Road Cycling - "Bonked" after an hour?

I've only been riding for a couple months, and I've been gradually trying to go out for longer periods of time, and get my strength and speed up. Last week I was going out for 2 hour periods and averaging about 12mph (I know - not that impressive). I'm tired and sweaty when I'm done, but I feel good.

Today I went out and tried to keep my average speed a little higher. After an hour, I guess I "bonked" - I got lightheaded, felt cold (it's 84 degrees outside), and I had a few dry heaves. I believe I was plenty hydrated - was dripping sweat and still had saliva - and I'm certainly not starving to death.

When I checked my computer, I had been averaging 14.5 mph.

Was that increase in speed enough to do this? Or what else might I have done to set myself up for such a fall today?

are you sick...cold or flu or anything? could be the wrong kind of food too. you should have seen what happened to me after i ate a tombstone pizza and then went riding :eek:

i would suspect you just over did it. you don't have enough base miles yet and just pushed yourself too hard. speed has nothing to do with it, it's all relative. someone elses 25 mph may be the same effort as your 14.5 mph. i would increase mileage before you try to increase speed.

I believe I was plenty hydrated - was dripping sweat and still had saliva - and I'm certainly not starving to death.


Sounds like maybe you are relying on your "fat stores" and not actually eating food?

What did you eat/drink before the ride and during? My guess is the answer lies there. (Also, what was the temperature humidity that day?)

Although you were sweating, what you describe sounds like heat exhaustion. Make sure you drink plenty before, during, and after your ride. If you are not well-hydrated before you begin a ride, you will not be able to stay well-hydrated during your ride.

Sounds like maybe you are relying on your "fat stores" and not actually eating food?


Hehe - not hardly! I eat normal amounts of food regularly. I had a regular breakfast (couple eggs, some bacon, and wheat toast). I went for the ride right before lunch.

I haven't been sick. Today it was 84* , humidity around 60%.

I do ride to get into better shape, but the only changes to my diet I've made is to remove soda and cut back on the beer. Exercising is much easier than starvation.

I know you say you are plenty hydrated, but it sounds like you've dehydrated.

Before you ride next drink heaps before you get on the bike and then keep drinking small amounts every 5 minutes.

Are you getting enought rest? You should get at least one or two rest days a week.

Yeah, I only ride 4-5 days per week, and I had taken the weekend off.

I appreciate the input guys. This is the first time something like this has happened in the few months I've been riding, so I'm just looking for things I could do (or avoid doing) to keep this from happening again, and you've given me some things to concentrate on.

I don't think you're dehydrated, overtrained, etc. I don't really think you technically bonked either, not in an hour. You increased your average speed by over 20% for an hour and it kicked your ass. That can happen on a big 'leg up' like that. As you ride you'll have days as well that you don't ride anywhere near your maximum and you still get your arse kicked, it's just a bad day. If it were to repeat itself with no explanation then I might get concerned, but I think you just wore yourself out.

yeah, it's hard to bonk in just 1 hr's worth of riding. you worked your ass off, pat yourself on the back... if youre avg is 12.5 and you went 14/14.5, that's huge.

sd

I eat normal amounts of food regularly. I had a regular breakfast (couple eggs, some bacon, and wheat toast).
You need carbs for energy. None in the breakfast except the toast.



I went for the ride right before lunch.
Always eat something (carbs -- fig bars, peanut butter sandwich, fruit, etc.) about 1-2 hours before riding. Your body needs energy to function.


Are you drinking water before, during, and after the ride?


Rules of cycling:
1. Drink before you're thirsty.
2. Eat before you're hungry.
3. Rest before you're tired.

I haven't been sick. Today it was 84* , humidity around 60%.

I agree with the heat exhaustion diagnosis which was brought on with the increased effort. What did you drink during the ride? 84 degrees is pretty warm.

Keep up the good work! In a couple years, 14mph will seem easy :eek:

-murray

going from 12mph to 14.5mph is ~a 20% increase in speed. i think that this is too much, too fast for someone with not enough base miles in his legs. its not about the mph, its the huge increase from prior efforts. if i am used to going 20mph and decided to go all out to 24mph (again ~20% increase) i'd see similar results, without a base.

