Bonk!

[Kano]

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

[Veronica]

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.

V.

[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?

[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.

[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.

[velogirl]

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.

[Trekhawk]

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

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.

[CorsairMac]

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!