Now I know the meaning of "BONKED"

[Sully]

Hi all, after a nice ride from my home in Ilkeston to Chatsworth yesterday I was dropped by a fella 25Yrs ish my junior so me being me and feeling really good I foolishly try and reel him in, I did so only to be demolished on the next massive climb, anyway what went from being a really nice ride soon turned into a nightmare, I found the true meaning of bonked, I had flapjack and sweet orange juice which I snacked on but it didn't seem make much difference, the pain in my thighs was horrendous which I've asked about before and the general concencus was that it's die to lactic acid, the mental torture of riding into Matlock and the realisation sets in that your suffering and still got 30 miles to get home, needless to say I've learnt an important lesson, oh and if you were the cyclist who asked if I was ok on the hill to Ripley, thanks very much for your concern

 

[davdandy]

It happened to me last year,thankfully the only time,i have come close early this year but got through it.

Not a nice feeling is it,but glad lessons have been learnt.I think every cyclist goes through this ordeal at least once in their lives.

 

[Sully]

Mate, it was horrible and quite worrying, I'm too competitive, always have been, if it's not setting my eyes on another cyclist ahead of me to catch it's competing against the gps, average speed etc, stupid I know but that's me, unfortunately my stupidity cost me a really nice ride, do you suffer with lactic ?

 

[GrasB]

This sounds like you drove your self into a deep, deep oxygen debt hole & weren't riding slowly enough to climb out. When you bonk you run out of energy before you run out of oxygen, thus don't produce lactic acid.

 

[Sully]

Hi Gras, thanks for your advice I'm trying to digest it, read several times, Doh not the brightest what I can tell you is that I felt totally and utterly shattered and the burning pain in my thighs tipped me mentally over the edge

 

[MontyVeda]

'Bonked' means something very different 'round these parts.

 

[GrasB]

Hi Gras, thanks for your advice I'm trying to digest it, read several times, Doh not the brightest what I can tell you is that I felt totally and utterly shattered and the burning pain in my thighs tipped me mentally over the edge

Okay, so your body tries to conserve energy reserves as much as possible. So so normal aerobic exercise you use the most oxygen to use the least amount of glycogen to make as much ATP as you can. ATP is the chemicals your muscles use to produce power.

When you ask for more than a certain amount of power you no longer have enough oxygen in your body to use this method of ATP production. To counter this your body switches to a more oxygen efficient method of ATP production, however it also produces some nasty toxins along the way & makes a lot of lactic acid as an intermediary step, all of which build up & cause the burning pain.

When your oxygen needs are reduced the body can flush out most of these toxins & lactic acid (the latter is actually re-burnt & produces additional ATP). However if you're not at a low enough power production level to there's not enough oxygen in your blood to do this & so you have this constant burning pain.

So when you bonk, run out of all energy reserves, you by the very nature of things have more oxygen in your blood than you can use to convert gylcogen into energy. Also your muscles will metabolise them selves, which in the short term is a non-painful process but leads to the feeling of your legs being hollow or made of led.

Is that any clearer?

 

[Bryony]

At least it was a cyclist that over took you! I got over taken by a jogger while I was riding up a hill!!

 

[MontyVeda]

At least it was a cyclist that over took you! I got over taken by a jogger while I was riding up a hill!!

used to happen to me on a daily basis and it hurt... i felt a lot better when i learned he was training for the Youth Commonwealth Games, and did quite well apparently.

 

[Sully]

Brilliantly Gras thank you for taking the time, Bryoni, on the way back a walker could have overtook me, Monty, you never know who your trying to outpace or catch do you

 

[davdandy]

I got over taken by a jogger while I was riding up a hill!!

When i first started a jogger would overtake me going downhill.

 

[ScotiaLass]

At least it was a cyclist that over took you! I got over taken by a jogger while I was riding up a hill!!

Walkers overtake me riding up a hill!

 

[_aD]

I'll never forget the time I bonked home for 15 utterly demoralising and crushing miles, getting in and having the energy to chuck together a massive stir fried chicken and veg. I was carrying the plate to the table and tripped up good and proper. Food everywhere.

I broke down and cried and have never let myself get into bonking territory again. It's a nasty place.

 

[NormanD]

Bonked is not as bad as hitting the wall ...just ask my son ..he hit the wall into the last 3 miles of a 80 mile bike ride (60 mile charity ride and 2x10 miles to the pick up point and back) he came to a closed road junction (before joining the main road) .stopped and keeled over still attached to the bike, he didn't even have the energy left to unclip his feet from the pedals (I did warn him about setting too fast a pace in the event, but would he listen?) ..we had to untangle him from his bike, sit him up, let him rest for 30 minutes then call a taxi to take him and the bike home

I've bonked once a few miles from home on my then longish ride of 35 miles, I walked the last two miles home which took almost as long as it did doing the 32 miles on the bike ..think every ones been there at some stage

 

[_aD]

If there's something worse than bonking then I will definitely pass on enjoying it! I was genuinely worried that my body wouldn't do what it was told. Only once for me.