73 miles and bonked

Davdandy

Did my longest ride yet today,going from Lowton/Culcheth to Kelsal near the Delamere forest,had a cafe stop then headed back.73 miles in total.

But i started to bonk near High Legh,the legs had just had enough but i struggled on and made it back.The last ten miles where painful in my inner thighs and my backside,i almost gave up but kept on going.At some points i was almost stationary,i just didn't have the energy to keep going,but on i went.

Once home i almost collapsed,i could hardly walk up the stairs and even now,a few hours later i am still feeling the pain.

Up till that point i was having a great time,good company and even the weather wasn't too bad,a bit cold early on but not as bad as the weather man had predicted.

Cleat Eastwood

Maybe too much of a step up from your last big ride?

Don't underestimate the effect of the wind - it can really tire you out.

NUFCrichard

Bonking should go away fairly quickly once you get some sugar in you. Do you have a carb drink when you ride? Try to keep drinking carbs fairly constantly through the ride and you won't bonk again.

elderone

Still a good effort and gutsy ride to get home.Well done.

Pituophis

You have my total sympathy!
Only ever happened to me once, on a mtb ride when I ran out of water on a lovely warm summer day. About 5 miles from home it got me :roll:
For anyone who's never experienced it, it really doesn't feel like something "trivial"! I really don't know how I got back!!!
Made it to the LBS where they made me a sweet coffee and stuffed a couple of energy bars down me, (not free bars obviously!), and within 20 minutes I was good for the drive home
Don't fancy doing it again.

Scotty-Gee

Congrats on lasting that long.

I went out on my first club run this weekend and got dropped at the 40 out of 50 mile marker. Too much too soon at the start, took a lot of wind on the run out, didn't prepare enough nutritionally wise in the morning etc etc

I normally ride alone so stepping up to this sort of action was obviously too much too soon, I really need to get some base miles under me.

Davdandy

I hear a lot about having carbs and fuelling up,but would that help the legs.It was my legs that let me down,i wasn't hungry or needed a drink but the legs had just had enough.

fatsmoker

Davdandy wrote:

I hear a lot about having carbs and fuelling up,but would that help the legs.It was my legs that let me down,i wasn't hungry or needed a drink but the legs had just had enough.

Yes, legs had had enough becuase they had no fuel.

NITR8s

This has happend to me plenty of times. Happened on my first 100 mile ride at about 40miles in, ended up cycling the last 60 miles bonked. When I passed the finish line I collapsed and ended up in the back of an ambulence. This is not advisable!

You need to refuel with fluids and calories. Over 70 miles you will have prob burnted over 2000 calories. Other than a coffee/tea did you have anything to eat.

Think of it this way, 2000 calories is about how much you would eat in a day. How would you feel if you didnt eat for 24 hours and then went out for a bike ride?

Davdandy

At half way,about 35 miles we had a cafe stop.I had two poached eggs on toast with a coffee.I took a bottle of orange juice on the bike which i finished towards the end of the day.

Am i eating or drinking the wrong stuff maybe.I don't want to get gels as they are not cheap and i`m on a budget right now.

dennisn

Yes, fuel(carbs) is important. But don't forget that lack of water, plain water, can cause you to feel like you're bonking from lack of food.

kampernaut

Dr Simon Jobson answered a related reader question in the April 2013 edition of Cycling Plus (p183).

"For rides over one hour, you should aim for 60–70g of carbs per hour."

I'm a beginner and experienced something similar to you on my first ride over 2 hours. I followed this advice on subsequent longer rides and thankfully haven't had the problem since.

Apart from the expense, I dislike the texture and flavour of those gel products. I find jelly beans and fig rolls to be inexpensive, more palatable alternatives.

I've also found that trying to ride below 70%HRR whenever possible helps me feel much fresher at the end of longer rides than when I push it harder on the flat. I don't mind falling behind my mates and catching up later either.

NITR8s

A couple of alternatives to gels.

Flapjacks, Make your own or buy some. I buy some from my local health store for 70p each, they are 100g bars and each one has about 400+ calories in them.

Soreen - Apparently their good, however have never tried it.

Fig Rolls - This are great as they are small enough to carry, dont break up and easy to eat on the move.

Jelly Babies - for that little sugar boost.

As said before Water is essential.

Davdandy

Soreen i do like,though they tend to stick to my gums.

I have done flapjacks this week as a trial,but although i enjoyed them i wouldn't want to eat them too regularly,i much prefer a savoury option.

