Paul Farrelly, from Hampshire, was diagnosed with diabetes in 2000. In Summer 2008 he entered the Bayer Diabetes Care DreamFund competition with an ambitious plan to cycle from Portsmouth to Istanbul, and in November 2008 he was awarded the top prize, funding to help him achieve his dream. The Bayer Diabetes Care European Cycle Challenge began on Saturday 2nd May 2009 in Portsmouth and finished in Istanbul on Tuesday 2nd June 2009.

Here, in Paul’s own words, are the details of his trip.

I was reading Balance when I noticed an article about the 2006 winners of the Bayer Diabetes Care DreamFund. I set to work on my application and thankfully impressed the judges with my pledge to create a ‘roadtrip’ to put my own diabetes management to test and to show other people living with diabetes that the condition doesn’t have to hold you back. Thanks to the grant awarded by the DreamFund I’ve now completed my adventure – the Bayer Diabetes Care European Cycle Challenge!

I set off from Portsmouth and travelled alone through 10 European countries. In total, I cycled for 2,000 miles and arrived in my final destination, Istanbul, to a warm welcome!

In training, the hardest part for me was to achieve the right balance for my blood glucose levels. The ride itself was really tough physically and l needed to monitor my blood glucose on a very regular basis, up to eight times a day, to achieve my optimum level. I also had to up my calorie intake and it was hard for me to always find the right diet, at the right times in new countries.

I wasn’t too concerned about the physical side. I’d been given advice and ‘coaching’ by Dr Ian Gallon and by my diabetes specialist nurses, so I was confident that I could manage my condition. Emotionally though, it was tough! I really missed my family and friends.

I took a couple of BREEZE®2 meters – just to be on the safe side! It meant that I didn’t have the added complication of carrying individual test strips – something I could well do without when I was on the bike for so many hours each day! Time was very much of the essence for me to keep to schedule, so fast and accurate readings were a ‘must’. So, a no coding meter was a god send! There wasn’t much room for luxuries in my panniers, but luckily my meter was neat enough to fit into my rucksack, and robust enough to last the course of the road trip!

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