What have I done?

Teece

Did my longest ever ride this morning in the country lanes around Stratford Upon Avon: 45.3 miles at 12.7mph.
I had rolled oats porridge made with milk before I left the house. At the halfway stage I ate a banana. I drank 1.5 litres of water during the ride.

When I was about 6 miles from home I started to feel really weird - gradually more and more tired to the point where my body was aching. I'm ashamed to admit that I may have even whimpered out loud during the climbs.
I found myself stuck on the little ring - any attempt to cycle on the dinner plate resulted in much wobbling and drooping over the bars. I felt really thirsty.

At home it was all I could do to make peanut butter on toast and drink a pint of milk. I lay on the couch for an hour and my hands developed pins and needles.

2 hours later and I'm still a bit shaky - the most worrying part is that my heart rate is still elevated, not by much but I can tell.

So the question is: what have I done to myself?

PS besides feeling like crap I also feel quite smug and proud of myself - I've never ridden that far before in my 6 months of being a cyclist!

schweiz

You bonked!

Put simply, you didn't eat enough. The porridge was probably about 350-400 calories and the banana was about 100. A conservative estimate of calories burnt per hour would be 500 so that's almost 2000. If your reserves were empty (e.g. If you are dieting or skipped dinner last night) then you would have run out of fuel!

Lightning

You say you felt really thirsty. Did you "space out" the 1.5L or did you drink most of it all at once when you felt thirsty? For rides around that distance I also drink 1.5L and it's fine. You shouldn't feel thirsty though. Also, one banana half-way wouldn't be enough for me, so that might have been the problem. I don't eat bananas anymore on rides but if I were to, I'd eat two (one for each hour). Try it out next time and see how you feel.

Don't be discouraged by how you're feeling right now by the way. Congratulations on the achievement and keep going!

Teece

schweiz wrote:

You bonked!

Put simply, you didn't eat enough. The porridge was probably about 350-400 calories and the banana was about 100. A conservative estimate of calories burnt per hour would be 500 so that's almost 2000. If your reserves were empty (e.g. If you are dieting or skipped dinner last night) then you would have run out of fuel!

That makes sense actually, because I am cutting at the moment. The only other thing I ate was a chicken breast and veggies about 7pm the night before.
So next ride, take more food, or maybe those energy gels I see the pros eating?
Thanks!

pilot_pete

Firstly, well done on your longest ride to date.

To look at your question of what have you done, a few thoughts;

1. Are you coming down with something? It may well have been festering for a day or two and now manifested itself.

2. If your profile picture is of you (I am guessing it is!), then you are quite a big lad in cycling terms. That amount of upper body/ muscle will have a detrimental affect on your cycling performance, chiefly because you are having to haul all that weight around. A more wirey framed cyclist would find it easier/ more efficient. I have many cycling buddies who are ex rugby players and those who were forwards tend to plod and struggle like hell on hills for this reason! So, it all depends on where you have come from. If you previously spent a lot of the in the gym, well you may well take significantly more than six months to transition into being an efficient cyclist who can bang out mile after mile efficiently.

3. Only you will know if your nutritional requirements were met before and during this ride. From what you say it does sound like you bonked, I.e. you hit that wall and just keeping moving was getting increasingly difficult. It does depend on a lot of factors; how hilly was the course? Have you done hilly rides successfully before, with at least as much climbing as this ride? Is that average speed high for this type of ride for you? What preparation did you do in terms of nutrition before this ride (beer and curry the night before?) so many factors...

4. Was this a big increase in mileage/climbing/ speed for you, if it was that could explain a lot.

So, it sounds to me like you bonked, so ask yourself the questions above and get a plan for next time. If it was simply lack of fuel that is easy to sort out.

Good luck

PP

Teece

Pilot Pete wrote:

Firstly, well done on your longest ride to date.

To look at your question of what have you done, a few thoughts;

1. Are you coming down with something?

2. If your profile picture is of you (I am guessing it is!), then you are quite a big lad in cycling terms. If you previously spent a lot of the in the gym, well you may well take significantly more than six months to transition into being an efficient cyclist who can bang out mile after mile efficiently.

3. Only you will know if your nutritional requirements were met before and during this ride.

4. Was this a big increase in mileage/climbing/ speed for you, if it was that could explain a lot.

So, it sounds to me like you bonked, so ask yourself the questions above and get a plan for next time. If it was simply lack of fuel that is easy to sort out.

