Hitting the Bonk in 20 Minutes?

[Shanksy]

Seemed best place to put this thread

I did a fair bit of road cycling last year (1,200miles) training for the M to B run

Over winter i did none

Just satrted up again this year

Anyway Tuesday i did 20mile on my M bike down the canal
Wednesday i went out again - only after 20 minutes i had to stop and turn around feeling totally knackered with just no energy at all - after reading what hitting the bonk feels like it sounds like thats what happened..

Question is - is it possible to hit the Bonk so soon? i though your muscles stored enough Glycogen to last 90mins or so?

Any ideas what happened and why i felt so exhausted so soon?

 

[Saluki]

Doing nothing over the winter and then riding the day after a 20 miler will do that to you
It sounds like your muscles were still tired from the day before and letting you know about it. Maybe ease yourself back in to riding a bit more gently?

 

[byegad]

I get this after a lay-off of more than a couple of weeks. First two or three rides I'm whacked and really need to eat to feel well. Once I'm back riding regularly (3 or 4 times a week 20 miles a time.) I'm fine and eat normally. It's just my body re-acclimatising to regular rides.

 

[Shanksy]

Doing nothing over the winter and then riding the day after a 20 miler will do that to you
It sounds like your muscles were still tired from the day before and letting you know about it. Maybe ease yourself back in to riding a bit more gently?

Yeh fair point and thats what i first thought, its just although my legs were sore they still worked and the feeling was more a full body lack of energy with a huge drop in my mood - i seriously though about getting off and sleeping on the canal bank lol

You could well be right it was just my muscles that were tired still - the 20 miler was actually fairly going - rolling Resistance on a canal path and headwind! and i pushed a good bit all the time

 

[Shanksy]

I get this after a lay-off of more than a couple of weeks. First two or three rides I'm whacked and really need to eat to feel well. Once I'm back riding regularly (3 or 4 times a week 20 miles a time.) I'm fine and eat normally. It's just my body re-acclimatising to regular rides.

Thanks for the reply - that's good to hear in the sense it sounds the same experience - i ate like a pig as soon as i got back to my hotel (working away) with two starters - tempura king prawns and scollops, a Philly cheesteak n fries and then 3 scoops of ice cream! after that i still had to go to the shop and get a load of sweets before falling alseep at 8:30!

 

[byegad]

Yes, sounds like me. Keep riding regularly and you'll find your appetite returns to normal quite quickly. I don't feel the need for extra food at all, even after what is for me a long ride, like 45 miles.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

As above, I have had to take enforced time off, usually no more than a couple of weeks, though I did let things slip a little over the winter, but after 2 weeks and 300 miles things were about back to normal, though need some more ride to work on the H.R., just took two weeks of nearly and again H.R, up a little, but it comes back just take it steady build up a little, usually a couple of weeks and you wont really know you've been off.

 

[bricksmasher]

I got back on my bike earlier in the month, after a year or 2 off, thought if do my usual 25 mile round trip, I did it but remembered thinking , how did I used to do this lol. Took my 2hrs 25 mins, today I did the same ride in 1hr 35mins

 

[ayceejay]

i though your muscles stored enough Glycogen to last 90mins or so
I think this should read "can store enough glycogen to last 90 mins"
You have to train your body to reach this capacity otherwise, as you have proved, it can be exhausted a lot sooner.