Chitown_Mike

I went out for what should have been a 58-60 mile ride. I hit my 1/2 way point, rested for about 5 minutes and started back. I severely under estimated the wind. But more so I severely under estimated my lack of caloric intake before riding. All I had to eat all day (this was a afternoon ride) was a small salad and 3 small cookies.

At the 1/2 way point I started in on my energy cubes. Well those only lasted about 10 miles, so with a little over 15 to go I figured I would be fine. Well I was going for a distance/time personal record so I was pushing it pretty hard. Well with about 10 miles to go I start getting woozy and noticed I couldn't keep my cadence stable or where I wanted it to be. Shifted into some easier gears and backed off a bit. A few miles later I am all over the bike path and went from averaging about 18.5 mph to around 12 mph and then 10 and finally I was spinning my heart out for 8 mph. And when I had 6 miles to go I can't even pedal the bike in a way to keep myself up. Mind you I still had water so I wasn't dehydrated but I felt like I had nothing left to give.

So I called my wife and coasted about 3/4 of a mile to a parking lot to meet her. It took me nearly 15 minutes to walk/coast that distance because she arrived shortly after I got there and our call was 15 minutes prior. I felt embarrassed to even call her, I almost didn't too, but realized it would have taken me almost an hour at the rate I was going to get home. I was also mentally aware of what was happening and getting angry at my body for giving up, which was the weirdest thing about it. I was looking at my speed and feeling my cadence drop and trying to push harder and not going any faster, definitely not like dehydrating.

A few lessons learned:
- Do eat enough prior to riding
- Do bring more to eat on longer rides (I had only about 280 calories with me)
- The bonk comes rather rapidly once conditions are perfect for it
- Bonking sucks, I am still lightheaded hours later and weak feeling
- The wife and 1 year old son are an awesome SAG crew
- Don't be angry with yourself when you body says no


OK your turn to share embarrassing bonking stories!

WonderMonkey

I've never had that feeling. I think I have felt it coming on but never felt I couldn't make it. I'm sure as I keep riding I will at some point. Do you think you could have gotten off the bike and taken a half hour rest and finished or were you too far gone?

Also, glad you are alright.

Chitown_Mike

Thanks!

But you see I suffer from this semi-incurable diseases call "stubbornness". It's an internal and external problem that I can't see to fix...and nor should I.....but I thought about doing that but then thought I wasn't going to be home when I told me wife I was going to be. And I needed food, which I had passed the places I should have stopped at and was on a local MUP so the food choices were almost non-existent until I got to the place where she picked me up. By that point in time I would have needed a significant rest period and my wife had a business meeting to get to.

I have done the same route before BUT I brought more calories with me and ate more during the day beforehand. I think that was my biggest mistake. Can drive 100 miles in a car on fumes so I haven't a clue why I thought I could do it with my body.

Homeyba

Everyone is a little different but your preride meal is usually only good for 50 miles +/- depending on effort. If I'm going over 35-40 miles I will throw a couple gel pacs in my pocket for just such an occasion. Especially if I'm out where there isn't any food available and I'm going for a PR. Unfortunately with bonking, there isn't a whole lot of warning so it's better to be prepared. I once decided I was going to ride across Scotland from Inverness to the Isle of Skye and meet my family for dinner and underestimated the mileage by about 30 miles. I got about 20 miles from the Isle and totally blew up and had completely run out of food. I was climbing a hill at about three mph barely able to stay on the bike when I started hearing music. I thought I was hallucinating. When I got to the top of the hill, sure enough, there was a guy in a kilt standing there playing a bagpipe. Apparently his wife wouldn't let him play in the house so he went off into the middle of nowhere to play. Lucky me, he had some food for me. Lesson learned. It's always better to carry a little extra food and have to bring it home than to run out!

nkfrench 

Mine usually involve sitting on the curb and crying, and I am tempted to lie down and curl up into the fetal position. I think about selling my bicycle and quitting riding.

