Road Cycling - cracking is bad

on a recent ride, my first in two months, i finally knew what paul sherwen means when he announces that so-and-so has "cracked wide open." i was riding along to "absolute perfection" when all of a sudden my legs quit. i wasn't straining cardiovascularly (it's a word). my legs just simply had zero energy left. granted, i was riding too hard- trying to impress a national champion is never good- but in all my years of athletic endeavors i've never bonked this hard. anyone else had a similar experience, and if so, what's the best way to avoid it? i'm thinking the answer begins and ends with nutrition, but wanted other thoughts.

Originally posted by pgreene
i've never bonked this hard.

Too many times to count... One thing I've learned is to get some complex carbs in your system a couple of hours before you ride. Take a banana along on the ride, and eat it midway thru. I've also used Fig bars (w/the date filling) for this...

(The Fig bars taste like crap, but seem to do the trick!)

Originally posted by Cipher

(The Fig bars taste like crap, but seem to do the trick!)

I don't tend to enjoy fig newtons so much as date newtons, maybe they are worth a shot.

PowerGel or Gu or something like that. Gets into the system quick, but doesn't fill you up and make you feel like a$$ the way a Powerbar does. I just started using PowerGel and I love it. Doesn't taste awful, and it works pretty well for me. Also easier to carry than an banana. (Bananas at 7000 feet in the summer don't do so well after a couple of hours.)

I seem to have been doing that alot lately... Usually about 7 or 8 miles in, i'm feeling good.. grindin' away.. then I hit the wall... zero energy int he legs... shift down.. aaaaaaaaagghhhhh... BONK !... so I take it easy for about 2-3 miles, then around mile 12 or so... I'm good to go again... I hate it.. I'm not sure how to get past it... but after mile 12, I can go all day... my pre-ride/breakfast is usually either some yogurt and a banana, or a balance bar, and I usually take some GU, or clifshots with me for the ride... is that enough ?? I hate to eat a lot and try and ride.. I did that after a Gnarly Chicken and Bean Burrito, and i thought I was gonna die,, felt like a brik in my belly !

Jeff

GO ANGELS !

Originally posted by SipperPhoto
[...] I hate to eat a lot and try and ride.. I did that after a Gnarly Chicken and Bean Burrito, and i thought I was gonna die,, felt like a brik in my belly !

At least you'd be riding with a tail wind... :D

Originally posted by Grendel

At least you'd be riding with a tail wind... :D
\

That's no lie.. and it was the first time the wife told me to go back out and ride, after I came home !

Jeff


GO ANGELS !

I use GU Energy Gel. For some reason, these work better for me than Clif Shots or Powerbar's equivalent. I'll eat a Powerbar about 30 minutes before I start riding, then use the GU's about 45 minute to an hour into the ride and continue that until I am done.

For me, these are easier than food, don't smash or smell, and you are done with them quickly.