Bonking

I think I'm developing a history of bonking. I've kinda tried researching this online, but I got lazy. Over the past few weeks I've been running out of gas on random rides, and when I do hit E, it's a hard hit.

I hit the wall hard on Saturday during a thirty mile ride, but I didn't eat much before, so I figured I had it coming. But the Saturday before that, I did the thirty miles plus fifteen more because I was feeling so good with hardly any food or breaks. I hit the wall again today, this time on a twenty-mile ride. I thought I made sure to eat enough before I went out there, but I was starving halfway through. I know from past experience that it only gets worse from there and it did. I was done. Every time I tried to push it, I felt like I would fall right over the handlebars. I finished the ride feeling faint and nauseated, but fuming inside. What is it?

I'm hesitant about bringing Gatorade with me because it makes me sick, plus I need that water bottle space for pure water. Are gels or bars really the way to go? A few people in the group nibble on something at the halfway point, but I figure if I can't stomach a sports drink, anything heavier would be bad news. I guess I kind of answered my own question in this post, but I'd like to hear what y'all have to say.

It seems to vary wildly from person to person. I never take anything but water, a few Luna bars, and on longer rides, PB&J. I hate sports drinks, don't like gels much either. I have never bonked. That includes rides ranging from 30 to 200 miles. My spouse, who eats a bunch more than I do on rides, has occasionally bonked--and he is a stronger rider than I am. It's a mystery to me why one person bonks and another doesn't.

My doc, a major athlete, once told me she'd dated a guy on the national Olympic Nutrition Committee, and he said that water and PB&Js pretty much give you what you need. You will now hear from a ton of other people who have totally different approaches, all of which work for them. So I think you will need to start experimenting...I wish there was an easier answer than that.

I found for myself, bonking during rides has either to do with what i am eating before
or whether i am eating soon enough on my rides.
and whether i am hydrated enough too (before and during). if i drink coffee before an AM ride, i will make sure that i have lots of water too.

Before i try to make sure there is a good dose of protein, because i find that helps stabilize my energy

during, after an hour, i have a bar. not a gel. i think the difference for me again, is that protein content, gels are sugar - but a bar of some kind especially the ones i pick (or make these days) have more protein. I've noticed a difference between eating a granola bar versus something with more protein. Even bananas. i have to have some nuts with it or i get that hunger bonk feeling.

its all so personal, but hopefull you will get some ideas...

Have you been paying attention to what you've eaten before your rides, and when? That would be the place to start. I.e., what was in your gas tank on the rides when you didn't bonk?

It's all a matter of experimenting until you find what's right for you- and that includes during the ride, before the ride, after a ride, and your normal meals.

Maybe try logging your food (on and off bike) and how you feel on your rides until you find the right combination that gives you the results you want.

I have to eat on a ride. Every 30 minutes I eat. Usually it's a Powerbar because they are already squished! PBJ sandwiches are good, too, cut in quarters, but they get messy. Bars and PBJ have protein, which is really important for sustained energy.

I've found gatorade to be very helpful, but I cut it in half with water. But if it makes you sick, then of course you have to find something that works for you.

Also make sure you are hydrated throughout the day--do you drink enough even when not on your bike? Same for eating.

I have to eat every 45-60 minutes, too. I get sugar highs, followed by sugar crashes, if I eat too much carby stuff, so I make sure there's some protein in there. I won't eat a whole bar at one sitting, just take a couple of bites. I can't tolerate anything dry, like cereal bars when I'm all hot and sweaty. I have to have frosting. That makes for messy fingers, but it's a must. My favorite is Nature Valley sweet and salty almond. They have a frosting layer on the bottom. They get messy, too, but it's the only thing I've found that I can tolerate no matter what.

Karen

*Rave sniggers*

Sorry... I still can't read this topic title without... well... sniggering...

You want to probably look out further than just your current ride day (before and during) to make sure you are fueling your ride. Your body does a superb job of trying to figure out what you are up to next, and if you are giving it a steady schedule of long rides, it's going to start anticipating them given the proper nutrition. To do this it needs the right ratio of carbs, protein and fats. What is that ratio? Everyone is different. The guidelines are usually 55 to 65% carbs, no greater than 30 to 35% protein and generically the rest is fat. My eating plan is usually 55 to 60% carbs, 28 to 30% protein and the rest fat. If you pick up any sports nutrition book it will somehow boil it down to this. The one I have is from a class I took and it's pretty useful. Or make an appointment with a dietician or sports med clinic to find out what is right for you. They are there to help you figure it out. Make sure you are taking in the right calories for what you are doing, and they should be able to help you with that as well.

You are doing endurance work which requires the body to hit up fat stores and in order to do that it needs carbs to burn it. If it can't unlock the fat stores with the proper carb fueling, it's gonna give you the out of gas feeling.

If Gatorade is too much, water it down. Everyone is very different, some people can drink while some people prefer to eat. I prefer to hit old Halloween and Easter candy. It works for me, and it's about the only time I can stomach something that sweet! Go figure...

I'm with Rave. I don't think any Kiwi (or Aussie I think) can read this thread with a straight face

bo(i)nking.

Which becomes all the more amusing when I recall that I had a bike club friend who called bananas "bonk-berries", and those lovely plastic banana keepers we had a thread about a few months back...

Well..I have to admit that i've received many strange looks recently. I bought a nice n warm Roots jersey in Canada..

Root=Bonk...

He heeeee

I heart Clif ShotBloks.
And lots of water.

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Originally Posted by zencentury

I heart Clif ShotBloks.
And lots of water.