Good luck

PP

1. Felt fine before I left and I'm not sneezing or coughing now. I hope I'm not coming down with something!

2. Yep, that's me. I have a martial arts background and I was actually lifting weights last night after dinner. I'm not big, I'm quite short, but deffo not skinny!

3. I don't think I met my nutritional requirements...

4. This average speed was rather slow for me. I was gonna come home at around 13.8 until the man with the hammer hit me. Yep, loads of hills but that isn't normally a problem. I made it up Coed y Brenin on a mountain bike last year.

Thanks Pete!

pilot_pete

Ah,

When I started the last post nobody else had replied! As you mention you are also cutting, I would say that with little body fat and a heavy cardiovascular workout for a guy like you, you bonked! Calories in, calories out and all that....no fuel leads to a breakdown! :?

More fuel, be it love handles or gels required! I did over a hundred last Sunday with no gels, but a lovely pair of 'fuel handes' as I have renamed them!

PP

Teece

Lightning wrote:

You say you felt really thirsty. Did you "space out" the 1.5L or did you drink most of it all at once when you felt thirsty? For rides around that distance I also drink 1.5L and it's fine. You shouldn't feel thirsty though. Also, one banana half-way wouldn't be enough for me, so that might have been the problem. I don't eat bananas anymore on rides but if I were to, I'd eat two (one for each hour). Try it out next time and see how you feel.

Don't be discouraged by how you're feeling right now by the way. Congratulations on the achievement and keep going!

Thanks!
I didn't actually touch the water bottle until I stopped at the halfway point.
Man, I really messed up this ride didn't I?

schweiz

I wouldn't bother with gels if I were you. They're fast burn fuel designed for racing. Your breakfast was good and would have been enough for the first 90 mins or so but on a four hour ride you should have been eating and drinking regularly. It varies from person to person how often but for example i drink every 20-30 mins and eat a muesli, a banana or a cheese sandwich every hour or so after the first 90 mins.

You'll work out over time How much and how often you need to eat.

Pseudonym

eat little and often - drink little and often. Providng you are well stocked with glycogen (which it doesn't sound like you were) you shouldn't really need much more than a banana for a 45-miler. An energy gel would probably have sorted you out near the end of the ride - by all means carry one for emergencies, but ideally you don't want to start relying on them - real food is better.

StorckSpeed

Man, I really messed up this ride didn't I?

NO (don't be negative) - You learned a lesson, and you learned it the hard way, but if someone had explained it to you before hand you'd have probably ignored them anyway. Look at it as an invaluable lesson and hopefully one you won't forget for some time.
I'll wager a bet that everyone who has replied to this post, knows what it feels to hit the wall as they've all experienced it themselves. I know I have.

Well done on completing the ride. Keep it fuelled.

Bordersroadie

First off, well done mate! Yes, you bonked, as others have said. Nothing to worry about and easy to fix.

I'm a returnee to cycling, like you I've been doing other sports so I'm fit but not as bike-fit as I used to be. Last weekend I did my first 60 miler for 20 years (!!). Being an "ex-cyclist", I was obsessive about eating and drinking plenty in the day before, the night before and at breakfast.

Big stew with loads of tatties the night before, a good sleep, big bowl of porrige (like more than I really felt like eating), leave it an hour or so, good dump(!), loads of water, banana before leaving and off I go.

Bagful of flapjacks, 1.5lt water (half with energy powder), cheese and marmalade sarnies, jelly babies. Ate and drank little and often even if I didn't feel I needed it at the time, and got through the whole bloomin' lot. Pushed quite hard and did the ride in exactly 4 hours (15mph) which for a hillyish 60 on my winter bike I was absolutely delighted about.

Ate a big hearty meal immediately on my return and drank loads. Stretched.

Felt like sh it for the rest of the day. But very smug!

Had a hot shower which kept my heart racing for what felt like hours. Next day, felt like I had a hangover, like I was a bit ill, but by day three I was fine and felt stronger when I did my commuting ride.

Bravo!