You don't need to eat 1 - 2 hours before your ride, in fact I would say that you could probably do without the bacon and eggs for breakfast. Also, 1 hour at less than 24 km/h is not going to make you bonk. Eat some oatmeal or something healthy for breakfast have a drink of water before you go. Bring along a bottle for during the ride.

If it happens again get back on the bike and ride through it. You are in serious need of some base miles and will only get them by riding further faster. The great thing about cycling is if your bike fits there is very little chance of repetitive stress injuries. All that will happen if you push yourself is that you will be able to ride farther faster.

lol 12 miles an hour.... there are people that run faster than that. Sadness.

I bought my first road bike ever 2 months ago, and im averaging 21-22 miles per hour for 2-3 hours now. And my bike is a piece of crap scattante R650 from supergo .

lol 12 miles an hour.... there are people that run faster than that. Sadness.

I bought my first road bike ever 2 months ago, and im averaging 21-22 miles per hour for 2-3 hours now. And my bike is a piece of crap scattante R650 from supergo .

and there are people who run faster than 20 miles an hour. let us know when u have a point.

sd

lol 12 miles an hour.... there are people that run faster than that. Sadness.

I bought my first road bike ever 2 months ago, and im averaging 21-22 miles per hour for 2-3 hours now. And my bike is a piece of crap scattante R650 from supergo .

This is kinda out of character for me... but that is not a very friendly response and I feel compelled to call you on it. Here it goes:

First, here a fellow cyclist reveals he's new to cycling. He's come across his first hurtle and is seeking advice ...not a one-up-manship response. Help him. Kicking a man when he's revealing a weakness makes you a coward in my book
Second, few people can run faster than a 5 minute mile for a sustained period. So, I don't see the salient aspect of this point. You're comparing a newbie cyclist to a few elite runners in the world.
Third, your claim to average 21-22 mph for a sustained period of 2-3 hours is very dubious to my eyes and my cycling experience. I would suspect that your wheel size calculations for your cyclometer are off ...and that's me being generous.

Be careful, there are a lot of very, very talented cyclists on this forum. Dubious statements made on the heels of unfriendly banter will not make for a pleasant journey anywhere in life.

Maybe you could try another tack. Everyone is entitled to make an ass of themselves. I'm sure you'll rise above it and come back with something a little more constructive when the opportunity arises.

Nick

Well said telenick!

lol 12 miles an hour.... there are people that run faster than that. Sadness.

I bought my first road bike ever 2 months ago, and im averaging 21-22 miles per hour for 2-3 hours now. And my bike is a piece of crap scattante R650 from supergo .

Maybe he was going uphill and you had a 2-hour downhill descent? Either way, I think you're full of crap.

Anyway, to the poster - I think the speed increase is the key factor here as others have said. Even with the weather, it would be hard to feel that bad after just one hour if all the other factors were the same. You made a huge step-up. Your body is used to a certain speed and effort. You increased that by 20% and were using different energy stores. You probably hit your lactate threshold and went over it. That will make you feel pretty crappy!

I'd caution against the "advice" of getting back on the bike and "riding through it", if it happens again. That would be very dangerous. If you truely feel that bad, then you should stop, rest and recover to ride again another day than try to be tough and maybe get yourself killed.

However, there is much to be gained from this. You're learning what you can and can't do right now. Next time, maybe keep the speed at 1 mph over your old maximum and see how that works out for a longer time-frame. Keep it up!

Hey everybody, nice forums you've got here.

RandyMcD,

What you suffered does sound like heat exhaustion, but other things might be invloved as well...

During a workout one burns a combination of carbs and fat. I have found that when you raise the intensity of training, particularly from the 12mph you described and upping it 20%, your body may change from burning mostly fat to burning mostly carbs. Some people don't naturaly store alot of carbs and must train their body to do so. Building up your store of carbs comes with slowly increasing the time you spend in high intensity workouts. People can store anywhere from under 800Cal to a little over 2000Cal worth of carbs, depending on genetics and fitness level. An hour of high intensity workout could have depleted your carbs and you would have felt very week as your body switched back to fat. So I guess it's possible you could have "bonked" after an hour, but don't worry your body will adabt and store more carbs for the next time. Just make sure you replace your sugars after you complete a high intensity ride like that. I was always told to take in at least 50g of sugar within 15min of a long hard workout. Or better yet, take a supersaturated bottle of gatorade with you and sip it along the way(that's in addition to water not in place of).