Two hours and 45 minutes of riding at a lets-see-how-fast-I-can-go for a longer ride pace will do me in.
If I want to ride longer, I need to keep my heartrate below 85% max HR.
Averaging 90% HRmax for one hour kills me.
Moderate hills will put me over 90%, just surviving steep hills will push me above 95%.
I make a lot of mental mistakes while trying to tough it out. Such as mistaking red stoplights for green lights and not looking to see if I have right-of-way. Not holding a decent line. It's dangerous.
I keep an emergency power bar in my saddlebag and bring gel, but after I hit that wall I still end up limping it back in even after refueling.
Taking longer rest breaks helps restore my energy but usually the temperatures get too hot and my muscles stiffen up.
I've SAG'ed before at mile 48 of a 62 mile charity ride. I started with a very fast-for-me pace for the first 32 miles, started to disintegrate around mile 37, and was in total meltdown at the 48 mile reststop.

1242Vintage

In May every year there's a local "bike to work" month event here. So every year I try to put on a few more miles than the prior. It was the end of May 2013 and I headed out in the early morning hours for the ride to work. Had a long day at work running around and missed lunch. Then saddled up in the afternoon to pedal back home. It was very hot, I was exhausted from work, skipping lunch didn't help, and my legs were rubbery from a month of cycling with no rest days. I was OK until I hit the hills for the last 10 miles home. I knew I was in trouble when on this little incline (not even a hill really) had trouble maintaining 5 mph. Another cyclist came up next to me on the incline and as he passed asked if I was OK. It was obvious that I was cooked.

I stopped at a park and rested in the shade and ate and drank a little. Nope. Didn't help. At that point I had 80 miles for the day, but the last 10 miles to the house has 1,000 feet of climbing. No way I'm making that in this shape. My legs weren't having any more cycling that day. Called the wife to bring down the team car. The air conditioning on high and the comfy passenger seat in the car for the drive back home were heaven. Thanks Honey.

I've only called home a couple times in many years of cycling for a ride home. The others were mechanical failures that I didn't have the spare part or tool to fix on the side of the road. Sitting there in the park I knew that I wasn't able to continue home and there isn't any shame in admitting when you are at your limit.

TrojanHorse

My issues seem to be related to over heating although I reckon at least one of those was a bonk. I pulled over and sat in the shade for a while, then kept going. Eat a few snacks & relax, pour some water over my head, that sort of thing.

CommuteCommando

Lately I have been getting fanatical about pre ride fueling. I found this lady at a local farmers market that sells date bars. These things are awsome. The ingerdients list is short, and has noting ending in -ose, -ene -ane -ase or anything like that. they are really sweet and it is all from the dates, no added sugar. Check your Whole Foods or local farmers markets and you may find something similar. After work 10-30 mile rides, I have a Clif bar about two hours befor getting off, then water and Gatorade G2 as needed, about 5 oz/hour. Start nibbling a clif bar at about mile 15.

goldfinch

A few co-ops I frequent sell date "logs" rolled in coconut. I like them but maybe a bit too much. Oddly, they sometimes are cheaper than whole dates on a per pound basis.

Wooden Tiger

Why's that embarrassing? Dude, you just rode 50 miles. It isn't like 50 miles is right around the block. To put it into perspective for you, 50 miles is the equivalent of riding from the most northern tip of Delaware into Dover, or in other words, right about half the length of the state. My parents live in Wilmington and a trip to Dover in the car takes about an hour, and the mileage runs around 40-50 miles. If anything, GOOD JOB, BRO!

Embarrassing? I'll tell ya about embarrassing. Though this has nothing to do with bonking on a bike, I did bonk on a social level last night.

My wife and I haven't seen members from the bike club we belong to in quite some time, and we haven't exactly kept up on the social lives of everyone.

We arrived at the bonfire last night and were greeted by some friendly faces and we got to chatting when they walked up to greet us.

