Did I Bonk?

[Dan B]

I can't believe so many claim never to bonk - I bonk on nearly every 70+ mile ride I do!!!

Why? Try eating during the ride (try sports drinks or energy gels) - may help

 

[Fiona N]

I can't believe so many claim never to bonk ...

Clearly you're all a bunch of touring cyclists, or simply don't push yourselves hard enough (or don't want to, which is fair enough)

I've bonked twice - once in Australia when I'd only just taken up cycling. I sat on the front of a big peloton for 50 miles out of Perth into the wind, driving the pace 'for training' with another guy of similar thought and the others just hung in there glad someone else was doing the work. We'd expected a tailwind home but, Sod's law, the wind switched 180 degrees so it was headwind all the way home, so we repeated the exercise. We got back to Perth to the meeting point where everyone split up. I felt a bit woozy and sick but about 8km into my ride home - another 10km from the meeting point - I got so bad I couldn't turn the pedals or make the bike go in a straight line. I had nothing left to eat (and it was the days before energy drinks and gels, I just used water to drink) and was sat feeling ill at the side of the road when a lady came out of a house opposite and asked if I was alright. She rustled up tea and cake and in about half an hour I was good to go but it was a salutary experience.

The second occasion was at the beginning of a climb. I'd just driven from the Calais ferry, picked up my climbing partner and, without eating for about 18 hours, arrived at the parking for the climb of (I think) Barre D'Ecrins. We saw that a huge group was already heading up to the hut. As we'd got no booking for the night, the chances were we'd be turned away, so it was a case of sprinting up the walk-in/climb to the hut to beat the group. The walk in climbed over 1500m in 6 or 7km and we were on target for arriving in about 1 hour 15 mins when, just below a set of chains up a steep scrambling section, I was just pole-axed. Absolutely no way I could climb it. My partner (having eaten, drunk and rested while I was driving to collect him) went on to the hut (he always was one for abandoning partners who showed weakness ) but it took me about an hour before I stuffed enough food and water down my neck to recover. Later, when I downloaded the HRM, I found that my HR had been above 90% of max for about 60 mins - no wonder I bonked given that I'd not eaten for so long.

That's it. Even Sunday's marathon effort in the wind in the Scottish Borders to complete the Moffat Toffee 200km on my own (10.5 hr) didn't bring me anywhere near bonking although I only had toast for breakfast, toasted teacake at the cafe at 50km, Scotch pancakes (2x) at the halfway cafe, peppermint tea and a fudge bar at 130km and water to drink through out.

Some of us just need extreme provocation to bonk - I suspect it's how well you burn fat. Tests years ago showed that at the HR where most people were burning gycogen only (>85% MHR, I think), I was still burning about fat for 30% of the energy expenditure. This doesn't sound much but it makes a huge difference to how far your stored glycogen will take you. And it's glycogen that's in short supply when you bonk - none of us has so little body fat that we actually 'run out of energy'.

 

[ttcycle]

I can't believe so many claim never to bonk - I bonk on nearly every 70+ mile ride I do!!! I ride hard from the start and usually bonk around 65 miles and then survive about 20 miles more before I can pedal no more.

Clearly you're all a bunch of touring cyclists, or simply don't push yourselves hard enough (or don't want to, which is fair enough)

This is not bonking. You're overreaching and badly fuelled- eat more, take some gels/food.

Bonking is a nasty feeling and one that takes a while to come back from; shaking by the side of the road, feeling confused and complete inability to ride at all and it can come on really fast if you miss the warning signs. I hope this isn't what you experience each time - if it is- something is definitely not right - got get yourself checked.

 

[steve52]

i think some are confusing being tiered running on empty. latic acid saturation, with the bonk, = shakes unable to stand, walk, think the bonk only twice for me so far caused by ego issueing checks my body couldent cash

 

[zigzag]

you'd know when you bonked. it happened to me about a month ago, first time since i've started cycling. luckily it was 3km to the finish of an audax ride. i've reached the destination at slow pace and it took two hours of stuffing my face with food to get back to normal (i was dizzy, miserable and shivering when i arrived).
i wouldn't say i was pushing too hard as the muscles didn't hurt afterwards. i've just run out of fuel and stalled. in two hours i could ride pretty fast again.