Most of this comes from my experience in competitive running, but I figure it's probably just as applicable to biking. I've been biking off and on for about a year now and have found it to hold true.

Good luck on your training.

-Barnacle

Hey everybody, nice forums you've got here.

RandyMcD,

What you suffered does sound like heat exhaustion, but other things might be invloved as well...

During a workout one burns a combination of carbs and fat. I have found that when you raise the intensity of training, particularly from the 12mph you described and upping it 20%, your body may change from burning mostly fat to burning mostly carbs. Some people don't naturaly store alot of carbs and must train their body to do so. Building up your store of carbs comes with slowly increasing the time you spend in high intensity workouts. People can store anywhere from under 800Cal to a little over 2000Cal worth of carbs, depending on genetics and fitness level. An hour of high intensity workout could have depleted your carbs and you would have felt very week as your body switched back to fat. So I guess it's possible you could have "bonked" after an hour, but don't worry your body will adabt and store more carbs for the next time. Just make sure you replace your sugars after you complete a high intensity ride like that. I was always told to take in at least 50g of sugar within 15min of a long hard workout. Or better yet, take a supersaturated bottle of gatorade with you and sip it along the way(that's in addition to water not in place of).

Most of this comes from my experience in competitive running, but I figure it's probably just as applicable to biking. I've been biking off and on for about a year now and have found it to hold true.

Good luck on your training.

-Barnacle


The original poster is 5' 8" and 220 lbs. Do you really think that supersaturated gatorade and 50 g of sugar is what this guy needs? Sounds like water, a diet and some more miles on the bike are called for. And maybe mr. McD might want to stop supersizing those extra value meals.

Get back in the saddle and lose some weight before you start whining about bonking.

lol 12 miles an hour.... there are people that run faster than that. Sadness.

I bought my first road bike ever 2 months ago, and im averaging 21-22 miles per hour for 2-3 hours now. And my bike is a piece of crap scattante R650 from supergo .

Iban Mayo averaged under 15 mph on a "ride" last month on Mount Ventoux and was the fastest ever.

Get a clue.

The original poster is 5' 8" and 220 lbs. Do you really think that supersaturated gatorade and 50 g of sugar is what this guy needs? Sounds like water, a diet and some more miles on the bike are called for. And maybe mr. McD might want to stop supersizing those extra value meals.

Get back in the saddle and lose some weight before you start whining about bonking.

Well if the fella has a problem bonking, do you think he's going to be motivated to get back on his bike? Perhaps that's why he posted to this thread. To get some answers and get himself dialed in.

If you have nothing to share that will help him, don't post. It's easier. Save you a calorie or two that you can expend on your TT up Alpe D'Huez. Oh, that's right. You're plopped down in front of a PC posting to bikeforums.net instead of out spinning your own Race of Truth.

I don't think you're dehydrated, overtrained, etc. I don't really think you technically bonked either, not in an hour. You increased your average speed by over 20% for an hour and it kicked your ass. That can happen on a big 'leg up' like that. As you ride you'll have days as well that you don't ride anywhere near your maximum and you still get your arse kicked, it's just a bad day. If it were to repeat itself with no explanation then I might get concerned, but I think you just wore yourself out.

Ditto! Welcome to the world of lactic acid pouring into your muscles faster than you can clear it. Just get enough rest and it'll make you stronger. :)

I'm 41 years old and weigh 160lbs at 5' 9". I race twice a week and log more miles in a month than this fat turd does in a year. If I want to drive a point home on an open forum board I will, without worrying about offending someone or caring if some jerk flames me.

Usually, I ignore you and your dumb comments, but for the education of the poster ...

