Bonk

[figbat]

I'm not a real cyclist as I have never bonked. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough or maybe I accidentally fuel appropriately - I certainly don't take a scientific approach to nutrition, I just eat and drink when I feel like it, which on a ride is much less than is apparently expected. The other day I did get home and felt a bit light-headed for a while, stumbling about like I was a bit tipsy - I put this down to dehydration or sugar levels but didn't really think about it beyond that. I rarely carry food on a ride less than, say, 25 miles and whilst I always take water I often don't touch it during the ride unless it's really warm. I do it all kinds of wrong but so far have got away with it.

 

[MichaelW2]

When you have run out of glycogen energy stores in your muscle cells and liver your body switches to fat metabolism which is The Bonk. When you are not getting enough food long term things get even worse and you start to metabolise muscle. That hurts.

I dont know if you can train to bonk less traumatically, if you just get used to bonking. Personally I just keep myself well fed and watered with a good supply of straw changed daily.

 

[bagpuss]

What do you carry in them?

Dried fruit and rice bars + inner tubes and levers . A lighweight rain jacket often gets stuffed in along with a small camera.

 

[midlife]

Dried fruit and rice bars + inner tubes and levers . A lighweight rain jacket often gets stuffed in along with a small camera.

And an Aztec bar, oh hang on, that was the 70’s .

 

[Beebo]

Nice to hear about someone getting a bonk on Valentine’s Day.

 

[Roseland triker]

 

[presta]

There's an old adage that dates back to the 19th century: Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty, and ride well within yourself for the first couple of hours.

Always eat properly before a lengthy ride.

Chew with your mouth shut and keep your elbows off the table you mean?

You're not a proper cyclist til you've bonked 🤣

I must admit I've never tried bonking on a bike.

 

[Dave7]

Avoiding the bonk is easy, it’s just a case of noticing changes in your perceived exertion and how much harder it’s getting compared when you started. Carry some food and drink on the bike and eat / drink if necessary. The bonk doesn’t suddenly happen, plenty of signs before if paying attention.

Not going to argue over this but you are discussing YOU. You can't generalise or class every one the same.
I ate sensibly but when I bonked it was immediate....... no warning

 

[Biker man]

I'm not a real cyclist as I have never bonked. Maybe I'm not trying hard enough or maybe I accidentally fuel appropriately - I certainly don't take a scientific approach to nutrition, I just eat and drink when I feel like it, which on a ride is much less than is apparently expected. The other day I did get home and felt a bit light-headed for a while, stumbling about like I was a bit tipsy - I put this down to dehydration or sugar levels but didn't really think about it beyond that. I rarely carry food on a ride less than, say, 25 miles and whilst I always take water I often don't touch it during the ride unless it's really warm. I do it all kinds of wrong but so far have got away with it.

You are lucky if you get good and proper you know about it

 

[figbat]

Avoiding the bonk is easy, it’s just a case of noticing changes in your perceived exertion and how much harder it’s getting compared when you started. Carry some food and drink on the bike and eat / drink if necessary. The bonk doesn’t suddenly happen, plenty of signs before if paying attention.

Perhaps a good reason for heart rate monitoring, even if you aren't bothered about training zones? I always wear a HRM and display it on my computer, not for training reasons but for curiosity and out of habit. What it does mean though is that I have become familiar with how my heart rate varies with perceived exertion, such that I might notice if it was unexpectedly out of this range (and therefore perhaps a symptom of something else, like a bonk or a COVID or something).

 

[oldwheels]

What do you carry in them?

I have no idea why you should be offended but I apologise anyway.
In fact I misread the post and read “ what do you carry them in?”

 

[lazybloke]

I hit the wall when out for a walk.

The pre-amble is that I'd woken up early with a hangover, had a tiny breakfast before going for a hilly bike ride, then was in a hurry to get the children out for a walk so ran through the shower and threw a picnic lunch together, and dashing out in the car.

I'd not eaten since a breakfast, so was probably already on the cusp of a bonk, but it was a flight of 200 steps up a steep slope of the Greensand Ridge that tipped me into the abyss.

There wasn't much warning, just sudden breathlessness with every step.
Had to collapse to a position where I was bent over with my arms folded on the handrail, my head resting on my wrists. Didn't have the energy to lift my head or move a step in either direction.

Just had to rest, then shuffle a step, then rest for another 1-2 minutes before repeating. Eventually reached a bench and devoured my lunch.
My energy levels remained depleted, so I quickly gave up and returned to my car.

85 minutes to walk 1.4 miles.
Never again, if I can help it.

 

[Ian H]

There's an old adage that dates back to the 19th century: Eat before you're hungry, drink before you're thirsty, and ride well within yourself for the first couple of hours.

Late 19th, early 20th C. Paul de Vivie, known as Velocio.

 

[Ian H]

Once, after a long night on the bike (and still some way to go) I was reduced to eating from the hedgerow. Fortunately it was late summer and there was plenty of fruit — blackberries, rosehips and so on.

 

[bagpuss]

Nice to hear about someone getting a bonk on Valentine’s Day.

I dare not type that !!