Bonk!

So, that's my newbie question of the day: I know what "bonk" is, but I don't KNOW what "bonk" is, aside from what I wanted to do to a student's head last night in the software class I was teaching!

We who are learning to ride for distance and endurance and such need to know about these perils of spending the day on the bike!

Is "bonk" a sudden thing? Is "bonk" when I'm cruising along happily, and then suddenly I'm slogging along crankily and all I want is a downhill, the longer the better, so there's no work needs doing aside from avoiding a bonk of a whole 'nother sort?

And while we're talking "bonk" how about avoidance technique, recovery, etc. like, you know, if you're riding, and have this "bonk" thing happen, what's it gonna take to enjoy the rest of the ride, since most likely you're not back to the driveway yet? Best method of avoiding it all together?


Karen in Boise

For me - bonking is my heart beat in my ears so loud everything else sounds muddy, heart rate unable to come down, breathing unable to slow or exchange enough oxygen, everything starts to look bright & watery, and I feel like I'm gonna hurl. There is NO staying upright on the bike, and gravity becomes more difficult to overcome. It takes a Long recovery, and lots of fuel & rest.

Avoidance: eat enough, drink enough, get the electrolytes in, and don't push too hard or in too much heat. Listen to your body when you're riding, and get to know early indicators so you can compensate accordingly - bonking is Not something you can just Push Thru. I find it's most likely to occur in climbs, due to the extra effort required.

Recovery if you hit that point, and are alone: First and Always make sure someone knows where you're going & how long it should take. Have a cell phone on you for emergency assistance. Bring extra food & water with you. Get off your bike safely, but stay on/near the trail & visible. If you feel faint, focus intently on slowing your heart rate & breathing, keep your chest/lungs open, hold on to a tree or a sign post or something, but don't just lay down & decide that a nap would help. As soon as you can take food/drink w/out throwing up, do so - and try to consume more than you think you need or want. Once the world stops spinning and you can focus more than 2 feet away from your shoes, start to plan the safest way home & don't be too proud to ask for a pick up.

Bonk generally refers to when you haven't been refueling properly for your ride.

For me it feels like I'm riding in mud and it comes on suddenly.

Lately I've been having trouble with bonking even when I'm not riding. I've really upped my output in the last few months, but apparently the input is sometimes not sufficient to keep up.

To avoid it, I drink water mxed with Sustained Energy at least every 15 minutes and I eat something solid every 30 minutes. I usually don't start eating until I've been out for an hour though. And if I'm doing a short ride (for me sub 2 hours) I use Gatorade instead of Sustain.

Good luck!

V.

I've never bonked but a friend did. Quite scary because he wouldn't cooperate,
someone tried to get him to eat/drink and he wouldn't! after sitting a few minutes he finally started coming around.

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Originally Posted by mimitabby

I've never bonked but a friend did. Quite scary because he wouldn't cooperate, someone tried to get him to eat/drink and he wouldn't! after sitting a few minutes he finally started coming around.

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Yep - it's very similar to heat exhaustion. Part of it is being disoriented, thus the attitude.. the other is fighting the urge to puke, therefore the thought of adding food or drink is repulsive. Takes a while to get over that.

bonk is a blood sugar drop. It means your body doesn't have enough fuel in the tank to keep the engine going. For me bonk is a slow onset starting with fatigue and cold sweats and then goes downhill from there.

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Originally Posted by Veronica

For me it feels like I'm riding in mud and it comes on suddenly.

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This so totally describes it.

I went on a 10 mile mtb ride- first 4 miles is a gradual climb on fire road and I middle ringed it almost the whole way for the first time. Next mile very steep climbing. I had never cleared so much w/o walking, heartrate was betreen 170 and 189. But... 3/4 way started feeling chills. Bad sign considering it was 80º out and sunny. Started feeling pukey. Kept climbing another 1/4 mile. Stopped for a rest and drink of 50% gatorade. Continued on short DH and then a 1/4 mile very steep climb. Halfway up I had the "riding in mud" feeling. I stopped, and sat down for a few minutes, dizzy. Walked my bike up an ended up puking. One of my friends came back and walked up the hill with me. At the top sipped some more Gatorade. Because we were in the middle of nowhere I had to continue, almost all downhill from there. Paced up the short climbs. The last 3 miles was downhill singletrack. I took it easy- still a little woozy and didn't want to crash. Made it down, actually had some fun.

Had a smoothie on the way home but was totally wiped out the rest of the day-- tired, headache, woosy. Just took it easy.

So what did I learn?

• Have a good breakfast and start hydrating early. Get a lot of fluids in before the ride.
• Don't push too hard when there is a lot of distance/ elevation to cover.
• Don't expect to keep up with my friends' 9-speed 27 lb full suspension bikes when I am on my 8-speed 32 lb steel hardtail. They will always wait for me to catch up.
• Stop and rest and get some food/ fluids in at the first sign of trouble.

