# Jelly Legs



## CycleD (12 Nov 2016)

OK, so where do I start? 

Yesterday after almost three weeks off cycling due to a minor operation I decided to go out for a ride pretty much straight after work on an empty stomach. (Rookie Mistake) I only intended on doing 20 miles but ended up doing 35 instead. Anyway on the 30 mile make I started to feel my legs wobble and my speed had been on the decline since 25 miles anyway and Hit a small incline of about 60 meters and my legs couldn't take any more so I jumped off the bike. Then my legs really did wobble and couldn't hold me so after a brief and embarrassing sit down on a path I walked up the Incline to a village shop and refuelled on a pint of milk, a cake and mars bar. I manged to get home 35 minutes later than I should've.
Finally, my question is has anyone else made mistakes like this and would anyone have a break on a ride of this distance as I just cycle from when I leave until I get home?


----------



## Dayvo (12 Nov 2016)

Sounds like a bonk to me, albeit a minor one.

Most have us have gone out, under fueled and gone too far without taking food and drink on board. A break is always advisable, AFAIC, for nourishment, rest, warmth and the chance to eat cake. 

Google 'pre ride food' for advice, but take energy bars and enough fluid with you, and have a meal before leaving if you don't intend stopping en route.


----------



## steve50 (12 Nov 2016)

sounds like you came pretty close to bonking,
https://www.ride25.com/cycling-blog/bonking-birds-bees/
In the cycling world, a bonk is not a good thing. It essentially means ‘hitting a wall’ in a physical and emotional sense, meaning that you find it very difficult, if not impossible, to carry on.

*What is a bonk?*
As funny as it my sound, bonking is actually very serious and is what cyclists and other endurance sportspeople call hypoglycemia. Essentially it means that you haven’t taken in enough carbohydrates and have exhausted your body’s glycogen stores, leaving you with abnormally low blood glucose levels. Your body can only store enough glucose (in the form of glycogen) to last you for about 90 minutes of moderate exercise. Anything longer than this and you will need to take in some more glucose for your body to function correctly.

*What does a bonk feel like?*
The symptoms of a bonk can vary, but on a physical side you will generally feel extremely weak and tired and you may shake, sweat a lot and feel dizzy or light-headed. You may also have heart palpitations and will probably be very hungry. Bonking can also affect the brain as that too burns glucose, and you may feel anxious, irritable, confused and emotional. At the very extreme, a bonk can induce a coma, so it is vitally important that you look after your body, learn what it needs to function properly and understand how to avoid a bonk.

edit; Dayvo got there nano seconds before me.


----------



## e-rider (12 Nov 2016)

it's not a good ride if you don't bonk towards the end


----------



## mjr (12 Nov 2016)

This time of year, I'd prefer a break in a ride that length. Less so in summer, although I'd still like to stop to stretch the legs every hour or so.

I made a rookie mistake today. I didn't put enough layers on my head after the lunch stop and even though I noticed before it got too far, I'm still feeling it a bit now.


----------



## mjr (12 Nov 2016)

e-rider said:


> it's not a good ride if you bonk


Fixed that for you.


----------



## CycleD (12 Nov 2016)

steve50 said:


> sounds like you came pretty close to bonking,
> https://www.ride25.com/cycling-blog/bonking-birds-bees/
> In the cycling world, a bonk is not a good thing. It essentially means ‘hitting a wall’ in a physical and emotional sense, meaning that you find it very difficult, if not impossible, to carry on.
> 
> ...



I did suffer from most of those symptoms towards the end if I'm honest. Luckily, there was a shop very close by. 
I've learnt my lesson now.


----------



## Kajjal (12 Nov 2016)

It just lack of fuel, i bonked on a 50 mile ride with a hangover. It was really bad i fell off the road and kept overshooting junctions. Should have called the wife to collect me really.


----------



## Dogtrousers (12 Nov 2016)

Unfortunately the converse isn't true: Just because you keep stuffing your face doesn't mean you can keep riding indefinitely.

On today's ride I ate porridge beforehand, two Eccles cakes, three small pork pies, two slices of malt loaf, four oat bars, a giant sausage roll and a slice of Tiffin. I was still done for at the end. 

I also purchased two big pork pies at a farm shop, to take home. It took a huge effort of will not to tuck into them too.


----------



## steve50 (12 Nov 2016)

Dogtrousers said:


> Unfortunately the converse isn't true: Just because you keep stuffing your face doesn't mean you can keep riding indefinitely.
> 
> *On today's ride I ate porridge beforehand, two Eccles cakes, three small pork pies, two slices of malt loaf, four oat bars, a giant sausage roll and a slice of Tiffin. I was still done for at the end. *
> 
> I also purchased two big pork pies at a farm shop, to take home. It took a huge effort of will not to tuck into them too.


