Nice rollers! You make great time going to work, I'd bet!:D

1 hour 35 minutes. This includes ten minutes of walking - a bridge over the Schuylkill River and a hiking trail under that same bridge. Average speed with loaded panniers, 10:75 MPH.

http://www.google.co.uk/maps?ll=51.474971,-0.295075&spn=0.007285,0.010664&t=k&hl=en

Type KFC into the search!


Too many! If I ride to each one would I burn enough calories to jutify a bucket?

Actually the best thing happened in my area recently. McDonalds and KFC closed.

It's hard to resist an extra-crispy thigh http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y27/b_ezee/smilies/FatGuy03.gif

I was going to get some fried chicken tonight, but I resisted.

Although technically not a bonk, I'd have called it such. You just exceeded your limits for the first 40 miles, and your body finally said: "Enough" and shut you down.

Yep...you'll get stronger. Also, make sure you are eating on any ride longer than 2 hours. Lots of fluids, too. Keep pushing. You'll find that one day, you can make it all the way. :)


What is a bonk? My body shut down quite suddenly. One minute I was perfectly fine then halfway up a hill I just lost all energy. It wasn't a muscle problem..I didn't cramp or even ache. I just felt totally drained and exhausted. Even when I finished the ride my leg muscles felt fine.

As for the eating and drinking, I ate a fruit bar every hour and drank 2 bottles of water and a bottle of home made sports drink (strong tea, honey, sugar and a pinch of salt) throughout the ride. One hour before the start I had for breakfast a smoothie made with skimmed milk, a banana, a peach, half an apple and a few blueberries. I wonder if I'm actually eating too much.

I would call the OPs route rolling or wavy. Depending on fitness level it could be hard. This link http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/climbing-fountain-grove is a typical spring hill training ride in my area. A few small bits hit a 20% grade.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/santa-rosa-to-st-helena is a fun ride with a nice place to eat at the mid point

What is a bonk? My body shut down quite suddenly. One minute I was perfectly fine then halfway up a hill I just lost all energy. It wasn't a muscle problem..I didn't cramp or even ache. I just felt totally drained and exhausted. Even when I finished the ride my leg muscles felt fine.

As for the eating and drinking, I ate a fruit bar every hour and drank 2 bottles of water and a bottle of home made sports drink (strong tea, honey, sugar and a pinch of salt) throughout the ride. One hour before the start I had for breakfast a smoothie made with skimmed milk, a banana, a peach, half an apple and a few blueberries. I wonder if I'm actually eating too much.

Yeah...that describes a bonk pretty clearly. There doesn't have to be muscular fatigue, but there can be. But that's not because of the bonk. It's just a serious loss of energy that comes from way down deep. On further analysis, it really sounds like you just ran out of fuel...aka blood glycogen. I'm sure Tom could shed some light on this.

What is a bonk? My body shut down quite suddenly. One minute I was perfectly fine then halfway up a hill I just lost all energy. It wasn't a muscle problem..I didn't cramp or even ache. I just felt totally drained and exhausted. Even when I finished the ride my leg muscles felt fine.

As for the eating and drinking, I ate a fruit bar every hour and drank 2 bottles of water and a bottle of home made sports drink (strong tea, honey, sugar and a pinch of salt) throughout the ride. One hour before the start I had for breakfast a smoothie made with skimmed milk, a banana, a peach, half an apple and a few blueberries. I wonder if I'm actually eating too much.

Sounds like a small bonk. Did you have any problems thinking clearly? That's really the key, because your brain can ONLY process glucose for energy. Cognitive difficulty starts occurring in a MAJOR bonk. In a small one, your energy levels drop to conserve glucose for the brain.

Your sports drink....it contains tea? Is the tea decaffeinated? The reason I ask, is caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, and this can affect your performance in endurance sports.

By the way, for accuracy, that would be blood Glucose and Muscle Glycogen. Glycogen is the stored form of Glucose and it stores in the muscle and liver. Free in the blood stream, it's glucose.

Man, this thread is all over the place. Hill classification . . . Bonking . . . dumping. . . litter . . . KFC. . .

I LOVE IT!

Sounds like a small bonk. Did you have any problems thinking clearly? That's really the key, because your brain can ONLY process glucose for energy. Cognitive difficulty starts occurring in a MAJOR bonk. In a small one, your energy levels drop to conserve glucose for the brain.

Your sports drink....it contains tea? Is the tea decaffeinated? The reason I ask, is caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, and this can affect your performance in endurance sports.

By the way, for accuracy, that would be blood Glucose and Muscle Glycogen. Glycogen is the stored form of Glucose and it stores in the muscle and liver. Free in the blood stream, it's glucose.



I didn't have a problem thinking but I had a problem hearing. People would ask if I was ok to go on but I couldn't hear a word. It was a bit of a problem when they called out road hazards like potholes and glass.

My drink is regular tea. I thought a drink needed caffein for stimulant. Is this not right?

