How to avoid bonking

[gumgardner]

I don't know what causes it or why it happens, but I can tell within 5 minutes of a ride if I'm going to be sluggish or not. At times I feel like my back wheel weighs 30lbs (actuality my complete bike weighs 15.1lbs). The worst days to ride for me are after a couple of days off. I feel winded and slow. I consider myself in good/above average shape. I weigh 157lbs and am 6 feet tall. I ride 20 miles a day (1 hr 15min) of mostly hills 5 days a week. (I would rather go up hill than down hill). I do pretty much the same route everyday, with maybe slight changes depending on how good I feel. Family and work limits how much I can ride. Does anyone know why some times I just feel so awful? Other info: I carry one bottle of water and one bottle of Gu mixed drink. I find I sweat a lot. It seems to just flow from underneath my helmet. So I try to drink a lot. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

[Griswald4x4]

Try mixing up what you eat. Calorie intake is the best way to keep from bonking in my experience. Try varying what you eat/drink/swallow (I guess thats how you consume gels). Different things are used differently and absorbed differently by different bodies. Try mixing things up a little!

[rustychain]

Eating and fluid intake are important but so is conditioning. Try mixing up your ride with sprints or some fast spinning. Mix it up more. Are you eating healthy off the bike? Are you getting enough rest? Keeping a journal will help you find out. Most people are way off on estimating the food they eat and the rest they get. Feel free to PM me if you have questions about your diet

[Steve P]

Id say do a food diary for a couple of weeks to see if theres a pattern

[Mr.Gib]

I feel your pain. Occasionally I bonk right at the beginning of a ride. Feeling of low blood sugar, no energy, shaky, weak, etc. I follow the exact same routine every day so changes in food intake or sleep etc. do not explain this phenomenon. I deal with it by eating and drinking a lot on the bike and after about an hour I am back up to full power. Fortunately for me I often ride for at least 3 to 4 hours so no big deal.

Another related problem - often I have days when my best stuff doesn't happen until after 3 hours of riding. I go from the verge of being dropped to killing everybody - my club thinks I am a sandbagger. I would love to understand all of this.

[rockymtnway]

Do you eat a high carb meal within a half hour of your rides? If you aren't consistent, it would be one explanation for your inconsistent performance. Getting 1-1.5g of carbs/kg within 20-45 minutes is critical to building glycogen stores in your muscles.

On the other hand, your training is never going to get you stronger. As others have mentioned, you need to mix it up. Do a 2x20 intervals one or two days per week, do a VO2 interval day and find a way to go long just one day a week. It will be good for your body and mind to get a change in the routine.

[kevbikemad]

you have alreay been given some good advice. mix up your rides, try to figure out what works for you food wise, eat after a ride (drink chocolate milk). rest a nutrition are really important.

i think you are just feeling the rust of a few days off. pretty normal. how long of a warm up do you do on your rides? going hard too early before the muscles are ready can feel bad and is why we often feel better later in the ride.

and so you know, we all have those days. sometimes the body just needs a break.

you mentioned that you feel weak at the start after a few days off. that is not really a BONK. as I understand it, a bonk usually happens after riding and you deplete your glycogen stores. I have done it a few times and it is not just a sluggish feeling, you are almost unalbe to ride on flat ground at ANY speed and it happened around 2 hours into a race, in hot humid conditions and having taken in very few calories.

[legs 11]

It could be your not eating enough, with guys that ride every day its possible that you are only slightly undereating but after a few days it hits you, you feel terrible go home and compensate by eating a little more than usual, letting you partially recover but after a few days you'll feel run down again.
My advice would be to up your calorie intake by 20% or so and see how you feel, its not like you have to worry about putting on weight or anything, but if you do start putting on a bit just start to cut back gradually.
Another cause that I've noticed is a lack of sleep, only an hour per night less than you need can have terrible effects on my form
Anyway, I'm off to get something to eat and then go to bed!!