riding frist thing

pease

With work and family life to juggle the only time I fine for a rideis at six in the morning for a few days in the week, then a Sunday ride when I can.

The mid week rides are literally roll out of bed into lycra, make high5 zero dink and go out for 10 or so miles relatively hard.once I'm back I cool down for five mins then have breakfast before showering. Weekend ride is 30 more sediate miles.

The problem is the last few times I've bonked in epic scales, to the point where even the flat was too hard !

So how can I overcome this ? A cheeky pre ride flapjack ? Different drink ?

merak

Breakfast before riding unless you're deliberately doing a 70% effort fat burning ride, which is where you deliberately deplete carbohydrate stores and attempt to switch on fat burning. You're going out on an empty stomach and taking on zero cals on the ride. Not surprised you're bonking. Just eat before you ride. Simples.

rolf_f

Dunno but 10 miles isn't that much - my shortest morning commute is about 10 miles but usually at least double that. You shouldn't even need to take water for that sort of distance. FWIW, I always have a cereal before I go out though in the past I've not bothered and just had porridge after I got in to work.

I can't really see how you can bonk in 10 miles because that happens when you run out of food energy - unless you have an, ahem, very active night life, you ought to still be well stocked from your evening meal!

davenice

I used to have a nutrigrain before my 9 mile commute, until I discovered how many calories they were. I now head in without eating anything and have some porridge after I get to work.

I do have a nutrigrain bar in the seat pack for emergencies but haven't had to use it (except the first time I tried riding without eating first, although I think that was more because I was feeling under the weather and went a different route!)

So - it should be possible, but hey, if your body says no, why not try having something quick and small to get yourself going and take things a bit easier? You can always phase it out after a week or so and see if things have improved!

Dave

Mettan

Put 3 or 4 teaspoons of sugar into your squash drink. 1 jaffa cake 20 mins before you go out will also get some useful sugar in you.

MountainMonster

Also remember that having a good dinner the night before is just as important as a good breakfast. This leaves you with a bit of energy reserves in the morning, and often a smallish bar in the morning will be enough to fuel a 10 mile ride. Have a few pieces of brown bread about 2-3 hours before bed, and you should be good to go in the morning.

cougie

Id be surprised if you could bonk even at 30 miles unless you're really not eating well.

Runners can do about 15 miles without needing any energy drinks or food so I'd have thought a cyclist could easily go double or triple that ?


Maybe you're not used to riding 30 milers ?

merak

Going out on an empty stomach, say 10 hours after last meal and riding hard? I wouldn't get 30 miles like that even though I regularly ride much longer distances. I go out on 30 miles with plain water and no food, but only after breakfast.

The guy's hitting the wall, he is rolling out of bed,eating nothing and riding hard - surely the obvious conclusion is that a few cals before or on the ride will sort him?

marin_maniac

Most of my rides are at 5am before work and I NEVER eat before I ride.

20 to 30 miles and zero bonkage.

colsoop

I agree with merak

Is it not possible to get up 10 - 15 mins earlier to get some porridge and water down your neck ?

PeeDee

Are you actually bonking or just not warming up properly?

Try riding very slowly for the first 15 minutes, then up the pace and do sprints and intervals to the end of the ride. Combined with your longer weekend ride this would be a good training plan.

10 miles really isn't long enough to get the bonk.

pease

I think , on reflection, its possibly a mixture of getting up and out too quickly (literally 3 minutes from eyes open to out the door) and going out too hard ( normaly average 18+ for the first few miles on a relatively flat route).

I think ill try having a glass of something sweet before I go out, just don't want to eat and end up with a stitch. And I guess ease off the gas until I've warmed up.

Might try the normal high5 tabs instead, are they any good ?


If all the above fails I guess its just proof that I'm massively unfit!

pease

I think , on reflection, its possibly a mixture of getting up and out too quickly (literally 3 minutes from eyes open to out the door) and going out too hard ( normaly average 18+ for the first few miles on a relatively flat route).

