Bonking on rides

diy

On one of last years BHF South downs way 100 , we had a couple in our group who hit the wall (body cramped). Combination of 30 degree heat, lack of carb maintenance and not replacing electrolytes.

I don't think I bonked, but at one point at about the 60 mile mark, my chain came off on a climb and I just stared at it with no clue what to do. Mentally fried.

Not surprising given I lost 4KG of mass and drank nearly 8 litres of water - in one day!

suzyb

MrChuck wrote:

I couldn't do anything on 2 slices of toast! Is that what you have during the week as well?.

Usually but I know it isn't really enough. I tend to eat the wrong way round and have more later in the day than earlier.

Anyway it seems like I'm just going to have to get out more on my own and go at my own pace so I can build up the fitness and strength to keep up with others. And eat more oaty stuff before hand.

Richie63

Please post this in the crudcatcher

Thewaylander

Diet play's a huge part of how i feel when riding. and after.

I tend to stack the carbs before, potatoes root veg, pasta and so on the night or so before, then after, protein in, milkshakes are really good(as these, and oily fish helps your body absorb the proteins to muscle more effiecently.

Really consider you food before and after riding very carefully as it made the most difference to my riding last year.

EnglishChris

+1 for the porridge in the morning, and the pasta the night before.

I take some energy bars with me - either Mule bars (some lovely fruity flavours tho I avoid the fig and liquorice ones) or Clif bars (had a lovely crunchy peanut butter one yesterday!). And bananas.

I also discovered PowerBar Ride Shots - nice lemon flavour chewy sweets which you can have every hour or so and which give you a quick sugar hit and a longer release.

I've bonked twice in recollection. Once was on my first real ride of the year, so I'd had a few months without doing much. Just a spin round a 15 mile route at Betws y Coed but about 2/3 of the way in I just died. Felt sick putting in ANY effort, had to push up anything I couldn't freewheel along. I'd eaten pretty well but didn't have many bars with me, so put that down to mostly just being a bit out of shape. I biked again the next day and felt great.

The other time was at Ae. Again, about 2/3 of the way round and I lost it. I started to get tunnel vision and it was all I could do to get back to the car along the fireroads to stuff my face with some carrot cake I had in the boot. Horrible feeling but felt better in minutes. That was in the middle of a week of biking and we'd eaten well but maybe I'd just taken it out of my body a little on the first few days.

So I suspect its down to a bit of both. General fitness will help, sleep, hydration, food in the past few days and food on the day!! Keep peddling!

Wallace1492

Granola is pretty good too. Big plateful before or after toast....

Eat more and ride more. I really think there is absolutely no alternative to just getting out and doing longer and more often riding. Progress is made slowly, but it does get there in the end.

Cycle often and vary the terrain, you will get better over time as your body copes with it. If you can cycle every day. Better weather/lighter nights will let you get out more often.

njee20

I often only have a slice of toast or 2 before a ride, does depend on who you are, but it doesn't sound like a lot if you're dying on the first climb. That, however, does sound like it's just acclimatisation, even on an empty stomach you should have more energy than that!

Try starting rides slower and not riding off at full bore.

Anonymous

njee20 wrote:

I often only have a slice of toast or 2 before a ride, does depend on who you are, but it doesn't sound like a lot if you're dying on the first climb. That, however, does sound like it's just acclimatisation, even on an empty stomach you should have more energy than that!

Try starting rides slower and not riding off at full bore.

you're a super fit racehead though, it's not going to hit you as hard, so early on.

Where are my stabilisers?

I get super tired like you - On a couple of occasions I've struggled to keep my eyes open driving home, which is a bit scary!

I've started going to the gym now to help with my stamina on the bike. I've also recently given up eating toast for breakfast. I feel much better and fuller after eating granola every morning!

I always pack some kind of cereal bar and energy drink when I go out on a ride, I don't always need to eat it, but I'm happier knowing the options there if I start struggling

Bentyler

'where are my stabilisers'
It is not a case of eating when you 'bonk' you must eat to prevent you 'bonking'.

Keep the fuel tank topped up!

'The older you are the faster you were.

Anonymous

As well as all the advice on eating properly, you could also try aome interval training to boost your fittness.

Worked for me.

FSR_XC

suzyb wrote:

Reason I asked in here is I don't seem to bonk when on my road bike. I can do 2 or 3 times the distance on road eating the same but riding off road just sucks the energy right out of me

As has been mentioned, MTB is much more strenuous than road riding, but the principles for feeding are basically the same.

I can ride 75 miles on the road without too much problem. I reckon 30 miles off road is harder.

I find bananas & fig rolls are good for energy.

It sounds like you are riding with people much faster than you. The only way to get faster is to ride more.

Where are my stabilisers?

