Bonk

[Rocky]

I kinda knew I was queueing that up! I was anticipating the '3 Yorkshire men' take.

Seriously though, I'm not doubting anyone. I'm just saying I personally haven't suffered with it as others describe it. Nearest I think I got was on PBP when I made the curious decision to not have breakfast at Carhaix before the section to Brest. It was a haul and I was running on empty when I got there, but nonetheless didn't experience the classic bonk symptoms others have had.

I, too, have had it a couple of times - not cycling but marathon running. It used to be called hitting the wall. It would happen around 22 miles when I’d depleted my glycogen stored and was fat-burning…..not the most efficient way to produce energy (I seem to remember from my biochemistry studies).

 

[oldwheels]

I suddenly bonked and ended up lying in the middle of a singletrack road on Mull once! A very alarmed couple in a car stopped to ask if I was ok. Well, I thought that they were concerned about me - maybe they actually stopped to drag the corpse out of the way!

I wrote a story about the first time the bonk got me... The Trauma of Trawden.

Probably thought you were just another drunk native.

 

[roley poley]

eating is good ...fuel in to enable energy out

 

[swee'pea99]

Never experienced it. I have once or twice known when I was approaching my limit - generally around the 100 in an event, I've mentally started counting down the last, say, eight miles, knowing for sure that while it's going to be gruelling and really rather unpleasant, I'll be able to do it, whereas if it was 18 I wouldn't.

 

[Biker man]

Never experienced it. I have once or twice known when I was approaching my limit - generally around the 100 in an event, I've mentally started counting down the last, say, eight miles, knowing for sure that while it's going to be gruelling and really rather unpleasant, I'll be able to do it, whereas if it was 18 I wouldn't.

You are lucky it's not a pleasant thing .

 

[matticus]

Those who have never bonked, obviously haven't been trying hard enough.

... or they know how to fuel correctly.

; -)

 

[cougie uk]

Until you bonk-you don't know how much energy you have.

I've bonked a few times. Usually when I forget to eat and the long rides have started. Most memorable was 40 miles from home and I was riding my knobbly tyred MTB with my mates on road bikes. I think I'd just used too much energy keeping pace.

 

[fossyant]

... or they know how to fuel correctly.

; -)

Nah, not trying hard enough.

 

[Alex321]

I rarely carry food on a ride less than, say, 25 miles and whilst I always take water I often don't touch it during the ride unless it's really warm. I do it all kinds of wrong but so far have got away with it.

I'm very much the same. At this time of year I more often than not arrive home with the water bottle untouched.

And I only carry food if I'm intending to ride 30+ miles.

 

[Biker man]

... or they know how to fuel correctly.

; -)

I had never heard of it until it happend to me .

 

[a.twiddler]

It's a thing of extremes. It hasn't happened often, but when it has, I won't forget it. You can feel it coming on, but then it just hits you and you can't function. If you keep going, your concentration goes and you're all over the road. I used to keep an emergency Mars bar in my bag which worked its magic very quickly to to give a boost until I could stop and eat something which would give a more long term effect. I say magic because for me that's how it felt. It brought me from what felt like the brink of death back to relatively normal in just a few minutes.

The cause of the dreaded bonk was often a tendency to press on regardless instead of stopping for refreshments though in some parts of the country facilities are few and far between. If you get the bonk even a couple of miles from a known stop sometimes it might as well be 100 because your legs won't work and you end up scrabbling in your bag for anything edible that might get you going again, it can be that bad. Finding a long lost melted Kit Kat can be like discovering a hoard of gold at times like this.

Nowadays even though I do a lot less mileage than I used to, I make sure I've got a selection of unhealthy snacks with me to keep me going, just in case.

 

[bagpuss]

I am suprised this thread has not got the bonk yet !

 

[Blue Hills]

It's a thing of extremes. It hasn't happened often, but when it has, I won't forget it. You can feel it coming on, but then it just hits you and you can't function. If you keep going, your concentration goes and you're all over the road. I used to keep an emergency Mars bar in my bag which worked its magic very quickly to to give a boost until I could stop and eat something which would give a more long term effect. I say magic because for me that's how it felt. It brought me from what felt like the brink of death back to relatively normal in just a few minutes.

The cause of the dreaded bonk was often a tendency to press on regardless instead of stopping for refreshments though in some parts of the country facilities are few and far between. If you get the bonk even a couple of miles from a known stop sometimes it might as well be 100 because your legs won't work and you end up scrabbling in your bag for anything edible that might get you going again, it can be that bad. Finding a long lost melted Kit Kat can be like discovering a hoard of gold at times like this.

Nowadays even though I do a lot less mileage than I used to, I make sure I've got a selection of unhealthy snacks with me to keep me going, just in case.

all very true - even though I usually had food with me I was often reluctant to stop/just kept going. I find using maltodextrin powder in one of my bottles helps as then I'm continuously taking in bits of energy as I go. On longer rides in addition to food I carry a small tub of maltodextrin powder as well so then I just need to find a tap.
Your description of the bonk is spot on and stresses its dangers - I have really only had a real bonk once - I became aware that although on a flat or only very gently rising road I was doing some ridiculously low speed - well under 5mph I think. I pulled over to lie in the verge and miraculously found that blackberies were growing in the hedge above me so I lay there for about ten minutes snacking on them and was then OK.

 

[yello]

I had never heard of it until it happend to me .

And conversely I'd heard of it often and hoped it'd never happen to me!