Me: Hi Bonnie, where's Clyde? (name changed to protect the innocent and guilty)

Bonnie: I dunno...

Sherry (name changed): Ummmm...

Bonnie: We're not together anymore. I dunno where he is.

Me: Ummmm, I'm just gonna go drown myself in the toilet now, so uh, y'all 'll know where to find me...

Yep, I really laid an egg on that one. That really sucked.

Lacumo

Glad to hear you made it through the experience wiser and without major problems!

I've never experienced that or probably even come close, but your story was kind of scary for me. I live alone (no relatives w/in 100 miles) and I really don't have any to call to be my sag wagon. Your story has settled two things for me. From now on: 1-before I set out on any >35 mile ride, I chow down but good; 2-I always carry my cellphone along with a "crib note" listing the phone #s of all taxi companies in the area where I'll be riding stuck in my wallet. These ideas aren't rocket science and I should've been using them as SOP's since Day #1 , but... Better late than never (and before disaster, too!), right?

Chitown_Mike

I have made these before:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMJEI...=TLnUxlpEjOWI0

Except I use coconut oil and about 25% less of it, and a different mixture of dried berries, but they came out great. My family on our vacation recently kept eating them like they were cookies

But I LOVE just regular dates.....just didn't bring any with me.



I did something similar to my buddy a few months back, mentioned I would tell on him to his girlfriend.....when the other 5 guys behind him gave the shut up look I knew I screwed up. I eventually apologized but felt like a real heel.

eja_ bottecchia

OP, maybe you should have your doc check your glucose levels. The mental "deficits" that you describe could be evidence of low blood sugar.

I am a diabetic and I am careful to avoid bonking. When I have felt clse to it, however, I look for a convenience store and get a Diet Coke. For me that helps.

Ride safely and smartly.

Best of luck.

Chitown_Mike

Unless something has changed in a few months I was just tested for diabetes and liver function stuff, like in May/June. And if anything I have lost some more weight since then and increased my endurance and cardio capabilities. However I will keep an eye on how I feel, but the deficits on the ride were more physical. Mentally I was very aware of what was happening to me, afterwards I felt really tired. But when my body stopped responding I actually got mad at my legs like they were doing something wrong on purpose...probably was funny to watch someone yelling "Come on legs!" as they rode by

StephenH

It happens. I haven't had that particular problem, but have had to catch rides due to severe cramping, general exhaustion, etc. On the other hand, I've done thousands and thousands of miles since then, too, so don't feel like it's an omen of things to come.

eja_ bottecchia

Not any more or less funny than when Voigt yells at his legs.

Hope all goes well for you.

Good luck.

genejockey 

Your tale sounds exactly like what happened to me when I bonked. All the snap in your legs just vanishes, and it's all you can do to keep turning the pedals over. You're not even confused, because your glucose-starved brain is too stupid to be confused.

Mine happened in the pre-Cell Phone days, so there I was, 2 1/2 miles from home, unable to do anything but keep going. On my usual route, there are no stores for the first, and last, 16 miles. I forget how far I went that day, but I had been feeling a little 'hollow' at the beginning of the last leg, but I decided to tough it out. By 8 miles from home, I was feeling empty, definitely in blood sugar, but it really hit me when I was just a few miles out.

I got home and all I wanted to do in the whole wide world was to sleep, but one tiny spart in my brain said, "eat". One Snickers bar later and I rapidly returned to normal.

Since then, I never pass the '16 miles out point' without half a bottle of Cytomax or other sports drink, and an unopened Clif bar, even if it means stopping and buying something at a gas station.

