Living with type 2 diabetes did not stop HERB BOLTONG, 83, embarking on an autumn cycling tour through Europe. He shares his latest adventure with us.

“Eight years ago, I rode my bike around Australia to raise money for Diabetes WA. I wasn’t planning another trip but my son, Adrian, told me he wanted to ride the Alpe Adria Trail. It’s a 400-kilometre trail that starts in the Austrian Alps, travels through Italy, Slovenia and ends in the port town of Grado in Croatia.

He said, ‘Do you want to join me?’ And I thought, well, how can I say no?

I was fairly fit to begin with – I lived in Indonesia for 25 years and used to climb volcanoes there, and I’ve also walked the Bibbulman Track from end to end – but to get ready for this trip, I trained for about 2.5 months on the Munda Biddi Trail in the Perth Hills.

We set off in September. Adrian did a lot of the navigation and pre-planning but it was a team effort. We got along very well and – would you believe it? – we’re still talking to each other.

What I find with diabetes is that I need to snack more rather than having big meals, so we stopped at all the local bakeries to keep the energy up.

I also carry jellybeans, but I only used them twice when I felt I really needed them. I monitored daily with finger pricks and both my blood glucose and blood pressure improved with the exercise. We tried the local food everywhere we went… and the local wine.

We had a few mishaps along the way – I cut my hand on a steel fence and I also lost a pedal. Adrian went to the next village to get some tools and returned with a local man who fixed the bike up while his wife made us coffee and cake. Everyone was so friendly – wherever you go you meet someone who has a family member or friend who moved to Australia and they tell you all about it.

The scenery was out of this world – the mountains, the valleys, the views. The Austrians are very polite when they drive past you and the Italians always rev their engines. In Croatia there were beautiful bike paths along the sea and lots of interesting fishing villages and good seafood.

Every few days we’d take a day off from riding and go sight-seeing, so it was a holiday on wheels, not just a bike ride. We’d stop for coffee and chat to the locals because English is very well spoken. I don’t need to see another olive tree for a while though.

It’s not often you get to do something like this with your adult children. Next time we are thinking Japan and I’m hoping my daughter will come along too.

My GP did say that he didn’t recommend I do the trip. I said, ‘I didn’t ask for your opinion. Thank you very much and I’m not going to listen to you!’ and we had a good laugh.

The way I look at it, having type 2 diabetes is not the end of the world. I was diagnosed about 15 years ago and I went through a lot of the Diabetes WA self-management programs such as ShopSMART.

Talking to others at those programs did make me aware that there’s a perception out there that type 2 diabetes is a bad thing. I remember talking to one woman who didn’t even want her husband to know she had diabetes.

When I rode around Australia I gave quite a few lectures on diabetes and talked to people. I try to be positive about type 2 diabetes and tell people they can still do whatever they want. With this trip, I wouldn’t have made it if it wasn’t for Adrian motivating me. It was a great team effort.”

Congratulations Herb and thank you for sharing your story with us!

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