35 miles today and a bonk!
 

Sorry for the Novel!

So i worked out hard this morning..i got outta work early and got a call from my riding buddy about hitting the road... i thought...why not sure....

Well she mentioned that the rider joining us was a very experienced rider..come to find out this guy does tri's and iromen comps...:eek: so i'm like hey
"well i dont want to slow you down so i'll go but i know my way back so its ok" ..she said not "oh no we wont" but "Ok" lol ....which i'm totally fine with...

well we start off and at the beginning i can tell.....CRAAAAAAAAAAP!! lol
but i crank it and keep up... around mile 12 we start hitting hills!

it's funny how on a straight away i'm right next to them but we hit a hill and i can see them pull off like a nyc cabbie! lol so i fall a bit behind say 30 yards..
they keep pumping and so do i.. i close the gap a little but worry about running out of steam on the way back... so i keep going without over doing it ... we get to a stop and the guy says.. "man you wernt far behind! you have pretty good technique" which is a surprise to me seeing that i'm fairly new! He tells me some things i can do to help my cadence and introduces me to cliff bars.. :eek: there awesome!

Anyways on the way back from riding around the lake we hit some wind..funny thing is it was as if the winds only purpose was to blow long and hard enough to zap my energy... becasue it didnt stick around but i was zapped...

i start lagging behind.... and on the way back it was a serious task to keep them in sight. every hill was like everest.. but i kept cranking and using my gears...
They waited for me at a stop and asked if everything was fine.. i said yes.. just hitting a little wall... but i'm ok.. Off we go!

I think it was dehydration honestly! because once we got back on a city trail i drank some water and got a second wind.. so i'm carrying 2 water bottles from here on out.

i shouldnt have boinked on a 35mile ride but i learned alot from more experienced riders. I also got to officially see what my avg mph was (14-15mph, until bonking, then around 8-10)

i made it back but was dead to the world!

You need way more than one bottle of water on a 35 mile ride, especially if you are pushing it and if it's warm add even more. Good job.

;) Don't be surprised if I remind you to hydrate on the TdC ride!;)

Although after this time, I bet I won't have to! Bonking feels horrible, doesn't it?:p Been there!

I try to hold to about one bottle an hour and If I go for more than about 90 minutes I usually split them pretty evenly between a sports drink (I like accelerade it doesn't make me sick at high temperatures/efforts at the moment its also on sale for really cheap at nashbar) and regular water. Cliff bars are pretty awesome also.

Over here in Ireland, bonking is another term for having sex! Just thought i'd let you know. I didn't know where this post was going.

True, that!:D Nope, we're talking about the athletic term for dehydration ands sugar crash!:p

Started commuting today. Planned, packed, I was very excited. About half way to work, when I got thirsty, I realize that I left my two water bottles on the counter at home.

(The nice thing about convenience stores and bottled water!):D

It happens, Jumbo! How'd the Commute go, other than that?

Walked every hill, and my commute is one big hill. :lol: Maybe I should take up jogging? I kid, I kid.

It was a wonderful morning. I was slow and did walk most of the hills. I will get stronger each ride I am sure. The security guard had no problem with me parking my bike in my office, which made me quite happy. I don't know why anyone would drive to work.

Before you know it, you'll be buzzing up the hills without even noticing them!

lol! "bonking" after that ride... that would have been a disaster! and a whole lot of disappointment! :mad: lol

Ireland huh? Those hills must be killer! i've been to dublin before but i was only there to interview a DJ and then flew back... i loved it!

Keep it up Jumborider! soon you'll be taking those hills like you were riding a harley.

chunkyd - it's amazing how dehydration can sneak up on you and affect you. I suspect that many times my "bonking" is a direct result of a lack of hydration. I agree with the others, on a 35 mile ride, you should definitely have at least two bottles of water - if not more!

But hey, you should be proud of yourself. You kept up, finished the ride, and showed them what us clydes are all about!

Very good - you survived. Yesterday I ended up doing 30 kilometers on rock roads (and clay, can't forget the clay) pretty much up hill and then shooting back down to beat the darkeness. :eek:

What is interesting in 5 hours of pretty intense effort (had to walk some areas they were so bad) I only drank one bottle of water. But, it rained on me the whole time. I suspect I wasn't sweating much. When I got home I didn't even drink that much water.

So, weather is a huge factor.

Shoulder your bike and pretend it's cyclocross. :)

Really got to get yourselves a hydration pack. Really hard to forget and you'll find yourself sipping more on the ride which is better than gulping a half a bottle at once.

I'd recommend at least 100 oz - I go through the 70 oz way too quickly (in addition to two bottles of Gatorade).

Pricepoint has the hydration bags really cheap and fairly good prices on the backpack too.

+1

Great job on the ride...14-15 is nothing to cough at. I still don't ride that fast most times. One bottle is not nearly enough for a 35 mile ride. I used to take my 70 oz camel pack on a 30 mile ride and I'd often empty it miles before getting home.

Chocolate Mint Cliff builder bar, yum.

Yes, although the best gauge of whether you're getting enough water is in what you're putting out. "Clear, copious urine" is the measure of adequate hydration. If your urine is strongly colored, strong-scented (unless you've been eating asparagus, heh), or you really don't have to pee at all, you're down a quart (or whatever). And, if you're exerting yourself and feeling warm but you stop sweating, that's a real danger sign. I would definitely plan to carry along more than one bottle on a ride that long, but how much I actually drink is an "it depends". Start hydrated and drink as frequently as you need to, that's the ticket.

Agreed, 1000%! Drink BEFORE you are thirsty. If you are thirsty, you are already behind on the hydration curve!;)

This is my hydration pack. I really don't want this on my back when I ride.

http://www.bdstacticalgear.com/prod_..._100oz-Lg1.jpg

that looks miserable!

I'd rather just go for 2 bottles hahah

Same here. I own a hydration pack but never use it -- not for biking, not for hiking, not for anything. A lot of people must be in love with them because you see so many hydration pack products, or maybe it's just one of those products that sells a lot because people say, "Hmm, good idea!" and then end up not using. I know I don't see many on the trail, and I don't think I've ever seen a biker with one.

Try setting a watch alarm to go off every 8 or 10 minutes and drink every time it goes off. It'll eventually become habit and you won't really even think about it.

Paul