No class until late in the day on Tuesdays, thus permitting me journey westward from Cambridge to my heart’s content. Today I made an elongated Harvard, MA-Harvard Uni loop for approximately 90 miles. Entertaining visions of the CT Stage Race in May and tomorrow’s easy day, I sought to hammer for a significant portion and emulate hard surges and pace change. It felt really good and engaging… for a while.
Of the numerous skills I lack on the bike, one of the silliest is that I not only forget to eat but also don’t really possess the handling ability to access and consume food when I do remember. So around mile 75, I realized that I was slowing way, way down and that my stomach was an angry, ravenous maw. Darn it. I did it again. After pulling over, I found only a packet of fig newtons in my pocket. Sad. In conclusion: 90 miles. 300 calories. I saw some crazy, unspeakable things on Mass Ave. in the last three miles. The shadows were animate.
Really, I think I need to consciously train my eating skills.
5 Responses to “Another Fine Bonkride”
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I find that drinking my calories is a good way to avoid the bonk. It isn’t hard to remember to drink (or maybe it
is for some, but you can make you take a good sip every 15 minutes). I tend to take 600 calories in through drink when going out for 4 hours or more.
I am marginally better at drinking while riding. What mix do you use to get to 600 calories?
I use Powerbar Endurance. It is very high is sodium, which makes for a pretty extreme taste (but one I’ve gotten used to since I’m a huge salt sweater). Leo has his monkey cum concoction which I believe is a mix of whey protein and malto (1:7 I think). Hammer nutrition makes a nice product called Perpetuem, which can be mixed to a crazy amount of calories per bottle. Not enough electrolytes for me though.
… don’t forget that you can get those electrolyte pills from hammer as well. those things solved a years-old headache problem for me when on long rides in the heat. and regarding not having the skills to eat while riding, thats just a skill you have to train. if going fast on the bike were the only thing you worked on, how would you have enough style to face your peers?
Takes practice bud…train it. You certainly don’t have any trouble eating OFF the bike…hollow legs