There is nothing wrong with stating your opinion, which you do. However, the opinions you tend to give are generally worthless and not very intelligent. The idea that the rider, who is obviously still a beginner, should "ride through" lightheadedness and a sense of incoherence is both ridiculous and evidence that you clearly are not what you think you are. Further, calling someone a "fat turd" simpky because he weighs more than you and rides slower than you displays some mental issue and inferiority complex. I'm the same height as you and weigh 15 pounds more because of Judo. I'd like you to come and call me a fat turd.

Frankly, you've proved over and over again that you're an idiot. Randy - just ignore this wannabe; most of us do.

Randy, I agree, don't be bothered by the ignorant members and let them get you down. Main thing to concentrate on right now is just to relax, don't over do it if you start to feel like you're going to bonk and to pay attention to the humidity/weather.

I've tried to start seriously watching what I eat before rides and to bring plenty of different fluids...you can't be too careful in these warmer months IMO.

12mph is a fine starting pace...get plenty of seat time, along w/ rest days and pretty soon you will be ahead of the pack! :)

I never said riding uphills. Im talking on flat roads 21 mph for 2-3 hours is hardly impressive. I did a loop around lake washington 60 miles in under 3 hours. Im ignorant because i claim to be able to ride 21 mph for 3 hours, and that 12mph is slow? I think you are ignorant because you are making a statement about me when you dont know me. What kind of statement is that? You dont think i know how to how to program a speedometer on my bike? Yeah, they really should boot me out of the chemical engineering department because im so ignorant. You dont have to know every bike part, component, what to drink, specs, or trivial bike knowledge to be a decent bike rider, ALL you need is a bike and the legs to pedal.

Another thing i want to point out. I dont want to be rude, but why ask a question what you already know the answer to, or a question that nobody else can give an answer that you dont already know? You say you are bonked after riding for one hour, doing 12 mph. Is it the bike? No. That you are drinking the wrong gatorade/water? NO. That you are climbing the pyrenees? NO. That its too hot? Probably Not. It is clear that the only thing thats left is that you are completely out of shape. Im 21, my 40 year old 230 pound co-worker who is competely overweight, starts going on diet (crappy atkins) and bike riding, is now now doing 16-17 mph after only a few weeks.

I mean, do you find it astonishing that you are bonked after riding while out of shape? I havent worked out my upper body since i been bike riding so much lately. SO when i go hit the gym, and start benching, am I going to freak out the next day just because im extremely sore and hop on to weightlifting.com and make a post about why im sore?

ke422azn,

What is your problem?

And why does every engineering student feel the need to point out that he's an engineering student? What does that have to do with this guy's question?


am I going to freak out the next day just because im extremely sore and hop on to weightlifting.com and make a post about why im sore?

No, but apparently you'll come to bikeforums.net and give us the lowdown on your cirriculum.

If you don't like your 40 year-old, 230 pound co-worker, then direct your angst at him. Otherwise, get bent.

Another thing i want to point out. I dont want to be rude, but why ask a question what you already know the answer to, or a question that nobody else can give an answer that you dont already know? You say you are bonked after riding for one hour, doing 12 mph. Is it the bike? No. That you are drinking the wrong gatorade/water? NO. That you are climbing the pyrenees? NO. That its too hot? Probably Not. It is clear that the only thing thats left is that you are completely out of shape.

You’re showing your ignorance again. Many people here, myself included, were riding centuries when you were little more than a stain on your parents’ sheets. We don’t give a hoot how fast you or your friends can ride; it has nothing to do with the discussion here.

The symptoms described (light headed and cold) do not point to being out of shape. I’ve bonked, had heat exhaustion and ridden beyond my condition at the time. I’ve had chills and light headedness and I was in great shape at the time. The symptoms definitely point to heat exhaustion IMHO. Trying to ride through these symptoms can be downright dangerous!

It would be appreciated by everyone here if you kept your insults to yourself.

