from diabetic to traveller

Early 2025, aged 46, I was diagnosed with diabetes type 2 and a double neck hernia. From day one, I decided to try and fight this.
I started to make some changes in my life that would hopefully lead to some real change in my health.

Very soon, that lead me to buy a recumbent trike. I couldn’t ride my old upright bike because of the hernia, but I rekindled my old love for cycling. And since I was already planning to start traveling, I went for a model that gave me the opportunity to do just that.

Another aspect of my health, is that I am on the neurodiversity spectrum. For me, that brings along the risk that I go all in. That I burn out before I could make a meaningful change. On the other hand, it often helps me to keep going. To reach for goals I consider impossible at that point in time.
So from the start, it was really important to search for a good balance. And to keep doing that to stay motivated.

Very soon after my first rides, I noticed I was improving. Change came so fast, that I started to dream of real challenges again. Where I could only ride 30 Km in the beginning, I soon crossed the 100 Km line. Followed by even longer rides. I started to go to the Formula 1 circuit at Francorchamps to train for climbs. And someone told me about a thing called BRM’s. Brevets de Randonneur Mondiaux. Long rides that have to be done between a minimum and maximum average speed, including any brakes you might take. The shortest BRM’s are 200 Km. With the longest going well beyond 1.000 Km. As I write this, that’s my first big goal. My first official BRM. My first 200 Km ride. A dream for now, but I hope to do this, still in 2025.