filled with a mixture of dread and determination. My starting point was that it was highly unlikely I’d pull out now because I can be a bit stubborn when pushed but I also knew it would be hard work.

Time for a little background on why James had signed me up. James is part of the team running Open Adventure who organise endurance events of many forms and his annual C2C In a Day challenge is one of them. James also has type 1 diabetes and you may have seen him running with me when I was trying out the Medtronic 640G. By throwing these two things together James was keen to prove that Type 1 shouldn’t be a barrier to anything and offered 25 places free of charge to anyone with Type 1 Diabetes who wanted to challenge themselves. Along the way a chunk of these found injuries or urgent hair salon appointments that prevented them making the start line. This meant on the day there was 11 of us at the starting gate - only 9 made the photo call though. (Here's the link for 2017)

The Training

So as is the norm for ‘last minute Dave’ rather than start the training properly last summer, I looked at the calendar, saw that the event was months away and waited until just before Christmas to start putting the miles in.

Somewhere between getting signed up and February, James also approached me to be involved in a small film he’d commissioned with Summit Fever Media. It was to highlight the challenge that the C2C can bring to people of varying abilities and knowledge. I met with Ellie and Matt a few times before they kindly suggested that as I was going to try Hardknott Pass out a few months before the event they could come along and capture my enjoyment on film. So I caught the fantastic coastal railway up to Ravensglass and cycled to the bottom of Hardknott where they fitted me with a mic and drove (no cycling for them, oh no!) to the top to watch me climb majestically to the summit. Here’s what actually happened….

Struggles, Spokes and Summits - the trailer

My diabetes plan for training involved me trying a variety insulin, food and testing strategies. A problem I was frequently coming across was massive spikes in blood glucose levels immediately after I finished a training run. This was especially the case after rides where I had finished at high intensity levels. I took another look at my notes from the Animas Sports Weekend and slowly built a plan based around a pre-finish bolus and temp basal reduction several hours later. One by one the problems started to get solved. The big concern for me was still not really knowing how to handle food on the day.

In the training as I was carrying food and clothing to feed me and keep me warm and dry for the longest training runs (up to 120 miles) I had multiple bags on the go. Initially I’d presumed this would be normal on the day but on perusing the photos from last year I spotted most had very little with them. At most it was a bag for the top tube and a saddle bag. So this was the way I went with the idea of having very full jersey and jacket pockets.

Also as part of the T1s Go Cycling group there was quite a bit of support going on between the team. Plenty of suggestions there on managing blood glucose and energy levels on the longer rides we were all doing. Through that we also managed to source some matching cycling jerseys through Animas. This was a late request and they were really helpful in getting it approved. Thanks also to Scimiter Sports for helping with the design and supplying the jerseys at a very late stage. The jerseys definitely made it much easier to spot members of the team on the route and feel that I wasn’t the only one juggling a feckless pancreas at the same time.

Accommodation and Registration

So despite my claims in the video above, I did keep going and found myself packing my transport for 150 miles and my bed for the night into the boot of our car before the very accommodating Laura drove me the one and a half hours up to a village in the far west of Cumbria on a Friday night.

I’d contemplated booking a room for the night in a local hostelry but decided on camping for a few reasons. Firstly I knew I’d be up and awake at around 4am so it’s far easier to get off an airbed than out of a comfy hotel bed at that time of day. Also the cost of £15 was much less than a hotel room would be, so more money to spend on a comfy bed at the other end where I knew I would sleep well. On arrival at Seascale Primary School we unpacked the car and I sad my goodbyes to Laura. It was quite grounding at that point to know that the next time I’d see her I would have already conquered two significant climbs and would be well on the way to crossing the country.

After that I carried my camping stuff around to the school field at the back where I found plenty of tents all popped up and ready.

Once I’d managed to peg my pop-up tent down and set up my bed for the night I rode down through the village to the registration at the Sports Hall towards the bottom of the hill. Here I received my number, information pack, timing dongle that was attached to my wrist, neck tube and a Cliff bar. I also picked up a couple of labels to go on my bags and camping stuff that would be transferred to Whitby for me by the organisers.