'where are my stabilisers'
It is not a case of eating when you 'bonk' you must eat to prevent you 'bonking'.

Sorry, didn't mean it to sound like that - I carry stuff that I may or may not eat depending on how I feel as I go. But I always like to make sure that I've got more than I think I'll need, just in case it all goes boobs up and I'm caught out. If that makes sense?

crazy88

I've never bonked on my bike yet, road or MTB, perhaps I don't push myself hard enough? I have hit the wall though, like when running. When you just want to give up, but can still manange...just. I've never got to the point where I collapse though, and good job really having SPD's it'd be painful.

It does sound like you may be attacking the hills a little too aggresively though! I went out with a friend a while back who cycles very infrequently. He was always standing on the hills and racing ahead. I kept my bum planted on the seat and just rode through the hill. I always adjust my gears as neccessary so that at the top I shift up a gear and go faster, not stop. He was always dead at the top of the hill and needed a rest, despite usually getting there after me too.

Maybe poor advice, but it works for me. I'd also recommend porridge for breakfast too. Plus, I actually quite like it

diy

There is nothing worse that riding with people who keep needing to stop for breaks. It totally screws your muscles. Much better to pace yourself so that you don't need to stop so much.

cooldad

diy wrote:

There is nothing worse that riding with people who keep needing to stop for breaks. It totally screws your muscles. Much better to pace yourself so that you don't need to stop so much.

Never ride with me then. I don't have a probelm with food, but do need regular smoke breaks.

Daz555

suzyb wrote:

IAs well as breakfast (2 slices of toast) I took some Quaker oat bars, one of which I ate before the ride and the other during the first half an hour. But I still bonked

I'm assuming here that in between the two slices of toast was 2 bacon, 2 sausage, 1 egg and a hash brown? :?

If not, what on earth were you thinking?

On this general subject though, the only times I have "bonked" have been when riding with people a lot fitter than me - last time was only a few weeks back on a 40km MTB route near Hebdon Bridge. I was riding with my roadie brother in law who frankly has lungs and legs of steel right now due to the miles he covers. My efforts to keep pace with him resulted in me falling apart on the last 4 or 5k along roads back to Hebdon. My legs turned to complete mush.

Still, at least I left him for dust whenever the trail pointed downhill.

PamPen25

diy wrote:

There is nothing worse that riding with people who keep needing to stop for breaks. It totally screws your muscles. Much better to pace yourself so that you don't need to stop so much.

I am soooo unfit. The guys I ride with only want me there so they have an excuse to have breaks all the time.

suzyb

PamPen25 wrote:

diy wrote:

There is nothing worse that riding with people who keep needing to stop for breaks. It totally screws your muscles. Much better to pace yourself so that you don't need to stop so much.

I am soooo unfit. The guys I ride with only want me there so they have an excuse to have breaks all the time.

The guys I used to ride with asked me to stop coming so they didn't have to keep stopping and could finish the ride before it got dark

njee20

I have no problem plodding on at 2mph, but can't be doing with stopping!

diy

I was out with a couple of XC racers at the weekend. Had to wait 8 mins at the bottom of one DH. It was the only time I was in front. To be fair though I was the only one with a FS AMish bike.

Anonymous

An Amish bike? That would be awesome

Rushmore

Bonking on Rides?

I thought Riding and Bonking were the same thing

Wallace1492

yeehaamcgee wrote:

An Amish bike? That would be awesome

It is....

Rooner

Well, bonking that quickly does sound a bit odd. As far as I know, its caused by exhausting your glycogen stores. The 'average' person (or so I read somewhere) can store around 1500-2000 calories in glycogen in their body (in muscles etc), this increases quite a lot the fitter and better trained you are. The problem can easily come if you didn't eat much the day before, and then had a small breakfast, 2000 calories will go pretty quickly offroad I reckon.

Not only would I say you should have a look at your diet, ride more often, but also maybe consider doing another endurance activity, running being perfect. I 'bonked' a month or two ago for the first time, after a reasonable length run (13 miles), but I normally run further, it was down to simply not eating enough (after two heavy days of training). The running will help build your endurance and general fitness, get you used to a sustained level of effort.

I had a google about it not long ago, some coaches advocate bonking (again in the context of the OP) as a part of training, ie pushing yourself to UTTER exhaustion. The theory is this can condition your body to go that bit further next time. Sounds sadistic to me.....

Oh and bonking isn't feeling a little tired as others have said, its barely being able to stand or speak, and friends of mine have said they often become very emotional and cry! It also takes a little longer to recover from than the normal tiredness after exercise

Shaggy_Dog

njee20 wrote:

I have no problem plodding on at 2mph, but can't be doing with stopping!

100% with you there. Hate getting going again once my muscles have cooled down

tomtomthepipersson

2 slices of toast just about fuels me for 2 hours sat at my desk.