Philip Wood describes himself as a ‘bicycle mechanic from Melbourne’. But there’s much more to him than that! From humble beginnings in a bike shop to working for some of the industry’s biggest brands, Phil has become one of the driving forces behind some of the bicycle industry leaders.

He shares with us one day in his life on tour with a professional cycling team while living with type 1 diabetes.

“Surely it can’t be time to wake up for work? My phone alarm is going off and it’s still dark outside.

It’s a ‘Low Glucose Warning’.

After a handful of black jellybeans and some milk, I try to get back to sleep. In four hours’ time I need to be up again, but my type 1 diabetes doesn’t have a day off and today it’s doing overtime.

Life with diabetes

I’m at the road cycling National Championships with the team. I used to be the one on the bike, racing, testing and working in the bicycle industry.

Then eight years ago, I felt very unwell, lethargic and had a thirst I couldn’t shake. That was when I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

Back to my day, well it already started at 2am. Now I’m up and about officially.

Feeling a little washed out from the overnight event, it’s time for coffee and breakfast before heading out for a quick ride at some local mountain bike trails. My Freestyle Libre sensor says I’m sitting high after breakfast, but I head out anyway.

I have missed doing this! Although I’m not as slim as I was, not as fast and fit, to be honest this to me is as good as it gets, clearing my mind and connecting with the world…. Hang on, now I’m feeling warm, and sweatier than normal. Is this another low or am I that unfit? I better get back just to be safe.

Arriving at the event village, I grab another coffee and get to work. My day involves getting several bicycles ready before the race begins. I meticulously check over maintenance and ensure the riders won’t have any problems so they can achieve their own goals.

As the race begins, I hop in the team support vehicle along with spare wheels and bikes to follow the riders. Race radio lets me know if there are problems or riders have a mechanical issue I need to deal with on the race.

After a relatively incident free event, it’s time to return to our accommodation to prepare for the next day of events. Bikes need to be washed, degreased, checked, serviced and fixed from crashes in today’s race. This will continue into the night and I am running out of light… and oh yeah, I must eat! I didn’t get to lunch, no wonder I’m hungry and feeling faint, almost a tunnel vision is happening.

Being on tour is pretty good. Our team assistants don’t just take care of the riders, they also cook for the other staff. This means I eat like a cyclist on tour, lots of carbs, lots of fuel, which doesn’t help the weight either. I’m a carb counter, and I really like routine, it makes it easier for me to plan and stay on top of my diabetes. I can’t wait to get home to some routine.

Back to work. My headphones are in listening to a podcast and into the night we go. My CGM sensor is going off saying I’m high – time to correct.

A couple hours later, all the race bikes are looking good with new tyres and lubed chains. They’re finally ready for the next day’s road race.

Time for a shower and bed to do this all again tomorrow. I check my blood glucose levels, correct with short acting insulin and get ready for the long lasting. As I exercised today and was a bit low last night, I decide to run less than normal to be safe.

I’m pretty lucky. For me this is a standard day. Although my routine is out the window, I get to work with something I’m passionate about. This sport has defined me, not type 1 diabetes.

I can’t ignore diabetes though, it’s part of my life. Always there like an undertow in the ocean, and my goodness it’s exhausting.

Being diagnosed changed my life, I’m more alert and aware of my body than I ever have been before and I’m grateful for that. On the other hand, life is more complicated – I have a little more to deal with each day, and exercise has become harder to do. I will get back there, just not yet.

I need to figure it out and get a better routine in my days. Some days I’m the hammer and nail my diabetes management, other days I’m the nail getting hammered by my glucose levels. The best part of it is, this is Thursday, and I get a new shot to nail it tomorrow.”