Flybe / July 2019

37 / 116

JULY 2019 / Flight Time / 37
Real Life
and as a youngster took part in local junior
triathlons, but at that time triathlon was a
new sport and opportunities were sparse.
When heading to university, I decided to
switch my focus from football to purely
triathlon. There was a great set-up there and
it was a great way to venture into the sport I
was hugely involved in as a child.”
So what made Sam switch from triathlon,
at which he was very successful, to cycling?
“Simply put: an opportunity,” he says.
“In 2014, I was heading into my final year
at university. I’d represented Great Britain
at age-group level at multiple World and
European Triathlon Championships and
was looking to progress towards the 2018
Commonwealth Games. I was invited to
join the Team Novo Nordisk Elite Team
(Triathlon and Running) and jumped at the
opportunity. Fast-forward a year and I’d
completed my degree, and the team offered
me a trial at one of their Talent Identification
Camps in Athens, Georgia. From that trial, I
was offered a contract as a development cyclist
in 2016. This was too good to turn down.
As the world’s first all-diabetes professional
cycling team, it’s so special. I love it.”
How does the team manage to be highly
successful and manage their diabetes?
“First, we are athletes; diabetes
comes after that,” says Sam. “Diabetes is
manageable, so it’s a case of making sure that
I am on top of my management and in range
before every training session, as well as when
I’m racing. We have some great supporters
and sponsors, such as Dexcom, who make
glucose monitoring systems for diabetes
management, that enable us to monitor
our diabetes closely and make important
decisions more easily.”
Despite the obvious limitations, Sam is
determined to go all the way in his career.
“Simply, I want to go to the top, alongside
the team,” he says. “We have big ambitions.
As I’ve said, I’m relatively new within the
world of cycling, having only embraced this
sport 100 per cent in 2016, so my journey has
only just begun. Watch this space!”
Sam is also on a mission to help other
people living with diabetes, and to that end
he does a lot of work with local charities at
home on the Isle of Man. “Currently, I am
working alongside Monitors4Kids to help
raise £120,000 over two years to supply up
to 60 under-16 children with life-changing
continuous glucose monitoring systems
(CGMs). That’s a start. Using my platform as
a professional cyclist to give back to others is
so humbling.”
Sam is an inspiration to other young
people with diabetes, and his message to
them is simple. “Never give up. It isn’t always
easy and diabetes is a forever changing ball
game, but it will click. You’re stronger than
you know. As my boss, Phil Southerland,
co-founder and CEO of Team Novo Nordisk,
always says, “Diabetes only chooses the
champions.”
Looking ahead, Sam has his eye on the
world’s most famous cycle race. “I’d love
to line up on the start line of the Tour de
France,” he says, “as part of the world’s first
all-diabetes professional cycling team. What
could be better? Short term, I’m aiming for
experience and race wins. After representing
the Isle of Man at the 2018 Commonwealth
Games, I’d love to be part of the next Games
in 2022.
“The Isle of Man is so special to me. For
such a small island we proudly punch well
above our weight in professional sports, and
cycling, in particular. It’s a beautiful place to
call home and it’s so unique.”
“Never give up.
It isn’t always
easy and diabetes
is a forever
changing ball
game, but it will
click. You’re
stronger than
you know.”