Man, this thread is all over the place. Hill classification . . . Bonking . . . dumping. . . litter . . . KFC. . .

I LOVE IT!

Rambling...I excel at that! Where were we going again?

I don't know how some of you guys climb like that. I can only keep my heart rate above 90% for 45-60 total minutes without stopping and resting for lunch or something, or I bonk. I've been training for this nortorious charity and university scholarship hill ride around here that happens on August 27 called the Horsetooth Double Dip (http://www.horsetoothdoubledip.com/). I rode the hard part of the 72-mile route yesterday (only 61 miles leaving from my house), and I almost bonked at the top. I only have so many 14% - 18% slopes in my legs this year.

I have been side-lined and slowed down more than usual with injuries this year, but even if I did not get hurt before, I don't think that I could ride like some of you do without more seasons under my belt. How long does it take you all to get into that kind of shape? Wow.

Have fun out there.

D@M! All I got is a tiny post office for the mtn dwellers. Oh, there is a small cafe but filled with Harley dudes. They look at you funny when you're alone in spandex. SO I stay away!:p

Well, I can tell once I started a stampede when a bunch of cows saw a strange gringo grinding it up where he had no business being... I kid you not - maybe they thought I was a crouching panther or something. :D

I have been side-lined and slowed down more than usual with injuries this year, but even if I did not get hurt before, I don't think that I could ride like some of you do without more seasons under my belt. How long does it take you all to get into that kind of shape?

Well, I first started riding seriously in 1987 while I was still playing college football LOL Then, in 1997, I relocated and stopped riding. I took it up again this past August, 2006. But, if I can do it...anyone can. Keep at it. Push yourself. Ride with groups. You'll find yourself going farther faster than you thought you ever could.

I don't know how some of you guys climb like that.


Granny gears! I started climbing rides on my touring bike with it's front triple (30 small ring) and a XT cassette (34! then 32 big ring).

Getting up the hills at 4mph still counts as getting up the hills. :p I just did a lot of rides forcing myself to not use the big ring, then trying to stick to the middle front ring as long as I could and built up strength.

I recently got a lighter CF bike that has a compact double and 27 big ring in the back. I haven't done many climbing rides on it yet, but I can already tell it's going to be an interesting challenge on the steep sections.
Plus, as I mentioned earlier, I live in the hills, so I just ride where I live.

+1 to granny gears. I am nowhere near a good climber, but I can still get to the top of almost any hill if I really want it. I just have to drop down all the way and take me time. If it takes you 30 seconds, or 10 minutes, you still got to the top of that hill, which is one more hill than you did yesterday. :)

Granny gears, huh? I don't have granny gears yet. I'm currently riding a freebie, 1989 Trek Aluminum bike with 12 ENTIRE gears. On 12% or greater slopes, my big legs can only pump out 35-40 RPM in the lowest gear that I have. That is what we have. Yep.

In the spirit of getting better at hills, I did what for me, is a decent hill-route. Here is a link to that ride (Rist Canyon Ride (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/co/fort-collins/677599686)). I did it in the reverse direction shown there. I'm happy to say that I did not have to stop and rest or walk during that solid 2:15 climb!

I'm going to do this hill 2-3 times each week, with full rest-days in between, until I can get up that last pitch without feeling like I'm going to puke. ;).

Have fun out there!

The biggest elevation change I have is going from the sidewalk in front of the house to the street, all of 9 inches.

Okay, here is my current hill-route (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/co/fort-collins/677599686) with pictures below. The veiws are one great reason to do this route, and I get to do this first thing in the morning on my way to work! How could you start a normal work day off any better than that?

Where I'm going from the top of Bingham Hill at the edge of town.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/faganj/bingham_hill_road.jpg

At the bottom/start of Rist Canyon
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/faganj/bottom_rist_canyon.jpg

Rist Canyon - looks pretty much like this for 7-8 miles
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/faganj/middle_rist_canyon.jpg

Top of Rist Canyon - going down towards Stove Prairie School and Buckhorn Canyon
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/faganj/top_rist_canyon.jpg

2/3 way down Buckhorn Canyon towards Masonville
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/faganj/buckhorn_canyon.jpg

Red sandstone cliffs near Masonville (mine red flagstone there)
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l47/faganj/masonville.jpg

Ride Details:
Distance: 50.5 miles
Average Speed: 14.7 mph (lots of camera stops)
Average Heart Rate: 134 bpm
Total Time: 3:40
Calories Burned (new hrm - shows fewer calories than fitday...sounds about right to me): 3017

Okay, here is my current hill-route (http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/co/fort-collins/677599686) with pictures below. The veiws are one great reason to do this route, and I get to do this first thing in the morning on my way to work! How could you start a normal work day off any better than that?

...images edited...

Ride Details:
Distance: 50.5 miles
Average Speed: 14.7 mph (lots of camera stops)
Average Heart Rate: 134 bpm
Total Time: 3:40
Calories Burned (new hrm - shows fewer calories than fitday...sounds about right to me): 3017



That's what I'm talking about! What a great ride!