Bonk!

[Geonz]

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...

[Cassandra_Cain]

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.

[pooks]

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

[light_sabe_r]

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

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

ROFL

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

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

[fatbottomedgurl]

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.

[Nanci]

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

[velogirl]

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.

[Veronica]

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

No matter which definition you're using.

V.

[fatbottomedgurl]

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.