EDIT: we're all different in metabolism, so you may need more than others for the same effort - certainly not all would have wanted to trough what I did for a mere 60 mile ride but I really needed it. By the way I'm a pretty lean 48yo apart from being a greedy pig!

jamiewalkerjones

I used to do this every time I rode. I remember wobbling and shaking/losing peripheral vision almost every time when I was younger. Always bit off more than I could chew and remembered the glory of finishing rather than the embarrassment of trembling and fantasising about the peanut butter I'd be scooping out the jar, sprawled out on the kitchen floor. It took years for me to realise I needed to eat/drink more and pace myself.

Heed the advice - drink before you get thirsty and eat before you get hungry.

And well done!

ddraver

This is not so easy on a roadie but If i'm doing a long ride I try and take at least one thing extra for these moments. I had a good tip once which is make your "emergency rations" something you really hate! That way yopu ll only eat it when you really need it. For example, I have a horrendous tasting gel in my MTB camelbak and when I go walking I take some Kendal mint cake. Eurrgghh!!

rake

you need to man up a speed up a bit. :?

nickel

Just a thought but you mentioned you ate chicken and veg the night before, was there any carbs with meal? If not then your carb stores would have been depleted even though you ate oats for breakfast.

Ben6899

rake wrote:

you need to man up a speed up a bit. :?

Don't be a dick.

Ezy Rider

rake wrote:

you need to man up a speed up a bit. :?

you need to go post your nonsense elsewhere :x

the guy bonked and riders here are advising him on how not to let it happen again, your advice is that of a cretin.

bye

Teece

Nickel wrote:

Just a thought but you mentioned you ate chicken and veg the night before, was there any carbs with meal? If not then your carb stores would have been depleted even though you ate oats for breakfast.

Ah, this is something else I failed to consider. My meal was just chicken and veg - so no carbs.
Thanks man, I'll make sure I 'carb up' before next weekend's ride.

Thanks to everyone who commented with advice [except for rake, obviously], it's all appreciated.

Headhuunter

Teece wrote:

Did my longest ever ride this morning in the country lanes around Stratford Upon Avon: 45.3 miles at 12.7mph.
I had rolled oats porridge made with milk before I left the house. At the halfway stage I ate a banana. I drank 1.5 litres of water during the ride.

When I was about 6 miles from home I started to feel really weird - gradually more and more tired to the point where my body was aching. I'm ashamed to admit that I may have even whimpered out loud during the climbs.
I found myself stuck on the little ring - any attempt to cycle on the dinner plate resulted in much wobbling and drooping over the bars. I felt really thirsty.

At home it was all I could do to make peanut butter on toast and drink a pint of milk. I lay on the couch for an hour and my hands developed pins and needles.

2 hours later and I'm still a bit shaky - the most worrying part is that my heart rate is still elevated, not by much but I can tell.

So the question is: what have I done to myself?

PS besides feeling like crap I also feel quite smug and proud of myself - I've never ridden that far before in my 6 months of being a cyclist!

It also sounds like you drank a hell of a lot for 45 miles at about 13 mph avg. Were you drinking when you felt thirsty or just because you felt you should? Of course it's important to remain hydrated on a ride but too much water is bad. You may have diluted the essential mineral salts etc in your body.

AllezGaz

BONKED!! Is that the tech term

I certainly bonked last night......been cycling since October and usually have my nutrition nailed. Rides average about 30 - 40 miles and Ive even managed a 50mile recently.

However Ive cut my daily calories since my weekend ride (to make those hill climbs easier of course) and dropped em to 1600 per day. Got home last night and thought right I got about 1.5 hours till dusk so I will nail a quick 25miles. Lunch was a prawn salad and an apple about 3 hours earlier........didnt take an energy drink with me, just water and a gel..............man alive I struggled like hell and had to give up after 21miles. ""BONKED!!""

Felt like crap this morning and legs were sore.

Lesson learnt for me...........just had a nice balanced meal tonight and will certainly get some form of carbs tomorrow an hour before my ride.

garethjohn

my 2 cents worth (married to a yank), if you're planning a long ride u need a good breakfast about an hour before u start. on my first sportive made a batch of pancakes the night before, heated up in the micro and added lashings of syrup. tasty and carbilicious. snack on jellybeans too! congrats on your longest ride, don't let the bonk put you off.

on the road

Teece wrote:

I drank 1.5 litres of water during the ride.