As for drink i have been taking a bottle with orange cordial,the ones from Aldi,very tasty but is what i should bring out,it is still 90% water isnt it?

djm501

Wow, a thread about bonking where someone has actually bonked!

It's unbelievable the number of threads here where people get knackered after cycling for half an hour and think they've bonked!

Davdandy

djm501 wrote:

Wow, a thread about bonking where someone has actually bonked!

It's unbelievable the number of threads here where people get knackered after cycling for half an hour and think they've bonked!

If you can cycle 73 miles in half and hour you are not just a great athlete but a god.

djm501

Perhaps you need to reread my post :-/

FWIW I wasn't having a go at you, just commenting on a lot of other threads around here.

djm501

Oh and my recommendation for on-ride food is definitely dates! Soreen I find too dry.

Kieran_Burns

Malt loaf and jam.

Quick sugar hit from the jam and the malt loaf kicks in a little later. Plus it's scrummy.

Davdandy

djm501 wrote:

Perhaps you need to reread my post :-/

FWIW I wasn't having a go at you, just commenting on a lot of other threads around here.

Appologies.Point taken.

Not a fan of dates but i do enjoy Soreen,though like i said they tend to stick to my gums and i end up rattling my tongue all around my mouth trying to clean them out.

mtbcommuter

On this subject, I've been building gradually as about a month ago I nearly bonked as I hadn't planned in advance. Since then I've been trying different foods to find what is best for me. I've settled on fig rolls, jelly beans, Chimpanzee energy bars and Sports bar (got the last two cheap on a Sportpursuit offer)

My question is, is there an easy place to carry them? At the moment I stuff them in my jacket pocket but find I'm slowing down when I'm digging about for them. It's harder with the bars and I'm thinking it might be easier to break them up pre ride as I only ever take a bite every so often.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

dennisn

mtbcommuter wrote:

On this subject, I've been building gradually as about a month ago I nearly bonked as I hadn't planned in advance. Since then I've been trying different foods to find what is best for me. I've settled on fig rolls, jelly beans, Chimpanzee energy bars and Sports bar (got the last two cheap on a Sportpursuit offer)

My question is, is there an easy place to carry them? At the moment I stuff them in my jacket pocket but find I'm slowing down when I'm digging about for them. It's harder with the bars and I'm thinking it might be easier to break them up pre ride as I only ever take a bite every so often.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

I think you're making more of the "problem" than there is. No rule says you can't slow down a bit to pull something out of a rear pocket. In fact it's sort of recommended. There is also no rule that says you can't stop for a moment or two and grab a bite to eat. Riding and trying to tear open power bar wrappers has never been the easiest or safest thing to do.

drlodge

dennisn wrote:

I think you're making more of the "problem" than there is. No rule says you can't slow down a bit to pull something out of a rear pocket. In fact it's sort of recommended. There is also no rule that says you can't stop for a moment or two and grab a bite to eat. Riding and trying to tear open power bar wrappers has never been the easiest or safest thing to do.

^--- this. I had a similar issue - carrying my home made flapjack but wondering how to eat it "on the go", given I had to wrap it in something (tried cling film and greased proof paper). There is only one way...stop for a moment. I now have a combination of flapjack which I would take when I naturally stop e.g. at traffic lights, junctions etc., and Jelly Babies which are easy to put into one pocket and take out "on the go" fairly frequently. I might eat one jelly baby every 5 miles or so, and flapjack every 10-15 miles. Isotonic drink is on top.

Little and often is the key to taking food and preventing the dreaded Bonk.

mtbcommuter

Thanks for that, I think you're right I'm making too much of a deal of it. I think at the moment I'm probably eating a little more than you but waiting longer periods, I'm going to adopt the "little and often" philosophy.

kayakerchris

I am sorry but this just sounds like stiff tired legs from a long cycle ride. if you bonk, you climb off the bike and check the chain is still there and the wheels are moving.

unless your fat percentage is less than 15% you can certainly manage 73 miles on presumably breakfast beforehand and then 2 poached eggs on toast. wiggins needs to continually replenish his carb stores as his fat percentage is probably about 7% at the moment and heading for 5% by the start of the Giro. This means the only fat he has is his brain and essential fat around his intestine.

If you are like the rest of us 20-25% then we can very adequately turn fat into energy as we go.

hydration is very important to fat burning so do hydrate.

overlord2

Have to agree this isn't bonking but lack of fitness/conditioning

Davdandy

Well,bonk or no bonk,the fact is i was knackered,well and truly knackered.