Bonking - The bad kind

[Spartan SL]

Had a major bonk today. Not the good kind.

 

Went for an 80km spin, during which I was to do 4x 10min sub-threshold intervals. 2 minutes into my final interval I start to feel the wagon coming unhitched. I was 35km from home, with little drink left, no food left, and nowhere to get either. Cycling into a major headwind, and suddenly swaying and struggling like I was cycling along, a foot deep in treacle.

 

90 minutes later while I'm still 3km from home the twinges I've been feeling turn into full-blown cramps. Those last 3km will haunt me for some time to come. It took me over 30 minutes to do those 3km. Never before have I been so glad to see home.

 

I was just wondering how bad can a person bonk and still keep going?

[GreyOwl3.0]

Dude, I once got to 2km from home and had to call my dad to come fetch me! The flat, tail wind assisted 2km was just too much!

 

Another time, I bonked so badly that I actually started crying up a hill with about 10km to go!

 

You are not alone....until you bonk, and then your VERY alone!!!

[Spartan SL]

If I'd had any moisture left spare in my body I'd have certainly cried the whole of those last 3 kilometers.

[Guest Agteros]

Many years ago I used to once a week cycle from Pta west to Brits and back. Bonked so bad once on the way back (between Brits and Harties)  that I started shivering from cold (This in the middle of summer, on a hot sunshine day) and had an uncontrollable urge to lick the sweat of my arms... Mind was gone, could not focus on anything.

 

Made it to Harties, and bought a coke, super C and slab of chocolate... sat around a while, and then started to cycle back to res very slowly... More than halfway back to Pta I only started to feel like a human being again.

 

Mistake I made which caused all of this, was to skip supper the night before and oversleeping that morning. Only had one toasted sarmie @ 10am, just before the ride....

 

After that, I've never been out on the bicycle without

1. Extra cash

2. Extra food (even gels on training rides)

3. Eating the night before AND the morning of the ride

 

[GreyOwl3.0]

Bonking is one of the worst experiences you can have on a bike. It just cant be explained to non cyclists...thats the one thing I find frustrating!

 

I've even hallucinated, seeing huge Big Macs floating in the air in front of me! (ok, thats just a joke)

[milky4130]

many years ago i bonked so bad passed out under a tree, 30km from home, no money, no food didnt have breakfast, 30+ degrees celcius heat, one bottle of energade, i decided i should do the argus route...the good ol days.

[slowpoke]

the first time i ever did the 'shova i have no clue how i finished... had a saddle sore and stopping meant relieving the pressure which made getting going again worse... so i didn't stop for water... was not very fit so was kinda slow... and it was hot... and i ran out of water wayyyy before reaching durbs and just kept pedalling trying to convince myself i was not in agony... i certainly wasn't by the time i finished - i was beyond agony. i also got grabbed by a couple of guys as i toppled over after finishing and getting my medal - i'd managed to get as far as some grass but couldn't unclip. they lay me down and poured coke down my throat and it took about 30-45 minutes before i could actually move or speak. i swore i'd never push that hard without sufficient fuel and water again....

[Guest Agteros]

 

Bonking is one of the worst experiences you can have on a bike. It just cant be explained to non cyclists...thats the one thing I find frustrating!

 

I've even hallucinated' date=' seeing huge Big Macs floating in the air in front of me! (ok, thats just a joke)

[/quote']

 

That must have been a bad case... seeing Big Macs... Yuk!

 

[Slowbee]

Clearly, from all your descriptions .. I have never bonked. 

[milky4130]

 

trust me you'll instantly recognise after you regain conscience that you just bonked.

[skaduwee]

Yoh this one time i was challenging my brother in law up 'wonderboom nek', when i got to the top i felt so dizzy i got of my bike and sat down next to the road. I was so dizzy i thought i had brain damage rofl.

 

 

 

And the other time with my brother in law i bonked out 30km from home, the only thing on my mind was bread. We bought slap chips and a 2L coke and sat on the Churches door step was raining aswell. Best chips i ever had in my life.

[predictor]

Did Babbas the first time round also skipped dinner the night before and also did not do bfast.

 

Seems like a pattern .

 

Finished lap 1 feeling great BUT all knows Babbas comes back in round 2 to haunt you.

 

I remeber only seing my arms and nothing else also felt like crying and wanted to go sleep.

 

Some dude saw me and chased a couple of gu's down my face.

 

Limped back to the start.

 

Eish.

[Racingsnail]

Food or lack of it seems to be the common thread...didn't Contador forget to eat and bonk last year?

[Tumbleweed]

Food or lack of it seems to be the common thread...didn't Contador forget to eat and bonk last year?

 

yeah, and lance crowed about it being the mistake of an amateur. he has a short memory?

 

worst bonk i ever had was on the long climb at barberton is horrid heat. took me until 7 at night before i could pee again. 

[HappyMartin]

Touring in Moz back in 1995 I came too lying on the side of the road nor knowing what had happened. had dysentery the 4 days prior and thought if I didn't eat I wouldn't sh!t but didn't figure out I also wouldn't be able to ride. Dragged myself into the shade and after 10 minutes had to get back on the bike and kept going. Found a little bush shop and bought a tin of condensed milk (all I had money for) and necked it. drank a liter of water and managed the last 20 km. Not a great day but I have not bonked since. go everywhere with gels and bars and money now.

[Andyr249]

I once bonked during a race. Worst was that the last 30km odd was on the club route so I knew every hill that was coming. I don't know how I got to the end of the race or how I kept my mind. I still use that as what I called my "BUD/S" moment. I know that mentally I manage to get through that so mentally I can get through whatever I need to nowdays.