The Adventure of a Lifetime: Lessons from Cycling Across Europe After Ostomy Surgery

By Axel Keller

This morning, I asked a woman to take my picture. Afterward, she looked at my bicycle, loaded with bags, and asked where I was headed. “Portugal,” I replied. We were standing in Copenhagen, Denmark, nearly 3,000 miles from my destination and almost 2,000 miles from where I had started 38 days earlier at the northern tip of Norway. Her jaw dropped. “Wow,” she said. “That’s the adventure of a lifetime.” I smiled, because little did she know, this wasn’t the adventure of a lifetime. That adventure had already happened. It began years earlier when I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and continued through countless hospital visits, medications, and uncertainty before culminating in the removal of my colon in December 2025 at just 22 years old.

The bike ride is only one part of this journey. Since surgery, I’ve learned more than I ever expected about living with an ostomy. Today, I’m partnering with Coloplast to answer a few questions about life with an ostomy and share some of the lessons I’ve picked up along the way.

What would surprise a new ostomate most about your life today with an ostomy?

If there’s one thing that would surprise a new ostomate, it’s how ordinary my ostomy has become. Before leaving for Europe, I imagined it would be the focus of every day. I worried about changing my bag in remote places, carrying enough supplies across multiple countries, finding clean places to do bag changes, and what would happen if something went wrong hundreds of miles from the nearest hospital.

Instead, my ostomy has become just another part of my routine. I change my bag, pack my supplies, and get back on my bike. Some mornings I wake up thinking about the weather, how many miles I want to ride, or where I’ll find food that evening. Most days, my ostomy isn’t the first thing on my mind anymore.

That’s probably the biggest surprise of this entire journey. Cycling across Europe isn’t possible because I ignore my ostomy, but rather because I’ve learned to live with it. What once felt overwhelming has simply become another part of preparing for the day, no different than filling my water bottles or checking the air in my tires.

How are you managing your ostomy as you cycle across Europe?

Before leaving for Europe, managing my ostomy was one of my biggest concerns. I spent months planning every detail because I wanted to eliminate as many unknowns as possible. Looking back now, it’s funny how much time I spent worrying about something that has become one of the easiest parts of my daily routine.

When it came to supplies, my philosophy was simple: always bring more than you think you’ll need. I packed about 25% more supplies than I expected to use throughout the trip because accidents happen, and it’s always better to have extras than to find yourself without what you need. I ordered everything well in advance of my flight to make sure it arrived before I left, and because I had four flights to reach the start of my journey in northern Norway, I carried all of my ostomy supplies with me in a separate medical bag. If my checked luggage was delayed or lost, I knew I would still have everything I needed.

Once I was on the bike, I never kept all of my supplies in one place. Most of them stay in one pannier, but I always keep a few complete bag changes spread throughout my other bags. That way, if one bag gets damaged, wet, or lost, I still have backup supplies within reach. It’s a simple habit that has given me a lot of peace of mind.

Bag changes have also become much easier than I expected. My Coloplast appliance typically lasts four to five days, so sometimes I’ll change it during a rest day at a hotel or cabin, just as I would at home. Other times, I’m deep in the mountains or camped in the middle of the woods. Before leaving on this trip, I practiced changing my bag while sitting on my bed, knowing that it would be similar to changing it inside my tent. By the time I found myself doing my first bag change on the road, it felt familiar because I had already practiced the process.

For disposal, I carry small dog waste bags with me. After a bag change, I seal everything inside one of those bags and store it in a separate place on my bike until I reach a proper trash bin. It’s a simple system, but it works well and helps me leave every campsite exactly as I found it.

The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that confidence comes from preparation. I didn’t eliminate every possible problem before leaving, I simply prepared well enough that when something unexpected happened, I knew I could handle it. That mindset has carried me through thousands of miles across Europe, and it’s one I’ll take with me long after this ride is over.

What has this journey taught you about yourself and life with an ostomy?

More than anything, this journey has changed the way I think about my ostomy. When I first had surgery, it felt like everything revolved around it. Every decision I made, every place I went, and everything I planned was influenced by this new part of my life. It was impossible not to think about because everything was still so new.

Now, it’s simply part of who I am.

There are days on this trip when I spend far more time thinking about the weather, where I’ll sleep that night, or how many miles I want to ride than I do about my ostomy. I still take care of it every day, but it no longer defines my day. That shift didn’t happen overnight. It happened through repetition, preparation, and proving to myself, one experience at a time, that I was capable of far more than I believed after surgery.

This journey has also changed the way I think about myself. Before leaving, I wanted to prove that I could ride across Europe with an ostomy. Somewhere along the way, I realized I didn’t have anything left to prove. My ostomy wasn’t holding me back anymore. It had simply become another part of my routine, just like packing my bike or setting up my tent.

The greatest lesson this trip has given me is that confidence doesn’t come from having all the answers. It comes from showing up, facing the unknown, and realizing you’re capable of handling more than you ever imagined. My ostomy may have changed the way I live, but it hasn’t changed the size of the life I’m able to live.

What would you tell someone who’s worried their ostomy will hold them back from traveling, exercising, or living the life they want?

If you’re reading this while recovering from surgery, wondering if you’ll ever travel, exercise, or chase the dreams you had before your ostomy, I’d first tell you that those feelings are completely normal. I remember lying in a hospital bed wondering many of the same things. At the time, riding a bicycle across Europe wasn’t even on my mind. I was simply hoping to feel healthy again.

Recovery takes time. There isn’t a moment where everything suddenly feels normal again. Instead, life slowly begins to open back up. The first walk turns into a hike. The first bike ride turns into a longer ride. Before you know it, you’re doing things that once felt impossible.

Don’t feel like you have to prove anything to anyone. Your goal doesn’t have to be riding across Europe. Maybe it’s walking around the block, going out to dinner without worrying about your ostomy, returning to your favorite hobby, or taking your first trip after surgery. Every milestone matters because every milestone reminds you that your life is moving forward.

If this journey has taught me anything, it’s that an ostomy doesn’t have to make your world smaller. It may change the way you prepare, the things you pack, or the routines you build, but it doesn’t have to change your dreams. Six months ago, I was recovering from surgery. Today, I’m writing this from a campsite in Denmark.

If I can leave you with one thought, it’s this: be patient with yourself. Give yourself time to heal, celebrate the small victories, and don’t let fear decide what your future looks like. You may be surprised by just how much life is still waiting for you on the other side of recovery.

Coloplast develops products and services that make life easier for people with intimate healthcare needs. Working closely with the people who use our products, we create solutions that are sensitive to their special needs. Our business includes ostomy care, continence care, advanced wound care, interventional urology, and voice & respiratory care.

Axel is a Coloplast product user who received compensation from Coloplast to provide this information. Each person’s situation is unique, so your experience may not be the same. Talk to your healthcare professional about which product might be right for you.

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Editor’s note: This blog is from a UOAA digital sponsor, Coloplast. Sponsor support along with donations from readers like you help to maintain our website and the free trusted resources of UOAA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.