Got in trouble on a ride....
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JenRunTriHappyGirl
Posts: 521 Member
I am a triathlete.... more of a runner than anything though. I just started riding about a year and a half ago on a hybrid and started on my tri bike about 6-7 months ago. Just started 20+ mile rides in the last few months training for triathlons.
I planned a bike ride for Sunday morning. At 27 mile rolling hill ride with my mom.... she's awesome by the way. Saturday night, I went to an epic football game (FSU vs Clemson, go Noles!) I had not planned on being up until 2 am Sunday morning. Between the game and my early morning long run on Saturday, I was already tired. So, I got up Sunday morning, ate breakfast and went to meet mom a couple hours later. Though I was tired and sore, I felt fine.
A little over half way into the ride, I felt myself getting into trouble. My eyes were getting heavy and my body was getting shaky. I drank some water and poured some on my face and just focused on my mom in front of me. I made it home, ran inside and inhaled a banana and a small cinnamon roll.
I didn't fuel my body properly and I needed calories/sugar/something. I made it home but it was a scary experience. I have seen people get in trouble like that at triathlons, running, etc. I underestimated biking. I have definitely learned a lesson! 20+ miles, I need to bring fuel of some sort with me or make sure I have enough to eat before hand!
I planned a bike ride for Sunday morning. At 27 mile rolling hill ride with my mom.... she's awesome by the way. Saturday night, I went to an epic football game (FSU vs Clemson, go Noles!) I had not planned on being up until 2 am Sunday morning. Between the game and my early morning long run on Saturday, I was already tired. So, I got up Sunday morning, ate breakfast and went to meet mom a couple hours later. Though I was tired and sore, I felt fine.
A little over half way into the ride, I felt myself getting into trouble. My eyes were getting heavy and my body was getting shaky. I drank some water and poured some on my face and just focused on my mom in front of me. I made it home, ran inside and inhaled a banana and a small cinnamon roll.
I didn't fuel my body properly and I needed calories/sugar/something. I made it home but it was a scary experience. I have seen people get in trouble like that at triathlons, running, etc. I underestimated biking. I have definitely learned a lesson! 20+ miles, I need to bring fuel of some sort with me or make sure I have enough to eat before hand!
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I did this too once when I first started cycling. Went out for a relatively short ride with my wife and some friends and completely blew up on a climb. Shaky, tired, feeling like I just couldn't turn the pedals any more. Fortunately I had a GU energy gel with me and that was enough to get me home. It taught me a major lesson though. Now I don't ride on an empty stomach and I never, ever go for rides, even short ones, without at least an energy gel in my pocket.
Glad to hear you were able to make it home. That is a scary feeling.0 -
To go on after you bonk is an excercise in sheer will, so I empathize with what happened to you!
Happened to me too -- once on the bike, and another time on a grueling backpacking trip. Now if I'm going to be riding for more than an hour or two, I bring at least something to eat with carbs and/or some sports drink in my second bottle, and consume that whether I think I'll need it or not. Lesson learned
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Oh, the first time you meet "the man with the hammer" it's an experience, right enough... A real learning experience to be honest, not only do you learn the symptoms, but you learn that you REALLY don't want it to happen again. If you get through it intact, you also learn something about your mental capacity for suffering.
Doesn't make it any more pleasant though.0 -
As I am in low calorie mode I fear this as my rides are starting to get to 2 hours. More importantly though, what an end to that Football Game!!!!! OMG, i was on the edge of my seat trying to not scream at the TV waking the whole house.
Go Noles!0 -
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Now that is fantastic... how have I missed that one on the Velominati site.0 -
just brilliant!0
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I always carry rations when I ride... Even if it's a short ride I stash something in my jersey pocket (Gu, raisins, nuts, sport beans or jerky whatever I have).
Like you and everybody else I learned the hard way. If I'm leading a ride I pack extra, for the new folks who haven't learned yet. You'll be fine.
Next time you are up until 2am the night before and not really feeling it, maybe bump it a day...
Good luck!0 -
Now that is fantastic... how have I missed that one on the Velominati site.