I really don't want to ever do this again. This is supposed to be fun!

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Originally Posted by CorsairMac

For me bonk is a slow onset starting with fatigue and cold sweats and then goes downhill from there.

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Me too. My one an only real bonk occurred due to a combination of 3 things:

1) weather too hot and I wasn't used to it
2) very poor fueling that day...(very, very poor choices)
3) poor conditioning for that particular ride (elevation, speed, distance, etc)

I was also quite inexperienced, and I didn't immediately realize what whas happening to me. I know that I am capable of 'willing' my body to do things I wouldn't have thought possible, and that day, for the first time in my entire life, it got to a point where there was no control. My body flat out failed me and it scared the crap out of me. Luckly, I wasn't alone and my riding buddies helped me take care of myself.

[QUOTE=Nokomis]For me - bonking is my heart beat in my ears so loud everything else sounds muddy

I couldn't have said it better!!!! This is exactly the warning I look for when I know I'm going to BONK. Just make sure to prepare and look for the warning signs.

And remember, even the professionals BONK every once in awhile!!!! Just ask Lance!

Roshelle from Milwaukee

All us kiwi and ozzie girls are rotfl!

Oh man, what a timely thread. Our LIVESTRONG mentor emailed us last night to let us know what was going on in the Dallas area. I wrote back (and copied my husband) saying we hadn't been able to work up much stamina or distance, that the heat was just about killing us, and I said something about having to stop after a few miles before bonking.

My husband (not noticing he was replying to both of us) said, "Don't try to sound too cool -- bonk = sex."

To which the mentor replied (to both of us), "She used the term "bonk" correctly; are you perhaps thinking of boinking?"

Oh. My. God.

I woke up this morning after my husband was gone, started reading email, and howled out loud.

I think DH is a little embarrassed. Heh.

To me bonking generally comes on fairly swift, unexpected. I generally assume I'm under fueled or dehydrated but it can also mean I just had a bad night or my body is tired. Sometimes I can fix the bonk others, no way. Generaly I start to notice the bonk when all of a sudden my legs feel heavy, I'm tired and a slight headache comes on. I slow down, maybe stop. Take in some fuel and water and attempt to end my ride as soon as possible. Best is to not bonk and take care of things before the ride.

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Originally Posted by margo49

All us kiwi and ozzie girls are rotfl!

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You are right on that one Margo (and bet me to it) A few years ago there was an issue of Bicycling magazine with a cover story something along the lines of 'Bonking - why everybody should experience it once'

I've kept that one somewhere

omigosh!! is THAT what you are all giggling about?
:eek:
attention:
we are talking about something that happens to someone sitting
on a bike with no other people touching them.

ahem. :o

I feel better now. :D

I did start with a google search on "bonk" and got a tremendous number of hits -- when I made the search engine narrow it down by adding "bike" to "bonk" there were still a LOT of hits, and the Wikipedia one started by explaining that definition -- didn't give me nearly as much information about what I REALLY wanted to know as you ladies are doing!

So, yep, I've gotten quite an education today!


Karen in Boise

So, now we've established that keeping blood sugar up is important, along with hydration.

Now it's time for suggestions -- what's going to do that best? What will get us off to a good start, and what's going to be the niftiest stuff to pack in my little handlebar bag that won't goober up my camera or cell phone!

Personal preferences -- I try to stay away from things like jelly beans.

Karen in Boise

I eat yogurt and cereal for breakfast, every day pretty much, ride or no ride.

On the bike I eat Paydays, sport beans, cliff shot bloks, hammer gel. I eat a little something every 30 minutes. I also drink Sustain energy every 15 minutes.

If I'm doing an organized ride I eat whatever is at the rest stops that appeals, pretzils, fruit, pb and j or honey sandwiches.

If I'm riding on my own I'll buy cheese and crackers, m&m's with peanuts, Red Bull or a frappicino. Again I usually wander through the store and what I want jumps off the shelf.

If your ride is less than an hour, you probably don't need to worry about it. But everybody is different. I find right around the 90 minute mark I need to start eating - even if I'm only going to ride 15 more minutes.

I got really obsessive about eating when I started training for double centuries. :rolleyes:

V.

Four of us went out and tried a faster ride once and were going great, when one of us started suddenly flagging... our new rider from the southern hemisphere. SHe said, "What happened? I was doing fine and now I don't have any energy!" The ride leader said, "You bonked!" She waited 'til he was out of range and turned to me, "WHAT did he say????"
... we got it all cleared up...

Heh....you may not be able to define 'bonk', but I'll be darned, when it happens you WILL know instantly.

I remember the first time I bonked it came out of nowhere...like 4 hours into a ride, I'm feeling strong and chipper, then suddenly, the bottom fell out from under me, just like that *snap~*

Whatever analogy you want to use....from falling in the mud, to someone taking the keys out of the ignition, to having your legs turn to wood - they all apply.