I think ill try having a glass of something sweet before I go out, just don't want to eat and end up with a stitch. And I guess ease off the gas until I've warmed up.

Might try the normal high5 tabs instead, are they any good ?


If all the above fails I guess its just proof that I'm massively unfit!

rolf_f

pease wrote:

I think , on reflection, its possibly a mixture of getting up and out too quickly (literally 3 minutes from eyes open to out the door) and going out too hard ( normaly average 18+ for the first few miles on a relatively flat route).

You should try going out the door and straight up a 5 minute climb!

Seriously though, you aren't bonking but neither are you risking a stitch by having something to eat. I have a coffee and a couple of weetabix and am generally out within 20 minutes of having got up - but if I cut the dithering I could halve that time. I climb straight up the hill (steep for the first half, an irritating grind for the second) and keep pushing all the way the remaining 18 miles to work. I never get a stitch. I think you are overanalysing this (and don't bother with the high 5)!!

danowat

I think it might point to poor general nutrition, you should be able to manage at least an hours fasted exercise in the morning.

PeeDee

Lactic acid gets produced by your muscles and cleared by your cardiovascular system.

When you are asleep your CV system is going to be at its lowest activity, very low blood pressure, slow heartbeat and breathing rate etc. When you are riding hard you need it at its highest level of activity. It takes a while (many minutes) for your CV system to ramp up to the new level required. I think the '3 minutes' from bed to riding hard is just not allowing your CV system time to get going, and the bonk feeling is actually lactic acid build-up causing your legs to 'die' part way round.

adampeds

get a protein shake down you, takes two seconds to make.......

stratcat

I do pretty much the same as you, roll out of bed into my cycling gear, quick glug of water, then a hilly ten mile blast. All on an empty stomach. I don't have any trouble running out off energy and I have done a 30 mile the same way, but taken some water with me. I'm bloody hungry when I get back though!

I try to take it steady to warm up a little first, but its quite hard to do! I tend to end up just going for it.
But everyones different, maybe try just spinning until you get everything going, then putting the hammer down.

maybe try a bit of flapjack/oatybar type thing before you go out?

Hope you get it sorted

andy46

For my quick 15 mile ride I do early on a week morning I have a cup of coffee and a small chocolate biscuit, normally a Kit Kat, and take a bottle of water with me. Sometimes I don't even touch the water but I have a good breakfast when I get back, usually cereal and toast.

Alibran

I'd agree with making sure you've had a good dinner the night before. Make sure it has plenty of slow release carbs - wholegrain pasta, rice, bread, etc.

If you can't stomach food before your ride, I'd recommend a glass of fruit juice. I do that if I'm going out for a long run before breakfast because I can't run straight after food, but the liquid sloshing round in my stomach doesn't seem to bother me. (Having said that, when I used to cycle commute, I had no problems going out the door still swallowing my last mouthful of breakfast, so I think I must have an iron stomach!)

Dmak

If I'm out in the morning my thing is. Coffee, good squash and a few chunks of chocolate. Good for about 25 miles after that.

shortyman

To join in, I get up, lycra on and out. I do a 16mile "undulating" commute and take half strength sis drink (full strength is too sweet at 6.30 in the morning for me) and generally I only have a couple of sips and drink the rest throughout the day. Shower and breakfast once I'm at work.
For me breakfast before didn't work as I felt sluggish (whether I actually was is wasn't I have no idea!) and getting up earlier to leave the recomended 30-60minute is out of the question- I'm too lazy to get up earlier.
I'd experiment.

optimisticbiker

Same here, up at 6am, shave, brush teeth, make up SIS drink, loo, lycra on, 5min stretching and out the door at 6:30 for 15mile commute, take it easy for first 1/2mile or so, then flat out after that. Drink about 1/2 the bottle en route then shower and breakfast at work on porridge with banana + 150ml protein shake. Drink rest of bottle over next hour or so.