After getting my stuff I biked back up the hill to the school. On the way I passed a food hub that had been arranged that was supplying a variety of hot and cold food for people wanting to eat. I chose to use the Purple Lunch Box parked in the school yard where I had a tasty bacon butty for about £2.60. There was also pasta, other dishes and deserts available.

Here I also deposited my bike in the school hall along with around 200 others for the evening. They were looked after until around 12pm when the doors were locked shut until they were reopened in the morning at about 4am. 

Outside were some water containers for filling up water bottles and some portable toilets.

At the same location was the first group of bike mechanics for the weekend who were available to make any last minute tweaks or emergency fixes. Although I didn't use them I believe time was free but parts were chargeable.

In the school playground was a map of the British Isles and I stood there for a few minutes wondering what I had agreed to do! What I did know though was that tomorrow I would be going mainly eastwards.

Next step for me was to wonder back down into the village where I waited for my brother who was driving up from Cornwall. Unfortunately a severe accident on the M5 had slowed down his progress but it gave me chance to watch a fantastic sunset over the coast.

After Pete had arrived with my father we had a photo against the map of the route and the reality of what had been something to worry about later was starting to hit home. That looks a blooming long way on a map!

A quick second tent erection of the day and I went with Pete back to the Purple Lunch Box where he had some food and we chatted with Louise and Kate who were nervously excited too.

From a diabetes point of view I was having mixed success. The day up until leaving home had been fairly level and then on the drive over (I wasn’t driving; thank you Mrs Tangerine) my levels started to drop. A temp basal of 0% and a few sweets lifted me up but gave an indication of the fun the next few hours would bring. The excitement, nerves and bacon bun, where I might have misjudged the carbs, lifted me up to 20.6 mmol/L (360mg/dl) before I went to sleep…. (to be continued)

As I predicted getting to sleep was a challenge and it felt like Christmas Eve with added nerves. I’d agreed to meet up with the Type 1 Cycling team at 05:15 near the start. Because of this I set my alarm for 4am as I wanted plenty of time in the morning to stay relaxed.

The Day Had Arrived

During the night the crash from a insulin correction for the 20.6 blood test saw me drop to hypo levels of 2.9 (52) on waking. This wasn't the perfect start I had planned. Hey ho. Some quick acting glucose taken on board followed by another bacon bun (as below) meant I started the ride at 7.0. I could see from the Freestyle Libre I was wearing I was slowly rising but I was happy with that. One of the reasons for the 4am alarm was also so that I could start my temporary basal on my insulin pump of 50% (that means the amount of my usual background insulin) approximately 90 minutes before I started pedalling. Through training I found an early reduction helped to avoid an initial drop at the start of exercise and also meant I wasn’t constantly eating to counteract the background insulin through the day. This level of temp basal had served me best after trying 0%, 25% and 75% in training rides with mixed success. But if you're going to try this practice first and find what works for you. YDMV.

Breakfast was provided by the Purple Lunch Box who were still on site and it was bacon bun time again but this time with a coffee to get me awake. A quick wash and brush of teeth and then I went back to get dressed into the lycra and filled my jersey pockets with supplies for the day. In retrospect I went with far too many gels but a mixture of nerves and uncertainty meant I was going to play it very safe.

Once dressed the tent was packed away. Although it was about 4.30am there was a mixture of activity on site. Some tents had already been packed and gone, some were half down, some were still up but people emerging and others were exactly as they were when I arrived the night before. Some people can obviously sleep a lot better than me, or need less time to cycle 150 miles.

A quick “Good morning” to my brother and I arranged to meet him down at the start after I’d had my photo taken with the rest of the defunct pancreas group.

Next job was to collect my bike from where I’d put it the night before and deposit my bag and camping gear next to the wagons that would transport them all across to Whitby for collection at the other end. I made two mistakes here. One more important than the other. First small mistake - the small power pack I’d bought to give extra life to my phone and Garmin 810 was packed away rather than into my bike bag. In the end it wasn’t needed as both managed to survive the full journey to Whitby without extra charging. Second mistake was a biggie. I’d read the top tips about insect repellent and packed it in my bag from home but at this point I forgot about it completely. On the ride I didn’t notice it but the week after I was scratching like crazy. If you’re reading this in prep for doing the event; don't be like Dave - spray!