-murray

Trolls... ignore them, they will go away. Joins the forum, and within two days feels the need to try and get a reaction from anyone. I'm sure he/she is a much better rider and much too smart to hang around with us slow dumb people who actually try to help with constructive answers ;)

Another thing i want to point out. I dont want to be rude, but why ask a question what you already know the answer to, or a question that nobody else can give an answer that you dont already know? You say you are bonked after riding for one hour, doing 12 mph. Is it the bike? No. That you are drinking the wrong gatorade/water? NO. That you are climbing the pyrenees? NO. That its too hot? Probably Not. It is clear that the only thing thats left is that you are completely out of shape. Im 21, my 40 year old 230 pound co-worker who is competely overweight, starts going on diet (crappy atkins) and bike riding, is now now doing 16-17 mph after only a few weeks.

I mean, do you find it astonishing that you are bonked after riding while out of shape? I havent worked out my upper body since i been bike riding so much lately. SO when i go hit the gym, and start benching, am I going to freak out the next day just because im extremely sore and hop on to weightlifting.com and make a post about why im sore?

Hey buddy, come to my gym with that mentality and il treat you to a boxing lesson.

On the feeling 'lightheaded' part of your post: Are you breathing heavily through your mouth while exerting yourself, and not exhaling properly?
If that is the case, every couple of breaths exhale forcibly, push that stale air out of the lungs. Have seen folks turn very red in the face and falling off the bike because they were so busy sucking air into the lungs and not really exhaling properly. That is called hyperventilating.
Good luck!
Rudy and Kay/Zona tandem

i pointed out that im an engineer, because one person claims that i must have misprogramed my speedomter....because 21 is so unacheivable? LOL?

i dont dislike or like my coworker, i just used him to point out that the original poster had to have been really out of shape. And no, its not heat exhaustion, he hadnt been out all day, he just been on for two hours, going 12 mph, and later he stated he had improved to 14 mph which again proves hes out of shape. Look, the TdF are out there in 100 degree weather climbing for 5 hours, and yet dont get heat stroke. This guy goes 12 mph hour for less than 2 hours get heat stroke. Well if you get heat stroke THAT frequently, ur out of shape??!? To much blubber leads to decrease in heat tranfer. 12 mph on flat road is insanely slow, dont believe me? Try going to work at 12 mph, and do not go over 12mph, and see how impatient you will get.


and no, i dont need to hear that you biked your whole life. There is no direct corelation between your biking skills or skills in anything with how many years you been donig it. Yeah, i admit, i had a bike for 3 months. And i been riding 90 miles a day for almost everyday for the past 2 months(summer no school). Wow, my 3 months >> Your lifetime of biking? Hmm.....


No thanks I dont like boxing, I have taken 6 years of martial arts, you are welcome to try tho :)

i pointed out that im an engineer, because one person claims that i must have misprogramed my speedomter....because 21 is so unacheivable? LOL?

i dont dislike or like my coworker, i just used him to point out that the original poster had to have been really out of shape. And no, its not heat exhaustion, he hadnt been out all day, he just been on for two hours, going 12 mph, and later he stated he had improved to 14 mph which again proves hes out of shape. Look, the TdF are out there in 100 degree weather climbing for 5 hours, and yet dont get heat stroke. This guy goes 12 mph hour for less than 2 hours get heat stroke. Well if you get heat stroke THAT frequently, ur out of shape??!? To much blubber leads to decrease in heat tranfer. 12 mph on flat road is insanely slow, dont believe me? Try going to work at 12 mph, and do not go over 12mph, and see how impatient you will get.


and no, i dont need to hear that you biked your whole life. There is no direct corelation between your biking skills or skills in anything with how many years you been donig it. Yeah, i admit, i had a bike for 3 months. And i been riding 90 miles a day for almost everyday for the past 2 months(summer no school). Wow, my 3 months >> Your lifetime of biking? Hmm.....


No thanks I dont like boxing, I have taken 6 years of martial arts, you are welcome to try tho :)

:rolleyes:

Bed-time for Bozos ...

Stick with engineering. Don't choose an occupation that requires people skills.
Also, doesn't martial arts teach discipline, respect, and humility? It is a noble art form and there is much more to be learned than doing a tornado roundhouse.

