On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 21:18:12 GMT, Peter Cole
wrote:

"Bill Baka" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 10 Nov 2004 13:58:19 GMT, Peter Cole
wrote:

Bonking at 15 miles is all in your head. A healthy person should be
able
to
ride much longer than that without depleting glycogen reserves.

Maybe mental reserve ran out since I was thinking of all the
other stuff I had to do at home. I was on a particularly dull
piece of road that I have ridden many times before.


It may have been that I decided to go out and ride after skipping
breakfast so I was running on reserve to begin w ith.Breakfast
really is a meal you don't want to skip.

You still should have plenty of reserves. I never eat breakfast before
morning rides, it makes me sick. Three hours of hard riding is about bonk
threshold for me. If you do the math, that works out to about normal.

I have gone 3 hours but only after breakfast, never on empty.

I have done a double century without eating (not intentionally). If you
go
at a moderate and steady pace you can do it -- if you've acclimated your
body to burn fat (lots of long rides).


I know it can be done at a lower pace, for days if need be since nature
doesn't provide food at regular intervals, (evolution 101). It may
just be how efficient your body is at converting fat energy into
sugar for power. I am sort of amazed that anyone could pull off a
double century without eating, depending on your speed. I did about
100 miles in mountains when I was 15, on a Saturday, didn't
even carry water bottles and paid the price when I got home,
sleeping through Sunday. Did a 30 mile mountain hike when I was 35 and
basically became part of the furniture when I got home.
We did defeat my stepson though, since he crashed in the back seat
of the car coming back home. Hyperactive 12 year old. Hah.
Bill Baka