first and last Time

neilg7777

Went out today and thought I would do a 50 mile route, the problem I had is I had no food in the house I could take with me so me being me thought or well Just man up the bowl of cherrios will be fine. Well all fine and having a good ride till the 40 mile mark - Bang where has all my energy gone, I managed to get home after changing the route to avoid some hills. I have read about bonking and now it has happened to me so I will make sure in future I am better prepared. Not a good feeling being 10 miles from home thinking I should not be riding with no shops about. I have done a few 50 miles and I think this has reminded me to respect the distance and ride
Neil

danlikesbikes

Happens to a lot of people me included & is not a nice feeling. At least you made it home safe & able to get some food into you.

I used to carry cash just in case, now I carry cash & spare food just in case :-)

manc_andy

The first time this happened to me it felt like i had two flat tyres and was riding up a long sloping hill. Since then i too have made a point of having money and or a gel/bar of chocolate in my saddle bag just incase i get caught out again in future. not a pleasant feeling at all...

supermurph09

It happened to me a while ago, planned on doing 20 miles which would have been my longest distance at that time, got carried away and ended up doing 35. I'd left with 500ml of water, no cash and a very small cereal bar. Like you, 10 miles from home I was in trouble. I got home and felt shocking!! Lesson learned!!

Now with more experience I tend to leave with 2 bars, 1 banana, powder, a handful of haribos and 750ml of water. But more importantly I ensure I have cash and/or card with me. Whilst I'm often miles from anywhere, I've got options.

andyeb

+1 for carrying gels as an emergency measure. But make sure you've also got enough water - some gels are so concentrated they need to be consumed with water or they will dehydrate you. Always read the label

MountainMonster

Going out without enough food is terrible, and yet I still always manage to make that mistake. It is either that, or I manage to feel good and tell myself I don't need to eat and then bonk later on. I hate the feeling.

kayakerchris

Bonking is awful and I well remember the feeling as I stood at the side of the road wondering what was wrong with my new bike as the wheels wouldn't turn!

However, do you really need this much food for a relatively short ride. I would suggest that teaching your body to work on empty is useful. i remember reading about one of the Sky team who was having problems with energy being told to go and do early morning fasted rides to enhance his bodies ability to mobilise fat stores. Since then I do all my morning commutes (20k) fasted and think it has helped me on longer rides.

i am not saying you shouldn't take food, or be careful, just adding a slightly different view.

neilg7777

Thanks for your comments, For rides of 30 miles I dont normally take food and I thought 20 miles more would be fine. I was wrong lol, I have just done a 34 mile ride and i did stop for a quick snack, after the other day thought best and it was a good solid ride even with a head wind so i guess i ride better with fuel in me than not
Thanks Neil

danlikesbikes

kayakerchris wrote:

Bonking is awful and I well remember the feeling as I stood at the side of the road wondering what was wrong with my new bike as the wheels wouldn't turn!

However, do you really need this much food for a relatively short ride. I would suggest that teaching your body to work on empty is useful. i remember reading about one of the Sky team who was having problems with energy being told to go and do early morning fasted rides to enhance his bodies ability to mobilise fat stores. Since then I do all my morning commutes (20k) fasted and think it has helped me on longer rides.

i am not saying you shouldn't take food, or be careful, just adding a slightly different view.

Would not say that comparing a 20km route against a 50m route makes the later relatively short :?:

Even at a high average of 20mph would put the OP on the road for over 2 hours & at 15mph would have him out for over 3 hours.

Agree with what your saying about fasting whilst riding, but can be a quite scientific training tool with good results. Think perhaps in the OP's case amended what was eaten prior to the ride so something with a better nutritional make up would be a better idea.

smoggysteve

Break out the emergency jelly babies.

I usually take gels or bars, but for a quick fix, you cant beat a handful of jelly babies to keep you going.