The downhill coast down to the start was a mixture of big nerves and big excitement. I was down there for the group photo and the keen starters had already left by the time I arrived just before 5.15am. Even though there was just shy of 900 riders to get through the start in the space of three hours it didn’t feel rushed or chaotic at all.

The group photo was a great opportunity to meet people I’d chatted with online for the previous few months. a mixture of confidence, BG worries and technology on show but overall everyone seemed to be doing OK. During the day I got chance to chat with a couple of the team on the road and the was another priceless point of the event for me.

And of course Ellie and Matt were there to capture our nerves too!

Amongst the 11 was Jen aka Miss Jen Grieves. A big hats off to her and Ian though as they'd already cycled 5 miles from their hotel for the night before and this was just before Jen had some major insulin pump issues too.

Time to Go!

So after months of pretending it was too far away to worry about it was time to go. Me and my brother approached the start with a steady, but not overwhelming, flow of people. As is customary you look around to see what everyone else is riding, carrying and wearing. I felt OK as I didn’t spot any glaring errors on my kit list. I made a quick nip down to dip my bike in the sea before getting my SPORTident timing card started and we were off!

The first few miles were nice and steady and a case of trying to judge pace to keep plenty in reserve for the rest of the day without going too slow. 

On the way out we also spotted a few cycling the other way who’d stayed in hotels in surrounding villages and were now going to the start. As it’s a popular area for events there were a few other direction arrows in place in those early miles but thankfully some event staff were on the junction where the arrows pointed in opposite directions. They made sure we headed straight towards the infamous Hardknott Pass.

Also at this point we joined onto a couple of larger groups and riding alongside them added to the excitement. It also gave a chance to glance admiringly at other bikes on show. “That one costs about £8000” said my brother as another flew past. I was left wondering for a few minutes why the rider had neglected to ask for a roof, two more wheels and an engine for that price. Oh well, me and my more budget wheels would end up at the same place on the same day (hopefully) so no need to get that jealous. OK, I was but I had to carry on anyway!

Hardknott and Wrynose Are Coming

After 8 miles at Eskdale another set of marshals guided us onto the road leading to the Passes. From this point until the bottom of Wrynose Pass the road had been closed by the police for the event. This meant nothing could inhibit our relaxed (!) ride over the next few miles. The scenery continued to provide a stunning backdrop to the slowly building excited nerves in the riders.

Me and Pete stopped at the bottom for a photo with the phone box before cracking on. 

We’d agreed beforehand that for the big hills each has their own pace so no point trying to stay together. I also knew Pete was keen to make it to the top without walking whereas I was happy to jump off if needed.

Thankfully today was drier than my last attempt and I got much further up without stopping. To hear the support of others who’d opted to walk earlier than I did as I went past them on the early steep section was fantastic and the event spirit was certainly building. Eventually though the legs were starting to hurt and I decided to jump off for a couple of corners before I fell - I’d been there before! Whether I could have kept going at this point I’m not sure but with 135 miles to go I wasn’t going to prove a point to myself and suffer later because of it. 

As the gradient eased in the middle section I, like many others, jumped back on before the final steep tight corners gave me chance to walk again. It’s hard to judge numbers and earlier riders probably had a higher share of riders not walkers, but I’d estimate when I was on Hardknott around 75% had to get off at some point. Obviously any chance of me telling everyone that I’d made it all the way in the saddle were dashed by Ellie lurking with her camera to catch it on film. After the final steepest corner I jumped back on in plenty of time for the glory photo at the top.

Once at the top I reached my brother who was waiting and we took a few minutes to admire the view with pride at getting this far in one piece.

The descent down the eastern side of Hardknott is not one I’d really enjoyed in my training runs and again it was more nerves and constant braking that got me down safely rather than speed and excitement. The tight corners and steepness mean any speed gained has to be killed quickly to keep on two wheels. Thankfully the road was dry and once the last tight corner had passed there is a small fast paced section before a humpback bridge and then the turn left towards Wrynose Pass. Although with the same peak as Hardknott, because you’ve not descended fully from Hardknott, it’s not as far up. Still plenty of riders walking on this one and I joined them too for a section in the middle.