Stick with engineering. Don't choose an occupation that requires people skills.
Also, doesn't martial arts teach discipline, respect, and humility? It is a noble art form and there is much more to be learned than doing a tornado roundhouse.


thanks for the advice i believe this is a bike forum. And not an occupational career forum. Please dont deviate on a tangent. The original post was about the original poster being out of shape and asking questions that he already knows. Me learning martial arts was only directed to the guy who was trying to show off his boxing. Hey, yeah im cocky, but so is Lance Armstrong. I dont care who you are, if you get tired doing 12mph on flat road, you are out of shape. On my second job, i work at summer conferences, and during the weekend for the seattle to portland bike ride, i checked in a lady who was 5'4 weighed 220 (drivers liscense) She has left her bike in our back room for the night. I happend to check her speedometer, and guess what? it was 13.3 MPH.

So if you going to argue with me
1) prove that 12mph is not slow
2) prove to me that he is truely in shape
3) prove to me that he doesnt already know the answer he was looking for.

thanks for the advice i believe this is a bike forum. And not an occupational career forum. Please dont deviate on a tangent. The original post was about the original poster being out of shape and asking questions that he already knows. Me learning martial arts was only directed to the guy who was trying to show off his boxing. Hey, yeah im cocky, but so is Lance Armstrong. I dont care who you are, if you get tired doing 12mph on flat road, you are out of shape. On my second job, i work at summer conferences, and during the weekend for the seattle to portland bike ride, i checked in a lady who was 5'4 weighed 220 (drivers liscense) She has left her bike in our back room for the night. I happend to check her speedometer, and guess what? it was 13.3 MPH.

So if you going to argue with me
1) prove that 12mph is not slow
2) prove to me that he is truely in shape
3) prove to me that he doesnt already know the answer he was looking for.

I'm not too sure that anyone is really arguing with you per se. I get the distinct impression that we're all merely pointing out that you're a bit of a tool. :)

Feel free to bleat on some more, I doubt it'll get much play from here on ...

Hey, yeah im cocky,

No you're not. Cocky people aren't lame enough to pick on people on just getting started. Just like tough guys aren't pathetic enough to beat up little children.

And it's obvious that you're a newbie too, because anyone who's been riding for more than a few months knows you can't compare your mph to someone else's mph without knowing the course.

A lot of the best riders in cycling averaged around 12-13 mph today in the Tour de France.

I just came to the realization that you're going to be an engineer by profession some day.

Time is the ultimate (justice|level|payback). I was cocky like you about my fitness when I was 21. Ten years later, I'm a wheelsucker. Twelve to fourteen hours days months on end in a programming gig will do that.

If you can be as cocky about your fitness when you're 31 as you are now, then kudos. But you're in for it in a few years, I promise you. If nothing else, you'll know what it means to work for it.

By the same measure, McD can use this to his advantage. With time and discipline, I suspect the bonking problem will desist. Life has one finish line but no time checkpoints. People bloom and wilt at various stages. Keep after it and your fitness will improve.

I'm not too sure that anyone is really arguing with you per se. I get the distinct impression that we're all merely pointing out that you're a bit of a tool. :)


mac, lol. nice post :p

sd

There is no direct corelation between your biking skills or skills in anything with how many years you been donig it. Yeah, i admit, i had a bike for 3 months. And i been riding 90 miles a day for almost everyday for the past 2 months(summer no school). Wow, my 3 months >> Your lifetime of biking? Hmm.....

You've got a lot to learn, son :D No correlation between skills and experience, eh? Keep that in mind when you go interview for a job and tell them you deserve the same pay as an engineer with 20 years experience...I’m sure you’ll get the job :lol: :lol:

So keep throwing jabs at weaker riders to pump yourself up. The fact is you’re 3 months of riding aren’t enough to know anything about cycling. With any luck, you’ll keep on biking and understand what we’re talking about in 10 years.

-murray

um saying you have a whole lifetime of biking experience is pretty vague, that could mean, you ride once a week? once a month? Who knows. Also, it doesnt say how far or hard you train each time. 20 years of engineering experience is obviously different than someone just out with a bachelors degree, because hes actually been on the job for 20 years. meaning 40 hours a week, for 20 years. Where as a biker, doesnt have to ride years to be good, part of it is genetics, and part is how hard you train.

