Sunday, May 20, 2018

Moors and Wolds 400km Audax




This was my first 400km event. The start time was 11am which meant I could get the train up to Alfreton in the morning. My plan for this ride was to ride the first 200km fast enough to reach  Scarborough by around 9:30pm. I could then stop for food and get a receipt at a late opening shop or pub and avoid stopping at the 24hr McDonalds.


Whilst chatting to other riders at the beginning one of them, a lady from Sheffield said she was also a type 1 diabetic! Quite a bit more experienced than me, she'd completed many audaxes including several 400km rides I was keen to do the first half quite fast so that I could make it to the half way point by 9:30 when shops/pubs still open to get food. I rode first 220km mainly on my own, leap frogging other riders between controls. Glucose control was good, stuck to the 50% reduction for first couple of hours but I found I was having to top up with energy bars between controls to stop myself going low so for next few hours didn’t inject for carbs consumed and glucose was stable (For my next ride I need to reduce nvorapid more). I carried 2 bottles of water but drank fruit smooothies at a couple of the controls which worked really well, easy to drink and 30g of carbs. Reached 220km at 9pm, controlled at a garage with spar shop (loads of food and costa coffee plus a window sill outside that was just perfect for snoozing on!). I relaxed there for 1 hour, then back on the bike again. At 1am I was at 270km, just 10km from the next control. On the A164 just north of the Humber bridge I hit a piece of metal on the road which punctured my rear tyre. As soon as I saw the inch long split in the tyre I knew that it wasn’t going to get me 140km, I would be lucky if I managed to get to the next control.  It was pretty much destroyed. I decided to change the tube and try and get to the next control, a 24hr garage. Quick call to Paul, to get some moral support. I changed the tube and reinflated the tyre. It was holding air but I could see the tube bulging out of the split. A police van pulled over and offered assistance, provided some light amusement when I told them how far I was cycling! I told them I would be okay and had a phone to get help if I needed it, I was still unwilling to accept that I couldn’t continue so was stubbornly sticking to my audax rules. Shortly after, another group of audax riders from the Derby Mercury came past me and stopped to help. One of them very kindly offered their spare tyre so after deflating the tube changing the tyre and reinflating again I was back on the road. I rode with them for the next 70km or so, rather cautiously as I’d used my only spare tube and after reinflating it twice I had very little C02 gas left. Feeling more confident I rode the final 70km alone, finishing just before 10am so still within my planned 24hr time. My phone battery died at about 350km so Paul could no longer track me from that point (he texted the organiser to check that I had finished ok!). 
Glucose control generally okay on first day, dropping low an hour or so after novorapid injections so requiring extra carb intake. After 200km, puncture repair and getting home took priority over glucose control and I was mostly very high. I got home, ate loads then fell asleep before deciding how much insulin to inject. No ketones and very good overnight with 50% levemir reduction. I need to reduce my novorapid doses further and not lose focus after 200km. 

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