Descending from Wrynose was one highlight of the day for me although I nearly came a cropper towards the bottom. Unlike Hardknott the descent is steady and not really tight bends. This means the chance to build some speed was there and we took it. Many riders went slower but as I knew the road I was more confident. A scary moment came when a cyclist who was riding in a team passed me and then about ten seconds later slowed right down to stop with a teammate who was fixing a puncture on the side of the road. A quick shout of “WHOA!” from me followed by an “Oh, sorry” from him and calmness was restored.

The miles after this passed relatively easily although I did need to take some sweets and a gel to keep my blood glucose up as we went through Hawkshead. I’d been doing OK until now but the steady BG I’d maintained could have been partly stress led so a drop was understandable with the continuous cycling towards the ferry.

Don't Pay the Ferryman

The ferry across Lake Windermere is another special part of this event. It’s also the only part of the route where your time is stopped. As the time between ferries depends on when you arrive it’s only fair that this time is excluded. For us we arrived just as the ferry did from the other side and we got on along with our sisters who been waiting for us while, to use their words, “watching all the different shapes and sizes in lycra”. I've been across on the ferry many times but this is the only time I've seen in filled with cyclists and a few pedestrians only. And this time there was also no charge.

Kendal Feed Station

The ride up away from Windermere was an ascent followed by rolling roads down to the first feed station in Kendal. Here my wife was waiting along with my sisters. The feed stations have a fantastic reputation and rightly so. We obviously arrived at peak time in Kendal as the queue for food was quite large but moved fairly quickly. The choice here was similar to other stops with baguettes filled with ham, cheese, jam and peanut butter along with fruit and packs of sweets to stuff into jersey pockets. I had a sandwich, half a banana and took some sweets for later  The water stations were under some pressure though and we chose to avoid that queue until Hardraw where we guessed it would be a little quieter.  There was also a coffee cart with espressos for sale but I skipped that to speak with family before getting on the road again.

Post-Kendal Climbs

Being relatively local i knew what was coming up but a lady helpfully shouted as we left “There’s a big hill ahead”. And she wasn’t wrong. The road out of Kendal towards the M6 is a long and steady gradient that climbs for about 3 miles before a drop then a rise again. Once the final summit of this section had been reached it’s a fantastic long downhill towards the M6 and then onwards to Sedbergh. Waiting just after the motorway were our parents and sisters again. This time they had cow bells to add a bit of Le Tour to the day. Apparently some riders passing smiled and cheered while others needed to enjoy their day a little more.

The route for the next section was nice and rolling. My BGs started to drop a little after Sedbergh and another stop with family enabled me a chance to take some of the sweets from the last feed station and get back up before cracking on again. This was one of the few times I felt my energy drop badly purely because of my BG levels.

Hardraw Feed Station

Hardraw feed station came next and this was my personal favourite with some fantastic carrot and coriander soup and wholemeal bread on offer along with baguettes, fruit, sweets etc. Along with the soup I had some melon. Oh that melon was glorious. Melon has never tasted sweeter or juicier! 

Also here I saw a friend from my street at home who’d got delayed a little with some teammate woes. It was strange in a field so big and spread out to bump into people from so close to home!

Head Down and Crack On

Time to move on now and break the back of the ride. For me this section was crucial in passing without pain and keeping me in a good mood until the I got to the next feed station and onto roads I’d not been on before.

Again the countryside was beautiful as we passed along gently rolling as we went near the majestic Castle Bolton perched on a hill before hitting the sweetly named Sissy Hill and Scarth Nick.

This was a nasty little beast that I’m sure is thrown in to stop anyone getting complacent about the challenges ahead. The next few miles run alongside the firing ranges for Catterick army garrison and the signs warning of tanks turning added to the randomness of the day. 

After this we caught a short shower and my rain jacket came out to protect me although it wasn’t quite as effective as the one I’d left at home. Hey ho, another lesson learnt.

Tunstall Feed Station

Soon after the rain stopped came the feed station at Tunstall Village Hall and another chance to refuel. I know we were starting to take longer at the stops but this was the first one where we sat down to rest the legs and chat with fellow riders while eating the now usual, but excellent, food options.

From a D point of view this is where I perhaps over ate for the first time. The sandwiches and biscuits were just too appealing for me. I didn’t bolus but soon after the stop when I started to ride again and saw on the Libre my BG rising I did a small corrective bolus before focussing on the riding again.