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I, too, like the Clif ShotBloks. I'm lucky in that my stomach can handle most whatever I put in it so I just nibble on whatever's on tap. At club rides, that's usually bananas, cookies and trailmix. On my own, it's usually ShotBloks or some form of energy bar (or Paydays, my new favorite food). I tend to favor carbs over protein (I won't do lunch meat if that's what's offered for lunch) and there are certain bars that are too dry to my taste (like Clif). Gatorade doesn't sit well so I drink Cytomax on longer rides in about a 3 to 1 ratio water.

As others have said, you have to experiment, and you have to disciplined. I never, and I mean never, do a ride without having eaten sufficiently beforehand. I always carry food with me and eat something before, in the very least, the 40-mile mark. It doesn't matter how good I'm otherwise feeling. Drinking on the bike is probably the hardest part for me, so I at least make sure that I down at least 8 ounces of water right when I wake up in the morning.

And I disagree with you that your stomach can't handle food just because it can't handle Gatorade. Lots of people have trouble with Gatorade so that's no surprise. That doesn't mean that your stomach couldn't handle real food, a different type of sports drink or some type of gel or the like. Each brand offers different formulations, using one of several types of sugars. Again, experiment until you find one that works for you. Especially with warm weather, your body needs some form of electroylyte replacement in addition to energy. Drinks are an efficient way of providing either or both.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

(or Paydays, my new favorite food).

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YES!

I've been trying things out. Biking isn't the same as swimming for me. I know, duh, but I figured exercising is exercising. Up until very recently, I was almost exclusively a swimmer, with a little running mixed in. I've been swimming for eons, often for two hours a workout or more. I rarely hit the wall hard doing that, even on hard days. I guess my body, being accustomed to that sort of exercise, learned to operate on a nearly empty tank...? I remember days when I didn't feel like eating so early in the morning, so I just didn't, or I had a slice of bread and I'd be fine. Definitely not working at my optimum, but not completely useless, either.

Anyway, with biking, I've found that I need to eat a lot. I've been drinking a lot of water and having a bar or a gel midway and it's like I have new life toward the end. Y'all were right; my body really isn't that picky when it comes to snacks. I just need something. I've left the flavored drinks for after the ride, if at all. The group leader whipped up his recovery shake for me one day and I felt wonderful after a painfully hilly thirty-miler. I didn't trudge through the rest of the day like I thought I would, so I will probably add that to my arsenal of nutrition. Thanks, y'all, I appreciate the responses, really.

Originally Posted by indysteel
(or Paydays, my new favorite food).

Are you talking about the candy bar? or is this a new energy bar? That's a name I haven't seen for a while....

I totally went out of gas 20 km into my ride today. fortunately there was a convenience store right there. stopped to buy an isotonic drink. after that i was alright. not a very good feeling though.. keeping food down while riding is not easy. but u need it.. so its quite a catch 22. u eat just enough to keep it down but u need to do it so often and like my friends say 'u just fart and its gone' :p

What does your food consumption look like when you're not prepping for a ride? I noticed that when I switched to a diet that included more whole grains, veggies, etc, and reduced the amount of sugar, refined flour, all that other high-GI (glycemic index) stuff, I didn't have nearly as many problems with getting hungry / bonking while exercising, or even in general. (No more mid-afternoon food cravings where I'm so starving I'll stuff any old garbage into my mouth.)

After rides of a couple of hours (I eat during the ride--Powerbar usually), I stop and get a bottle of chocolate milk and pretzles. Chocolate milk is a very good recovery drink. Pretzles are salty and solid.

I have been riding outside (as opposed to spinning) for about 2 years. I hardly ever have a really "good" ride, unless maybe a 15 mile flat ride along the beach. It seems as though every time I ride, my legs just get weak and lately I've been getting such horrible cramps in my thighs that I have to throw my bike to the ground and walk around until they go away... I try to drink a lot of liquids, but I am diabetic so I have to be a little careful about what I put in my body. I'm just not sure why my legs get so weak - any suggestions??:confused:

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Originally Posted by skingsbury

I have been riding outside (as opposed to spinning) for about 2 years. I hardly ever have a really "good" ride, unless maybe a 15 mile flat ride along the beach. It seems as though every time I ride, my legs just get weak and lately I've been getting such horrible cramps in my thighs that I have to throw my bike to the ground and walk around until they go away... I try to drink a lot of liquids, but I am diabetic so I have to be a little careful about what I put in my body. I'm just not sure why my legs get so weak - any suggestions??:confused:

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It's hard to say because you're a diabetic... if you're getting cramps, I'd say your electrolytes are low, but I'm not sure what would appropriate for you to eat or drink. Your doctor or nutritionist might be good for suggestions for that.



I love shot blocks with caffeine, instant energy after a bonk.

I always get cravings for real food when I am riding. maybe I need to stop riding at meal times. Or maybe I need to bring a pasta dish/ frozen pizza and see if I can heat it up on my rear rack.

skingsbury- Do you have a diabetes educator that you can see? I'm not sure if you are type I or II but either case, they should understand your needs best. If you are on meds, I have a friend of mine that had the severe thigh cramping from something he was taking.

I've been drinking Seriesse Amla Rush and Essential Green Tea (mixed together) before I ride, and I take it on the ride too. However, I don't believe in any 'energy' drink over water; I keep the Amla aside for when I feel like I am about to bonk. And yes, PayDay bars! Sugar and peanuts washed down with Amla, followed by some water. If I need more, I will stop and get a a hotdog or something, and double my water intake. Sometimes the hardest thing to do is listen to what your body is saying, in my case I look for a blend of protien, salt, suger and antioxidants and lots of water.

Tzvia