Blimey!!! I don't think I would be able to ride after eating that lot


----------



## Dogtrousers (12 Nov 2016)

steve50 said:


> Blimey!!! I don't think I would be able to ride after eating that lot


It was all little by little. Shoving bits and pieces in as I rode, and stopping every now and then.. I also had an extended stop and a coffee at "Nick the Butcher" farm shop in Hartfield (Sussex). Highly recommended as a snack stop if you like pies.

PS I forgot the jelly babies.


----------



## AnthonyC (12 Nov 2016)

I still find it very hard to get the balance right. Last year summer went to ride in Mallorca with a couple of friends, after a wedding and with a hangover, and was 2nd out of 4 all the way until the last (biggest) climb. Everything was empty, had to get off my bike twice and let go much heavier and less fit friends. Walked for a bit, and after eating 2 bananas at some point I could get back on and ride up pretty much normal again. But it feels SO bad.


----------



## steve50 (12 Nov 2016)

AnthonyC said:


> I still find it very hard to get the balance right. Last year summer went to ride in Mallorca with a couple of friends, after a wedding and with a hangover, and was 2nd out of 4 all the way until the last (biggest) climb. Everything was empty, had to get off my bike twice and let go much heavier and less fit friends. Walked for a bit, and after eating 2 bananas at some point I could get back on and ride up pretty much normal again. But it feels SO bad.


Not the best of ideas to ride with a hangover, a hangover is caused by the body being dehydrated so unless you are drinking a lot of fluid before riding you are getting off to a bad start, add to that you will feel "rough" and probably not eaten properly prior to the ride imo it's a recipe for a bad ride / bonk. I personally would not ride any distance with a hangover.


----------



## vickster (12 Nov 2016)

The cooler weather now versus a few weeks ago probably contributed too 

I'm finding cycling very hard going now


----------



## gbb (15 Nov 2016)

Not really helpful, just my experiences....
When I was fit, 25miles could be done with a minor breakfast, 2 toast maybe, nothing special.
35 to 40 miles at an average of say 16 or 17 mph I'd probably get a lucozade and some Eccles cakes end route, but again, no special feeding beforehand.
40 to 50 miles or more, a stop en route for breakfast or something to fuel up.

99% of the time, no problem. I've bonked twice and that's not much in thousands of miles of hard riding. Once was perhaps not long after i started cycling so no surprise...once was when I was very fit and it surprised me...and floored me. I suspect maybe I'd not perhaps eaten as well the previous day and perhaps was a little under the weather without realising it.


----------



## lutonloony (15 Nov 2016)

I find it best to eat 3 decent meals a day, plus a few cakes. Just in case I go for a ride


----------



## Racing roadkill (16 Nov 2016)

Rule 5.


----------



## User16625 (16 Nov 2016)

CycleD said:


> OK, so where do I start?
> 
> Yesterday after almost three weeks off cycling due to a minor operation I decided to go out for a ride pretty much straight after work on an empty stomach. (Rookie Mistake) I only intended on doing 20 miles but ended up doing 35 instead. Anyway on the 30 mile make I started to feel my legs wobble and my speed had been on the decline since 25 miles anyway and Hit a small incline of about 60 meters and my legs couldn't take any more so I jumped off the bike. Then my legs really did wobble and couldn't hold me so after a brief and embarrassing sit down on a path I walked up the Incline to a village shop and refuelled on a pint of milk, a cake and mars bar. I manged to get home 35 minutes later than I should've.
> Finally, my question is has anyone else made mistakes like this and would anyone have a break on a ride of this distance as I just cycle from when I leave until I get home?



I once didnt eat during a 50 miler where I normally would. However I did eat before hand and I probably stuffed my face when I got back. I have in the past done a very hilly ride and really struggled the last 7 miles or so even tho they were relatively flat. I think diet before and during a ride will have a significant, if not dramatic effect on energy levels at the end of long rides. No expert on this tho, cant even tell the difference between a carbohydrate and a protein. I mean what exactly do they look like and how do you spot them in food?


----------



## Globalti (20 Nov 2016)

e-rider said:


> it's not a good ride if you don't bonk towards the end



I'm hoping this is a joke! A bad bonk as described by the OP is unpleasant and possibly even dangerous. If you a gauging the quality of a ride by whether or not you bonk you really need a rethink. 

(I may have taken the post too seriously!)


----------



## Globalti (20 Nov 2016)

RideLikeTheStig said:


> I once didnt eat during a 50 miler where I normally would. However I did eat before hand and I probably stuffed my face when I got back. I have in the past done a very hilly ride and really struggled the last 7 miles or so even tho they were relatively flat. I think diet before and during a ride will have a significant, if not dramatic effect on energy levels at the end of long rides. No expert on this tho, cant even tell the difference between a carbohydrate and a protein. I mean what exactly do they look like and how do you spot them in food?



There's so much you can read about this on the web but basically most proteins are animal products and most carbohydrates are vegetable, with a few notable exceptions.


----------