Where's the Ark?

Tunstall to Ingleby Greenhow will be most remembered by us for the rain. Those who finished earlier are known to have said “What rain?” but as we turned over the A1M the black clouds gathered and unleashed a mighty downpour. 

After a while we sheltered under some trees hoping it would pass but it didn’t and I agreed with Pete he should crack on to Ingleby Greenhow at his pace and I would do likewise. After about half an hour the rain eased and then stopped and the glorious surroundings resumed with highlights including a cricket match in full swing in what appeared to be the middle of nowhere. I've tried to find the cricket pitch since on Google Maps etc but it doesn't appear to exist!

Ingleby Greenhow Feed Station

The rolling roads continued including an almost lethal left hand bend half way down a hill until the Ingleby Greenhow stop arrived. Without doubt this had the loudest supporters of any stop with lots of people cheering me in. And it felt like it was just for me, which it obviously wasn't but it was good anyway! This was a fantastic lift and those people might not appreciate how helpful it was at that stage. Also here I met an old school friend who was helping at the feed station and that familiar face helped to lift me again. I’d heard before about the pork pies on offer here and they didn’t disappoint.

By this stage I knew my gels were well over stocked and I left them for anyone else to use as they wished leaving a few in my pocket just in case.

It was here also that I cancelled my temp basal so went back to my normal non-riding insulin levels. From this point onwards I managed any dips with carbs alone using sweets and the gels I had left.

The Last Big One - Possibly

For the months before veterans of the ride were keen to warn of the pain to follow after Ingleby Greenhow. The infamous Limber Hill gained legendary status. And this is where I misjudged my map-reading skills. Badly. After a few rolling up and downs came a pair of significant climbs. 

In my head they were big enough and the sight of Ellie and Matt lurking again like Gollum with a camera was enough to convince me I’d mastered the monster and from here on in it would be downhill!

Look. See. How happy do I look? The big one has been beaten! Or has it?

After this I got stuck at a junction waiting for a car to decide if it was safe to emerge and Pete who was about 50m in front already got a good run ahead. Tiredness and a total misjudgement of distances meant I got a bit demoralised as I mistakenly thought I’d been ditched in a race to the line. Though I was also still enjoying the ride so settled myself in and looked forward to seeing Laura and my mum and dad at the finish.

Extra Refreshments

Coming through the villages I approached the bottom of a descent and like a mirage ahead I saw my brother stood outside the Arncliffe Arms at Glaisdale with beer in his hand and one ready for me! Now I was at a conflict as I wanted to finish as quickly as possible but, wow, it tasted lovely. A few fellow riders came past looking confused as they cycled on; maybe they were worried they’d missed an additional food stop?

Bottoms up and all that meant we hopped back on refreshed and ready for the coast into Whitby. Err, nup. As we turned under the railway bridge I could see a slope ahead going up to the right and Ellie lurking at the side of the road. This wasn’t a good sign. The fabled Limber Hill hadn't been conquered earlier and had now arrived. With a beer in my stomach and a pair of running/walking camera operators tracking me up the hill there was no way I could bail now. And I didn't. For me this was by far the biggest climbing achievement of the day.

Are We Nearly There Yet?

After this the rolling roads down to Whitby were fantastic. Slowly a group formed and going down the last lanes a group of about 12 started to own the road together. Finally with about 5 miles to go Whitby Abbey and the sea finally came into view. We were nearly there! My heart went out to a pair mending a puncture by the roadside but for me the end was in sight and, just like Starship, nothing was gonna stop us now!

Coming into Whitby the signposting was excellent as it had been the whole way and the finish line was a glorious sight along with Laura and my parents waiting. Getting to the end was emotional but it was a mixture of relief and pride that just made me smile. A lot. We’d done it! We’d biked from one side of the country to the other in a single day. Powered only by sandwiches, jelly sweets, soup and pork pies!

As I crossed the line and shook James’ hand my anger at him for creating a challenging route with more hills than any reasonable route planner would contemplate disappeared, to be replaced by thanks for convincing me I could do it.