Veronica gives excellent advice - eat and keep a steady stream of calories coming - using whatever food combination works for you - digestion considered. Short of totally stuffing myself, ala several pizza slices etc - I find that I can handle most amounts of food and ride with no problem - actually ride better after having eaten than vice-versa.

Okay, am I to conclude that "Bonk" means the same thing Down Under that my husband thought it meant?

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Originally Posted by Cassandra_Cain

Heh....you may not be able to define 'bonk', but I'll be darned, when it happens you WILL know instantly.

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No matter which definition you're using. :eek:

V.

Those ol' shiboleths sure get us in trouble. Urbandictionary.com to the rescue!

I do know that I had better not wear a fanny pack, but rather a bum pack down under.;)

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Originally Posted by pooks

Okay, am I to conclude that "Bonk" means the same thing Down Under that my husband thought it meant?

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YES IT DOES. MWAHAHAHA :D It's hard to imagine a Bonk on a Bicycle.

ROFL

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Originally Posted by fatbottomedgurl

I do know that I had better not wear a fanny pack, but rather a bum pack down under.;)

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The corrected term is bum-bag! ^_^ Fanny is something totally different down here. :P

I remember watching a move-- about the English boy who wanted to be a ballet dancer?-- and his neighbor girl said, " Wanta see my fanny?" Most Americans probably thought she was going to moon him. Heh Heh.

I loved that movie. I saw it in West Palm Beach. Everyone in the theatre were Q-Tips!!

Here's the science behind the bonk. Glycogen is your body's fuel source during aerobic exercise. Your muscles store a finite amount of glycogen (about 1,400 calories worth). Your liver also stores glycogen (about 700 calories worth), but it's used to fuel your brain. So, let's say you ride for three hours and burn 700 calories an hour and you're replacing 200 calories an hour with a sports drink. It'll look something like this:

Muscle Glycogen = 1,400kcal
hour one = 700kcal (riding) minus 200kcal (drink)
Remaining balance = 900kcal
hour two = 700kcal (riding) minus 200kcal (drink)
Remaining balance = 400kcal
hour three = 700kcal (riding) minus 200kcal (drink)
Remaining balance = -100kcal (yes, negative)

Hmmm......you keep riding so those calories need to come from somewhere but you don't have any muscle glycogen left. So your body draws on your liver glycogen. Eventually, no more glycogen to the brain and you BONK! Yep, you get stupid, confused, and your judgement suffers -- just plain dangerous.

Folks will use the term bonk to describe lots of things when riding -- fatigue, dehydration, too much sun, whatever. But in the truest sense, a bonk is the lack of glycogen to feed your brain. I personally think everyone should do it at least once. There's no better lesson in proper nutrition than to bonk.

I wasn't explicit about this in my previous post and I know some will wonder, so here are some additional tidbits.

1,400 kcal assumes you have a full tank when you start your ride. That means you need a good solid meal in the morning (assuming a morning ride).

Our bodies are capable of digesting and utilizing about 350 calories/hour. If you ingest more than that you'll get indigestion.

Given the above (350 calories) and assuming that you're burning a higher amount of calories/hour (which you undoubtedly will), cycling is a deficit sport -- you're always burning more calories than you can consume and digest.

The best way to fuel is to ingest small amounts of calories frequently. I recommend drinking or gelling or eating a bite of a bar every 10 - 15 minutes (for rides longer than 60 minutes). Unfortunately, many of us stop every hour or so, ingest all our calories while we're stopped, and then don't eat or drink on the bike until we stop again. Not the best way to fuel. This method will lead to indigestion and also won't allow your body to utilize the full calorie load.

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Originally Posted by kiwi girl

You are right on that one Margo (and bet me to it) A few years ago there was an issue of Bicycling magazine with a cover story something along the lines of 'Bonking - why everybody should experience it once'

I've kept that one somewhere

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The first time I talked about bonking to my mum at home in Western Australia she was a little stunned until I explained what it meant in cycling circles. :D

Kano: like everyone said it's pretty much a personal thing and you'll have to try some different things to see what works for you, and try eating at different times to see what's best for you. On long rides I carry PB&J on rice cakes but just recently a friend of mine had one of those packages of cheese crackers and it was Just what I needed to finish my ride. I try to make sure I have a carb and a protein (trail mix is a great idea) for my bike food and that I eat a good breakfast before I start. In my case it's usually an egg white omelette, a veggie - usually tomato, and a fruit. If I'm going to do a long ride that day I may include 1 yolk in the omelette just for the fat.

the best suggestion I ever got came from right here on the board: try and finish off a bottle an hour and try to eat at least every hour. and listen to V - even if you're close to finishing your ride, if you're feeling hungry or parched, stop and eat/drink, don't try to finish the ride first coz (speaking from experience) you're just asking for trouble!