Portable Transport Bag Protects Insulin on Cross-Continent Bicycle Journey

Imagine the physical demands facing two riders taking an 18,000 km bike trip from Cesena, Italy to Singapore, traveling through extreme weather conditions. But when one of the riders suffers from type 1 diabetes, the degree of difficulty climbs substantially—especially since she requires a daily insulin dose.

The year-long pedal-powered project, called “For A Piece Of Cake,” is a two-wheeled challenge being undertaken by riders Chiara Ricciardi and Riccardo Rocchi, as they help raise awareness about diabetes.

The intrepid Italian duo dubbed their project For A Piece Of Cake because construction engineer Chiara has type 1diabetes and “a slice of cake is an obvious pleasure for many, but an achievement for others.”

Pelican BioThermal is partnering in the challenge. The company, which specializes in the design and manufacture of temperature-controlled packaging serving the life sciences and pharmaceuticals industry, is providing equipment necessary for Chiara transport her insulin during the cycling quest.

The cycling couple will use pedal power to navigate through numerous countries over continents and aim to complete an average 1,600 km a month.

The pedaling pair decided to use bicycles to embark on their expedition as exercise can help reduce the daily insulin requirement for people like Chiara.

Rider Riccardo, a professional photographer, said: “The bicycles are slow means of transport that allow and oblige you to see everything that is on your way, not just to jump from one highlight to another, missing the authenticity of the region. Also, the bike means daily physical exercise, therefore a healthy lifestyle, for diabetic and non-diabetic people.

“Chiara does not want to defeat diabetes but she does want to show that it can be a fellow traveller in every pedal stroke from Cesena to Singapore.”

Tackling some of the toughest terrains, often via routes in remote regions in extreme weather conditions, means Chiara has to have her essential diabetes medication and equipment on board her bike throughout the entire journey and ensure it remains at the right temperature.

To maintain temperature stability for her vital diabetic drugs, Pelican BioThermal supplied its Crēdo ProMed™ temperature-controlled portable medical transport bag designed for emergency first responders and medical couriers to ensure protected pharmaceuticals remain intact.

During their cycling trek Chiara and Riccardo hope to inspire people living with diabetes and debunk some of the myths related to the condition.

Chiara says, “A safe and reliable method for storing and transporting insulin, like the Crēdo ProMed, is vital to our trip and our peacefulness. We know we can rely on it. While on the road, we would like to emphasize the message that a healthy lifestyle and careful therapy can let anyone living with diabetes lead a life full of ambitions.”

Paul Terry, Peli BioThermal’s Director of Sales EMEA, says: “We are delighted to be able to support this fantastic project. As a key partner we are proud to provide the vital products to help ensure Chiara and Riccardo can complete their incredible cycling challenge, while raising awareness about diabetes, a medical condition [that] affects more than 400 million people worldwide.”

Track the For A Piece Of Cake project progress here.