You need more than water, water doesn't replace the electrolytes lost through sweating. There are many different energy drinks you can get, the one I use is PSP22, half a litre will last me up to 50 miles at this time of year.

cje

Pilot Pete wrote:

Ah,

When I started the last post nobody else had replied! As you mention you are also cutting, I would say that with little body fat and a heavy cardiovascular workout for a guy like you, you bonked! Calories in, calories out and all that....no fuel leads to a breakdown! :?

More fuel, be it love handles or gels required! I did over a hundred last Sunday with no gels, but a lovely pair of 'fuel handes' as I have renamed them!

PP

This is a really interesting post. I'm overweight (BMI of 29). Does this mean I'm unlikely to bonk if I don't fuel on a ride? I've heard otherwise and therefore always eat a banana halfway round and carry an emergency gel.

And well done to the OP on covering 45 miles.

ddraver

^ Me too - I suppose it's possible if we were to use energy faster than the body to convert fat to ATP....Perhaps we have a natural brake as out reduced fitness means that our muscles or CV system will not allow us to go hard enough to cause that......?

Fat-Boy-Roubaix

No matter what your BMI is the body will use Glycogen stores from Muscles and the Liver as its primary energy source, it is estimated that there is in a normal un-carb loaded Adult of around 1400kcal of energy stored. When this runs out the transition/bonk starts as the body will start to use muscle as its emergency source whilst it tries to convert fat. Fat conversion is a much slower process, but once you get through this event you can continue, at least thats my understanding as how would Marathon runners and distance swimmers do it?

At a guess cutting (cutting carbs?) and enduarnce excercise do not mix, your Glycogen would have been depleted just for day to day living then you blatted your body with a long cycle!

rake

Fat-Boy-Roubaix wrote:

No matter what your BMI is the body will use Glycogen stores from Muscles and the Liver as its primary energy source, it is estimated that there is in a normal un-carb loaded Adult of around 1400kcal of energy stored. When this runs out the transition/bonk starts as the body will start to use muscle as its emergency source whilst it tries to convert fat. Fat conversion is a much slower process, but once you get through this event you can continue, at least thats my understanding as how would Marathon runners and distance swimmers do it?

At a guess cutting (cutting carbs?) and enduarnce excercise do not mix, your Glycogen would have been depleted just for day to day living then you blatted your body with a long cycle!

spot on. marathoners call it the wall, transition to fat using is quite painfull but as you say once through you can carry on, this is where most weight loss occurs.

ddraver

So what can you do to ease that transition - or do you just have to keep "filling up with glycogen"

rake

ddraver wrote:

So what can you do to ease that transition - or do you just have to keep "filling up with glycogen"

basically yes, kepp taking in some form of sugar, actuall sugar works too it gets to work faster but uses up faster. im not certain but i think its a case of keep fuelling to avoid it or go through it. cant really ease the pain if your gonna go there. its like a switch over, you switch or you dont.

Alibran

Fat-Boy-Roubaix wrote:

At a guess cutting (cutting carbs?) and enduarnce excercise do not mix, your Glycogen would have been depleted just for day to day living then you blatted your body with a long cycle!

Cutting is the fat loss phase of body building. (Bulking is the muscle building phase.) Nutritionally, it means cutting back on calorie intake, but keeping protein high, so carbs do tend to go pretty low.

From what I understand, it's really hard to balance endurance exercise with either phase because you're either trying to run your body on low carbs, or you're burning up all the extra calories you've taken in to build body mass, so it's a delicate balance. If you make sure you have a carb-heavy meal the night before (I always eat pasta, rice, bread or potatoes the night before a 3+ hour ride), carb-heavy breakfast, and make sure you eat and drink frequently while you're out, you should be fine to get through the ride. I can generally do 2 hours at a moderate effort without eating, but if I'm expecting to be out longer than that, I'll eat about 200-250 cals every hour.

Keeping gels for emergencies is good advice. I came to cycling from a running background, and I enjoy being able to eat real food on the bike (can't stomach it when running), but you can't beat a gel for when you really need energy fast.

ricey155

good effort but you need to eat right the night before (carb up)

and nearly 4 hrs one banana isn't enough, gels are ok but simple stuff tesco's cheap bars a ok easy to eat

id say you need to eat at least every 45 mins and drink every 25 mins not a lot but a little, i eat poached eggs and porridge before a longish ride

trial and error you won't do it again (not eat that is)