Cyclcist11023131

Really sounds more like Hypoglycemia. The Body doesn't like to run out of sugars. A BONK is just when you can't ride comfortably and have lost your will to go. A rest perks you right up. Using up all your sugar/ fuel suddenly deprives you brain of needed energy. All sorts of strange things can happen. All of which you have described. It can certainly be avoided by proper nutrition. I go by the two hour/ half hour preparation. A solid small meal two hours before, and a Smoothie made of Milk, bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate milk powder a half hour before the ride. Instant Breakfast powder if I have a race. Every hour on the ride I eat a snack bar that contains protien. Lots of water. During the two years I have been riding solid I have gone from drinking one 25 oz. bottle of water per trip to six bottles per trip. I know its summer too but more water is just better. Also as you learn to ride and eat and ride and drink your body will adapt to these conditions better. 5'11" 220

Chitown_Mike

Might I ask, if you know or anyone else for that matter, why did I feel 100% mentally there but physically my body had nothing to give? I have had low blood sugar before and know the disoriented feeling I have gotten with it, but I didn't feel that just the inability to push on physically.

Cyclcist11023131

Your brain tries its best to protect itself. It can only predict based on past experience. Therefor if you generally ride a certain distance and later add hills and more distance your brain might well rebel. It will sense that your supplies are becoming low and slow you down. It will make your legs weak so you can't hold cadence. It will send a message to sweat more to cool you down. It is a pissed off brain. Don't piss off your brain! Feed it, nourish it, tell it you are fine. As you ride more and more your body and brain will adapt as it builds a better idea of what you are capable of. I have noticed that I can now stand up and pound all the way up and over hills that winded me last year. Sure I am in a little better shape but more importantly my brain thinks it is OK now and does't send those awful signals as much and I pay less attention. As long as you have the proper fuel and time in the saddle nothing can stop you. Remember Jens Voight rally cry " Shut up legs" !

MikeRides

I've never had to make the "call of shame" on a ride, I'd too proud/stubborn to do so anyway. I had two situations where I was really close to giving up due to leg muscle tightening up due to lack of nutrition/hydration. Both instances didn't happen until the last 3-5 miles of the ride! I now carry a bag of mountain trail mix, a small bag of beef jerky, and I make myself drink water as soon as I start sweating.

Null66

I've let my blood sugar get low a couple times. I tend to make horrid mistakes.

Sensor wouldn't trigger light so went to sidewalk to hit the crosswalk button, then jumped the curb by accident (oops).
Got tired and jumped a red light in front of a school bus turning left (oops).

lsberrios1 

I know how you feel. I bonked yesterday for the first time since I started riding july of last year. Horrible feeling. I made it to my car but thought I couldnt. I had planned an 83 mile solo ride. at around mile 57 the world came down on me and I thought I was being punished for something. I was spinning a cadence of 83 - 85rpm at 12mph with HR of 160+/- on flats!!! I cut the ride short and ended up doing 69 miles.

Weirdest thing is that I had done that ride already with fair ease. I started at z2 17-18mph pace and ended averaging 16 because for the last 15 miles it dropped down to 12-13mph with HR at z4. 3 weeks back I did the same ride and averaged 17.5 with only one 7 minute stop and this time 16.3 with 2x10 minute stops. Anyways getting too specific, my point is that the i've kick that ride before and this time it kicked me.

I know what caused it though. The day before there was a party at my Fiancees house. I carb loaded at around 10pm. Went to bed at 1am and woke up at 10am. by the time I got in for the ride it was noon. My carb load was already depleted and whatever was left I instantly used it in the first 50 miles. After that I was literally runing on fumes, burning straight up fat and even muscle...

I hope i've learnt from my mistakes and next time take it a bit more serious. I totally underestimated what I thought was easy and I ended up getting my ass handed to me just because I didnt properly prepare myself the day before.

Chitown_Mike

I was the same way, the route I rode I have ridden several times this season as well as last. My heart rate monitor died right before I started having trouble so I don't know what was happening there. Need to get a battery for that too.

Oh well, live and learn and glad to be able to ride another day!

Wooden Tiger

Yeah, I felt like a real goat. Not cool, but it's over and done with, and will hopefully soon be forgotten!