We know you got stories, let's hear em.
Bonk.
- Thread starter Skookum
- Start date
Vacation.......Lake Tahoe....15 miles in.....Rear Skewer broke.....15 mile push push push push
We have a ride here called the Down and Back. It is basically riding the gorge of the canyon at Letchworth State Park. Supposedly it is the longest continous piece of singletrack on the east coast, 47 miles from start to finish. Well I started off OK and made the down part. Then we turned around headed back it started to snow. The trail is very technical with lots of gullies and short bursty climbs. It can kick your ass even in good weather. But the snow and cold just drained me. About 3/4 of the way back I started to get tunnel vision. I knew what was happening and kind of dismissed it as we only had about an hour of riding left. I stopped ate some Gu and continued on. I have no recollection of finishing the ride. I just remember waking up on the drive home. I was spouting of jibberish, couldn't load my bike onto the truck, forgot to pay for my Lunch, and a whole mess of crazy stuff. For the next 3 days I felt like I had the worst cold ever. Just drained. But hey atleast I finished the ride. I have done 1 other Down and Back by myself. I had no problems that time.
I've never done it as a down and back but just the down. Something like 121 creek/gully crossings in the one direction. That must be quite the @ss kicker going both directions - sounds like a good time.
eh?
I'm sure I have experenced it. Do you get it more when you are low on fuel, or when your legs are just dead, or both?
No you know you got it when at the end of a ride your ailing sick grandma could literally kick your ass.
last month: rode post canyon on an evil with a 36t, no breakfast that morning and a 1.5h road ride the night before after dinner. 3 hours into it my legs just gave out. i didn't even want to push the bike. i ended up sleeping/shivering in the bed of my riding buddy's pickup truck while he and another guy finished off the ride.
all time: did noble knob while there was still snow on the ground from about 1000 vertical feet before the top of the (2500 vertical foot, 6? mile) climb... in full lycra. took us 6.5 hours iirc, and the other rider with me literally passed out from exhaustion when we got back to the car. i was pretty tired, too, as you might imagine
(this was back in middle school, so my gracious mother drove us back else there would've been a nasty pileup)
all time: did noble knob while there was still snow on the ground from about 1000 vertical feet before the top of the (2500 vertical foot, 6? mile) climb... in full lycra. took us 6.5 hours iirc, and the other rider with me literally passed out from exhaustion when we got back to the car. i was pretty tired, too, as you might imagine
(this was back in middle school, so my gracious mother drove us back else there would've been a nasty pileup)
aha that's insane!
Ever get that low feeling like you know you're gonna get sick. Y'know the day before the flu really hits you?
Ever have that feeling hit you right before you plan a big epic ride.
Got up that morning and realized i was gonna get sick, so i figured well i'll just sweat the sickness out on the ride. The temperature on the other side of the Cascade Mountain Range here (Eastern Washington) is always 15 degrees warmer and sunny in the summer.
Took a crapload of vitamins and drank hella Gatorade. Screw it i'm INVUNERABLE!!!!
15 miles and 2500 feet higher i found myself on the spine of a ridge. My so called pal left me far behind and i'm crashing on the simplest of obtacles. Like a boxer who's been in the ring for 10 rounds against Muhamed Ali i was crawlin on my hands and knee's back to the bike. I'd look off the ridge and think to myself, welp if i gotta die here at least i die in a pretty scenic spot. The hawks were swoopin all over the sky just gettin ready for me to die so they could pick my bones clean. haha. Welp i'd ride down, walk up, ride down, walk up ride down and walk up until i found a forest road that went down. I'm lucky it actually led back to the truck. It woulda been a good day to die.....
here's a pic i dug up of the beginning of the ride, things were going so well.....
My second xc race of all time last year--the battle in seattle--about lap 3 I almost passed out a few times because I didn't know about clif shots. when i did finally make it through the finish line i stumbled to the nearest clif bar sample tent and munched away.
Another time: a friend and i at galbraith had very little experience up there and we ended up getting lost somewhere around the mohawk and went in circles for 4 hours with no food...we ended up doing a bit of hiking up the killer hills.
Another time: a friend and i at galbraith had very little experience up there and we ended up getting lost somewhere around the mohawk and went in circles for 4 hours with no food...we ended up doing a bit of hiking up the killer hills.
Oh okay. Then the first time I did Skookum Flats last year. I ran out of waterOriginally posted by Skookum
No you know you got it when at the end of a ride your ailing sick grandma could literally kick your ass.
First (one of two) time I climbed Tiger mountain with my 2 week old AC.
I made it to the top just fine (albeit a little slowly), but as soon as I sit down to rest I felt it coming on, and I was out of fig newtons. I figured it was all downhill from there, and went for it. About 2/3rds of the way down it really hit me, and I was struggling over everything. Finally I got to the point I had to just get off and push, but I couldn't go for more than about 10' before havng to rest. I found a patch of black berries (with two edible berries :angry: ) and made the push (literally) back to my car.
I was almost to Issaquah and was nearly delerious, when I got caught in a traffic jam due to construction. :angry: Alfter what seemed like an eternity sitting there I finally got off the freeway and was able to hit the local skippers for some much needed nourishment. 
For those that don't know if you have ever bonked, I guaruntee you haven't. Once you have really bonked, it is something you never forget.
EDIT-- Although there was this Skookum lead death march near Mt. St. Helens, in the middle of winter that could be a close 2nd...
