Bonked...

[Nige Danton[_2_]]

On a morning ride two days ago I bonked badly. It was an out and back
ride and I was fine on the outbound leg. I've done this ride loads of
times as a fairly short 70 km training ride.

Cruising at about 36. About 10 km after the turnaround I *suddenly*
started to feel extremely lightheaded, weak and floppy and going
progressively slower and slower. To be honest it took me a while to work
out what was happening. It soon became all I could do to keep the pedals
turning at 11 kph on the flat, and quickly after that I could do no more
and had to get off and walk. There I was, me, a roadie.. a "I am
cyclist - I do not [get off and] walk" staggering along the roadside.
None of this was helped by the high temperature either.

I'd run out of water and had no food with me. I ended up walking slowly
for a km or two and then used a downhill stretch to get me going again.

After the event I was thinking about what I'd eaten the day before -
precisely two ham rolls - and before the ride absolutely nothing. So, it
was no surprise at all that I bonked. It was the first time I'd
experienced anything like it and it really was very unpleasent and made
all the worse that I was on my own.

Yesterday, I repeated the ride and it was fine. But I did make sure I
was properly fuelled beforehand. So, in future I need to follow the
advice that I'm normally so quick to dish out to other people about
making sure you eat properly.

--
Nige Danton
email: replace the obvious with g_m_a_i_l

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: ---

[Graham Harrison[_3_]]

So, in future I need to follow the
> advice that I'm normally so quick to dish out to other people about
> making sure you eat properly.

Not just eat -drink. Keep yourself hydrated.

[Nick[_4_]]

On 19/06/2010 07:06, Nige Danton wrote:
> On a morning ride two days ago I bonked badly. It was an out and back
> ride and I was fine on the outbound leg. I've done this ride loads of
> times as a fairly short 70 km training ride.
>
> Cruising at about 36. About 10 km after the turnaround I *suddenly*
> started to feel extremely lightheaded, weak and floppy and going
> progressively slower and slower. To be honest it took me a while to work
> out what was happening. It soon became all I could do to keep the pedals
> turning at 11 kph on the flat, and quickly after that I could do no more
> and had to get off and walk. There I was, me, a roadie.. a "I am
> cyclist - I do not [get off and] walk" staggering along the roadside.
> None of this was helped by the high temperature either.
>
> I'd run out of water and had no food with me. I ended up walking slowly
> for a km or two and then used a downhill stretch to get me going again.
>
> After the event I was thinking about what I'd eaten the day before -
> precisely two ham rolls - and before the ride absolutely nothing. So, it
> was no surprise at all that I bonked. It was the first time I'd
> experienced anything like it and it really was very unpleasent and made
> all the worse that I was on my own.
>
> Yesterday, I repeated the ride and it was fine. But I did make sure I
> was properly fuelled beforehand. So, in future I need to follow the
> advice that I'm normally so quick to dish out to other people about
> making sure you eat properly.
>

40km is about where I would have problems. My soultion is to mix orange
juice with my water 50% (freshly squeezed for obvious reasons) and take
bannanas to eat after an hour and then every 20-30 minutes.

Sometimes in late summer I play "Ray Mears" and stock up on wild berries
whilst out on the North Downs.

I suspect what I have eaten the day before might make a difference but I
think it is quite hard to work out what the difference is.

[Rob Morley]

On Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:06:49 +0700
(Nige Danton) wrote:

> It was the first time I'd
> experienced anything like it and it really was very unpleasent and
> made all the worse that I was on my own.

You have to meet the bonk in person to truly appreciate what it's like
- now you'll have real empathy when someone else tells about it. :-)

[The Medway Handyman[_2_]]

Nige Danton wrote:
> On a morning ride two days ago I bonked badly.

Did you mean;

Bonk Verb. To fornicate. An inoffensive expression, generally used more by
adolescents. Noun. A sexual act.

Or

Bonkers Adj. 1. Crazy, insane.


The latter applies to cyclists rather well.


--
Dave - intelligent enough to realise that a push bike is a kid's toy, not a
viable form of transport.

[David[_11_]]

"Nige Danton" > wrote in message
m...
> Cruising at about 36. About 10 km after the turnaround I *suddenly*
> started to feel extremely lightheaded, weak and floppy and going
> progressively slower and slower.

It's horrible. The only time I've fullly bonked was on the London to
Brighton a few years ago. It was very hot that year and I'd actually made
it right into the outskirts of Brighton! Basically all I had to do was roll
down the last couple of miles, but no way, I was going nowhere. Luckily
there were shops so I was able to refuel and after a while set off again.
Now I'm aware of the feeling leading up to bonking and make sure I get fuel
ASAP.

D

[thirty-six]

On 19 June, 10:32, (Nige Danton) wrote:
> Graham Harrison > wrote:
> > Not just eat -drink. * Keep yourself hydrated.
>
> True. I'd taken what would normally have been enough water but on this
> ride it just dissapeared.
>

Sounds like potassium depletion.