#ManWithTheHammer
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As I am in low calorie mode I fear this as my rides are starting to get to 2 hours. More importantly though, what an end to that Football Game!!!!! OMG, i was on the edge of my seat trying to not scream at the TV waking the whole house.
Go Noles!
I was at the game and I have never heard the stadium so loud before in my life. It was a blast!0 -
I've never had anything like that happen, but I know it must have been very scary. I second having your levels checked. You could have an underlying condition. While I always eat breakfast and bring food for longer rides, I ride 20ish miles a few times a week completely fasted with nothing but water for the ride and only 6 or so hours of sleep. I don't have any hills on these morning rides, but I feel fantastic the whole time. Even the leanest person has enough fat reserves for much longer rides, and your glycogen levels should not be a problem until you ride a good bit longer than that without any fuel. It never hurts to see a doctor to make sure everything is as it should be.0
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Now that is fantastic... how have I missed that one on the Velominati site.
#ManWithTheHammer
Ah, that'll be why... I ALWAYS avoid the man with the hammer if at all possible. No reason to meet up with him anymore, but back in my racing days, there was ALWAYS the possibility - and believe me, getting a tap with the hammer just after the turnaround on a 100 mile out-and-back TT isn't much fun. It was usually because the weather was terrible - usually in rain you just either forgot to eat, or it wasn't possible to get the food into your gob and still control the bike at 25mph...0 -
If properly fueled, most people have enough glycogen reserves to comfortably ride for an hour or two without Thor showing up. In your case You were up very late, jumping up and down and cheering at a game, perhaps having a beer or two? Plus you ran that day. All these things could easily have left you dehydrated and your glycogen reserves low. So even though you had breakfast, that may not have been enough.
Try the ride again but after a normal nights sleep and food/hydration. If you have the same symptoms get checked out pronto. And always carry some food with you on your ride. Gu, sports beans, raisins etc.0 -
...And always carry some food with you on your ride. Gu, sports beans, raisins etc.
The last week of the Vuelta challenge, I got through it on Tangfastics and Asda Jellybeans... Clive swears by Midget Gems though, so maybe theres some go-faster ingredient in them...
(To the OP: this fuelling strategy is NOT recommended BTW... it's just by the end of my third Grand Tour Challenge this year, I was pretty much all "Energy Bar/Gelled Out")0 -
The last week of the Vuelta challenge, I got through it on Tangfastics and Asda Jellybeans... Clive swears by Midget Gems though, so maybe theres some go-faster ingredient in them...
(To the OP: this fuelling strategy is NOT recommended BTW... it's just by the end of my third Grand Tour Challenge this year, I was pretty much all "Energy Bar/Gelled Out")
'Midget Gems' is an anagram for Erythropoietin (if you add a few letters and don't use some) :laugh:
Allegedly, Jelly Babies are the Simple Carb of choice too?
When you're 'Cream Crackered', there's nothing like the 'hit' of Simple Carbs to get you rolling again :drinker:0 -
Ah... of course, the "midget gems" being "micro-dosing"... whereas Yorkshire Mixture or Wine Gums would be a more aggressive "preparation"
(anyway, if Haribo's good enough for Deano... http://goodtogreat.cc/dean_downing_joins_for_2015/ )0 -
Scary! I haven't experienced the bonk but my friend told me about it. I haven't yet done extremely long rides and am generally ok with just water for an hour to an hour and a half. I usually have something small before riding though. I do take my friend's advice, though, to at least carry something with me like a granola bar in case I ever need it. Hopefully I never will. Hope you're feeling better since then.0
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Met the man with the hammer when out on a long (for me) ride. He hit me, stole my water and laughed as he left me on the side of the road waiting for a pity pick-up. Learned my lesson though!0
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I am scheduled for a 3 hour ride Saturday through rolling hills. Reading this is now making me a tad nervous0
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Only happened once which happened to be my longest ride to date, ~87 miles with ~6k total climb. Ran out water about midway and had half of the climb to go (up down the coastal range and back). Only brought a few (3 I think) pastries and ate that after the first climb to top. Blowup midway on the way back. Thank goodness it was a cool day and was 17 at the time. Slept for a day and half afterwards. I'm on the conservative side these days now.0
