"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.

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.

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

You need carbs for energy. None in the breakfast except the toast.


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 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 .

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

sd

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!

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

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.

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

Get a clue.

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.

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. :)

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.