HypoActive

The 4th and 5th of April saw the seventh attempt of a team consisting entirely of type one diabetics complete the 520km 24 hour relay challenge, the Murray to Moyne. 

The team looked smashing in their new kit and matching shorts, and from the first shift looked strong and slick as we departed early Saturday morning from the northern Victorian border township of Echuca.  From here the route heads south/south west, meaning a consistent headwind.  Although Saturday's forecast was for cool, overcast conditions, the sun appeared and we covered good ground in the first few hours.  The wind remained cool though, which meant additional layers were often required for warmth.

As the day progressed, our bodies became adjusted to the routine of riding hard for one hour, and then recovering for two hours before repeating again.  The recovery time on the bus was shared with swapping stories and experiences of living with type one diabetes, as well as regular blood glucose tests.  There was to be no hiding of any results: our support crew recorded all information and noted trends, encouraging riders to eat more if required.  It made for a unique team - calling out our glucose results without fear of judgement in the company of others who immediately understood what your levels meant.  This openess enabled us to avoid many hypos, although once out on the road and working hard, it was sometimes difficult to track a sudden drop in blood sugar.

We took a drive by feed from the traditional dinner stop at St Arnaud, collecting some hot food while a dedicated group of riders sacrificed their warm meal to keep our relay moving along.  We made the most of the sunset strip, which is always stunning in Western Victoria.  As darkness descended we felt the wind drop and our average speed increase.  Night time riding on empty, open road without street lights is always a great experience, and this year proved to be no exception.  Despite the demands of the day, all riders continued to put their hand up for the next shift.  With the team spirit fuelling a solid momentum, we continued to pick off the major landmarks along the way: Stawell, Moyston, the eastern edge of the Grampians, Glenthompon and Dunkeld.  The final stretch saw no less than five riders hammer the last rolling hills into Hamilton, the location of our compulsory stop.  A light rain had begun to fall, but appeared to have little effect on the team morale.  We cruised into Hamilton setting an all-time HypoActive arrival record of 12.15am.  Bring on five and a half hours of sleep!!

With a comfortable nights sleep in the dark corner of a concrete-covered floor of the Hamilton showgrounds sheep pavillion, Sunday greeted us with more light mist and rain.  It'll pass, we all thought.  It never rains in the this part of the world. Eight riders took off from Hamilton, forming a neat group as we began to cruise the final 98km into our destination of Port Fairy.  To counter possible delayed onset hypos from the extreme activities of Saturday, our team policy requires all riders and crew to pull over every 20km on the Sunday in order for everyone to test.  No one can get back on the bike until all the testing has been done.  Although in previous years the weather was never this bad.  As soon as we departed Hamilton, the skies opened and we became drenched.  Further along the rain eased, cleared a little and even warmed up a bit.  But by the time the first 20km were done, it was back to being cold.  We quickly tested and tried to get back on the road as soon as possible.  The next shift saw ten of us out on the road, and once again we encountered rain, cold and more wind.  This continued all the way into Port Fairy.

With weary legs, a lack of sleep and a battle against the cold, strong westerlys and rain, we finalled rolled into town in Port Fairy.  Having the entire squad out on the road to cover the final kilometres is always a huge buzz, as is cruising down the main street to cheers from so many.

Following well deserved showers, we had a lunch and event debrief at the local pub in Port Fairy.  The presentations included the HypoActive Yearly Best Arse in Lycra (HAY BAIL) award.  This is an award judged by the support crew to help pass their time following us constantly for 24 hours.

The 2009 winner was mountain biker Neil Bennett, who has had diabetes for twelve years.

Thanks to everyone who supported our team for 2009, including:

Our support crew: Carolyn, Matt, Johnty, Mick, Tony and Lyndal

Our sponsors:

Jayco (http://www.jayco.com.au/)
Abbott Diabetes Care (http://www.abbottdiabetescare.com.au/)
Diabetes Australia - Victoria (http://www.diabetesvic.org.au/)
First Track Adventures (http://www.firsttrack.com.au/)
The Nut Bloke (http://www.thenutbloke.com/)
Novo Nordisk (http://www.novonordisk.com.au)
Medtronic (http://www.medtronic-diabetes.com.au/)

Donations are still being accepted to support Diabetes Camps Victoria, a non profit organisation which provides camp opportunities for children with diabetes aged 8-17.  Check out our everyday hero webpage at:  http://www.everydayhero.com.au/hypoactive

As always, if you are interested in joining us on this event for 2010, please get in touch with team captain Monique at Monique@hypoactive.org  The event is suited to anyone who can ride a bike for up to an hour at a time, is committed to pushing themselves, and who has type one diabetes.  Despite the wide variety of abilities and fitness levels each year, everyone finds the weekend challenging.  Join us to push yourself, learn more about effective diabetes management with exercise, and have a great time!

More pictures from the weekend can be found here:
http://www.hypoactive.org/image-galleries/murray-moyne-2009
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/monique.hanley/MurrayToMoyne2009#