Black Coffee and Bonk Rides

rob39

Hi all
Just had a year off the bike and put some serious weight on, Just started on the bike again and can do 20 miles with some good hills in the area. Planning on doing some bonk rides with just taking black coffee first thing so to stimulate my metabolism and ride very steadily, with maybe a bannana in the back pocket/gels and a drink on the bike. Am I doing the right thing and does it work??

vorsprung

rob39 wrote:

Hi all
Am I doing the right thing and does it work??

No and no

Well alright, perhaps
"bonk training" is stupid. But if you are taking food with you then that's probably ok

Kléber

Doesn't sound healthy to me. Ride more and eat less but don't do it drastically. Sadly if weight goes on quickly, it comes of slowly. Don't expect quick results.

Chrissz

You need fairly large amounts of caffeine to promote fat metabolism (3mg per kg bodyweight I think - but stand to be corrected ). Also, many studies show that the effects of caffeine only really become apparent after around 1hrs worth of riding - i.e. when the natural process of fat metabolism kicks in anyway!

Another thing to remember - caffeine is a diuretic so you need to take plenty of water with it (and possibly allow for 'comfort breaks' during your ride.

Escargot

The trouble is, even if you take food with you it'll be too late when you need to eat it.

I'm not sure if it really works as it's another kind of fasted training (albeit more extreme).

I suffered terribly with bonking earlier in the year (I'm relatively new to cycling) as I was trying to increase my distance. Week in, week out it would happen after 40ish miles irrespective of my eating breakfast, cereal bars, drinks etc. Fortunately it was just down to my body getting used to riding a bike but it's no fun as it kills your legs for longer than you really want. Ultimately I would have thought it counterproductive as the recovery time was a nightmare and stopped me from getting back on the bike/in the gym.

If you're looking to lose weight fast then having ridiculously long recovery times won't help you to achieve your goals. Better to do it properly by eating properly and enjoying it at the same time. Believe me if you're bonking regularly you won't be enjoying it (never thought I'd ever say that :oops: ).

rogerthecat

M8 best bet ride often (1hr+ each ride), reduce cal. in take, rest twice a week, and you will loose the weight, I am down 4 Stone this year so far. I hammer my rides, just keep riding, oh and open an excel document and make a table with your details on weight, waist, calf ect and a route you like with a PB time. Complete once a month.