One of James’ team spotted the team jersey and asked what my Libre reading was. I really had no idea what i would say but when I scanned and it read 4.2 I was a very happy man. And I got the nod of approval from him too!

Post Race 

Next stop was the White Horse and Griffin where my second alcoholic drink of the day awaited. The landlord had been given a warning of our arrival by Laura and made space for our two bikes. By the morning we found out he’d had to make space for another nine!

We then went hunting for fish and chips but by this stage there was only one chippy we could find open. It was doing a roaring trade and every other customer seemed to have a medal proudly on show. Strangely I wasn’t that hungry, possibly because I’d eaten so well during the day.

Bed that night was very welcoming after a long bath and I finally got chance to catch up on messages including those encouraging me to go faster when I was on the road. You can be sure I was going as fast as I could!

Following the day’s slight exertion I set a temp basal of 75% (or -25%) overnight on my Medtronic pump and that worked well with me waking at 8.2 in the morning. Overall it had been a good 24 hours for the BG levels. Though I’m not sure doing it every day is an achievable plan going forward. I did make a slight error the following night though by not temp basaling again and I dropped a little low through the night but managed to catch it with no damage done.

During the day my diabetes was obviously on my mind as usual but nothing to worry me too much. Below you'll see my Libre graph of the day and whilst it's far from perfect it didn't cause me too many concerns allowing me to focus on working out how to keep pedalling.

And as I'm sharing graphs, here is my Garmin data for the day; not fast, but steady.

A Round-Up

So if you’ve read this far you deserve a medal too.

A few thanks before I finish off.

• First up James and the rest of the Open Cycling team. Words can’t say how well organised I found the event. Any event of this size is going to have new problems that pop up each year but I know they work hard to minimise these for the year after. On top of this he has repeated his offer of free places for people with Type 1 Diabetes who want to prove that we can do anything. Are you Type 1? Sign up!!!
• Secondly the rest of the T1s Go Cycling team who kept spirits going and gave a real sense of ‘team’ even when we all went at our own pace. A lot of faces from Friday to Saturday evening were familiar so they must have done some miles themselves to make sure it went as smooth as possible.
• The free images provided by Open Cycling are a fantastic freebie of the day and I've never come across that before in events.
• Everyone who gave advice and tips before the big day. For a lot I’ve forgotten where I pick up the gems of information but I am grateful.
• The team at Animas for the jersey sponsorship that meant I could easily spot the pancreas deficient on the journey.
• My brother Pete. I know he could have gone faster during the day but the chance to ride together for the majority of the trip was fantastic.
• My parents and sisters for their support on the way. It gave me a massive lift to see them when I did.
• Ellie and Matt from Summit Fever Media who gave me a priceless momento of my day and the months before it in film. I feel very lucky to have that record forever.
• And the biggest thanks goes to Laura for tolerating the stupid amount of time I spent training and then drove me up on Friday, met me in Kendal on the day and then was waiting at the far end to give me the thing I wanted most in the world; a big hug and knowing that she was proud of me.

And here is the video to record some of the above in moving images - for those interested in the parts above in italics keep watching after the credits at the end.

So I finish with what went well and what didn’t go as smoothly as it could have done but hindsight is a fantastic skill….

What I did well:

Insulin levels.

Practiced Hardknott a couple of times before the big day.

Cleat covers in pocket for walk up hills.

Booked camping at Seascale and White Horse and Griffin hotel at Whitby well in advance.

Temp basal overnight after the event.

Approached it as an endurance event rather than a race.
Used a Freestyle Libre to track my BGs without needing to stop and take blood out of my finger on the move; not easy!

What I did less well:

Didn't drink enough!

Over corrected stress led BG high on Friday night.

Too many gels in my pockets.
I didn't make sure any new clothing is fit for purpose. Especially waterproofs etc.

Went back to hotel before going looking for fish and chips.

Choosing a room on floor three of the hotel that had no lift!

Packed but didn't use insect repellent.

Needed to train even more!!

If you feel inspired (and entries are still available when I post this) you can find out more about the 2017 event and sign up here - http://www.opencycling.com/coast-to-coast-in-a-day/. 

If you've got Type 1 use this link for a free entry - http://www.opencycling.com/coast-to-coast-in-a-day/type1.php

I'll see you in Seascale on 24th June 2017!