And the person who told me that i might be out of shape 10 years from now is again irrelevant. I might be, but probably not. However, ur still pretty much agreeing with me that the original poster is out of shape (that was my original arguement). Yeah, the TdF guys going 13 mph lol that up extremely steep climbs. Again..... the original poster was going over FLAT ROAD. Stop giving irrelevant examples.

RandyMcD,

As you've probably gathered, ke422azn is an arrogant, condescending, infantile
jack-ass. The others who have tried to give you constructive feedback are
the ones whose answers worth reading. Now you know that if you see ke422azn as
a poster, you can just skip the mindless dribble that he writes, whether it
be in this discussion group or any others here.

His attitude's gonna get him real far in life.
The guy's an idiot.
Just ignore him --- I'm sure there's quite a few here who will too.



FWIW, this comes from WebMD.com
http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/2/1675_50506.htm?lastselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348**

What should I include in my program?

Every exercise session should include a warm-up, conditioning phase and a cool-down.
[snip]
Over time, you can work on increasing the length of time you exercise during one session.

The cool-down phase is the last phase of your exercise session. It allows your body to
gradually recover from the conditioning phase. Your heart rate and blood pressure will
return to near resting values. Cool-down does not mean to sit down! In fact, do not sit,
stand still or lie down right after exercise. This may cause you to feel dizzy or
lightheaded or have heart palpitations (fluttering in your chest).

The best cool-down is to slowly decrease the intensity of your activity. You may also do
some of the same stretching activities you did in the warm-up phase.


Did you cool down properly after your ride?
Best.

um saying you have a whole lifetime of biking experience is pretty vague, that could mean, you ride once a week? once a month? Who knows. Also, it doesnt say how far or hard you train each time.

FWIW, I’ve got over 50k miles in the last 15 years plus another 10 years of riding before that. As for effort, I’ve done plenty of races, but I prefer to do group rides with the Cat 3’s I know that tend to be harder than most of the races I've done.



Where as a biker, doesnt have to ride years to be good, part of it is genetics, and part is how hard you train.

So why wasn’t Lance winning TdF’s 10 years ago? Wasn’t he training hard enough? Cyclists peak in their late 20’s because cycling is a lot more than pushing pedals around. It takes years and thousands of miles for your muscles to develop cycling technique and efficiency. Certainly, hard training makes you better, but years of experience will tell you how to get more out of your training.

Back to the original question, have you ever experienced chills and light headedness on a bike? What, besides your extensive 3 months of cycling experience :lol:, qualifies you to suggest riding through it? Perhaps your genetics or hard training :lol: :lol: That sort of advice could be downright dangerous.

Being a fast rider doesn't make you knowledgeable or give you the right to insult other riders trying to get better.

-murray

because lance lost one of his testicles, he was considerably bigger. He was over 190. And obvioulsy didnt have the body structure to compete in TdF.

Murrays: im not claiming im a better biker than you, im saying that simply saying " i have been biking for years" doesnt really get a clear message across. 50k miles is pretty good, id have to say you are an experienced rider.

im not insulting anybody, i simply stated that the orignal poster was out of shape, and the only answer is to ride more.


to cyclefreaks: you call me an arrogant , condescending, ignorant jackass. Its funny you dont call yourself a hypocrite. I dont consort to calling names and profanity. Yes, me claiming 12 mph as being slow IS a SUBJECTIVE comment (altho with fairly good reason to call it slow). You on the other hand, calling me an ignorant dumbass who wont get far in life even though you dont know me. Hmm... is that what you do when you lose an arguement to someone? ... To call them an ignorant dumbass? Im sure ill get farther than you in life with my bike, and as well as in my career. Dont think so? come to seattle, and we'll race.

Ok. Thread is done. Cooked. Ruined. Someone lock it ...

Ok. Thread is done. Cooked. Ruined. Someone lock it ...

Amen.

Yeah, the TdF guys going 13 mph lol that up extremely steep climbs. Again..... the original poster was going over FLAT ROAD. Stop giving irrelevant examples.

That was the point, Einstein. He never said it was a flat road. You have no clue what course he was riding. Understand?

That was the point, Einstein. He never said it was a flat road. You have no clue what course he was riding. Understand?

ask him, it is flat road.