I made it to the top just fine (albeit a little slowly), but as soon as I sit down to rest I felt it coming on, and I was out of fig newtons. I figured it was all downhill from there, and went for it. About 2/3rds of the way down it really hit me, and I was struggling over everything. Finally I got to the point I had to just get off and push, but I couldn't go for more than about 10' before havng to rest. I found a patch of black berries (with two edible berries :angry: ) and made the push (literally) back to my car.
I was almost to Issaquah and was nearly delerious, when I got caught in a traffic jam due to construction. :angry:
Alfter what seemed like an eternity sitting there I finally got off the freeway and was able to hit the local skippers for some much needed nourishment. For those that don't know if you have ever bonked, I guaruntee you haven't. Once you have really bonked, it is something you never forget.
EDIT-- Although there was this Skookum lead death march near Mt. St. Helens, in the middle of winter that could be a close 2nd...
I was riding in Forest Hill about 7 yrs ago, with brother and some buddies of his (Sherwood Gibson of Ventana Mtn bikes if your intersted). I was just starting to come back to riding after a yr break, and was ailing from a case of the stomach flu which reared t's ugly head that morning. I was leg cramping 3 miles into the ride and at T+3 hrs I just couldn't ride anymore. I was out of water and was hitting every bump in the trail. I ended up pushing my bike about three miles - I guess the trail was beautiful - not that I would know, I was looking straight down the whole time. Slept the rest of the day.
That was a Sat. morning. by Monday morning I was still very weak.
I'd love to do that ride again sometime.
That was a Sat. morning. by Monday morning I was still very weak.
I'd love to do that ride again sometime.
Blue Buck / Lightning Creek trail (Winthrop WA) - 4, no 5, years ago........
The crew were out there responding to "man, you just gotta' ride Blue Buck" from a 'friend of a friend'
Of course, all the dumb asses - me included - who should've known better and checked out the trail before hand didn't, so we set off late, on a hot day, in a group of about 8 / 10 with insufficient water and food.
I gave away a couple of bars to a buddies wife (low level diabetic) and we thrashed............
Made the Lightning Creek connection OK, at which point I begin to see the black spots floating before my eyes.........
Thank god for my buddy Dennis. I had to walk the bike cuz I couldn't ride without falling off - not a cool idea on Lightning Creek - while someone else gets so frustrated with his brand new Mantra that he wants to throw it into the creek (we talked him out of it and gave him food)
Made it down to the parking lot after the sun went down - and a couple of wrong turns. I left the bike in the woods cuz I couldn't even push it any longer. (Denny and Robbie picked it up the following morning)
The (justifiable) crap I got from the wife was much worse than the lecture I was going to get from the Rescue Team. They were warned not to go near me unless they wanted to go through her !
Bonked ? Like never before (or again)....
Dumb ? Yeah.......
Did I learn ? DID I EVER.....
The crew were out there responding to "man, you just gotta' ride Blue Buck" from a 'friend of a friend'
Of course, all the dumb asses - me included - who should've known better and checked out the trail before hand didn't, so we set off late, on a hot day, in a group of about 8 / 10 with insufficient water and food.
I gave away a couple of bars to a buddies wife (low level diabetic) and we thrashed............
Made the Lightning Creek connection OK, at which point I begin to see the black spots floating before my eyes.........
Thank god for my buddy Dennis. I had to walk the bike cuz I couldn't ride without falling off - not a cool idea on Lightning Creek - while someone else gets so frustrated with his brand new Mantra that he wants to throw it into the creek (we talked him out of it and gave him food)
Made it down to the parking lot after the sun went down - and a couple of wrong turns. I left the bike in the woods cuz I couldn't even push it any longer. (Denny and Robbie picked it up the following morning)
The (justifiable) crap I got from the wife was much worse than the lecture I was going to get from the Rescue Team. They were warned not to go near me unless they wanted to go through her !
Bonked ? Like never before (or again)....
Dumb ? Yeah.......
Did I learn ? DID I EVER.....
that trail is cool, i rode by myself thru there up the forest roads then down the trail. i rode by what i thought was a greenish stick, then it started coiling and rattling just as i rode by it.
gettin ascared of rattle snakes works just like grubbin on a packet of Gu! i was riding hella fast for the next half mile!!!
Now I know for sure what it feels like. Durning my xc race last weekend. I bonked hard half way into the last lap. Ran out of water....didn't eat enough before the race. I was riding like I was drunk. I'm lucky I didn't crash and seriously hurt my self.
Yeah - sweet trail - went back and rode it as it should be rode the following year............wasn't as hot tho'.
We normally do a century around lake peppin once every 4 weeks...So its buisness as usual...The final ride of last year was the same as the rest...Nice weather...not too windy... Everything felt o.k. , but with about 20 miles to go- - alot -o - hills-...my legs and insides started to feel all "shaky" and weak. It was a horrible feeling. I felt like I was going to tumble off the bike. Needles to say the last 20 SUCKED the big blue one. I dont even remember riding into town, but I do remember the feeling of wanting to drink water but having a stomach that was doing the major flip flops...SUCKED.
back when i first started to race sport about 12 years ago, I entered a race, Tidewater mountainbike challenge, At the begining of the race there was a huge wreck that took out most of the field. I was lucky enough to clear it and was 3rd into the singletrack. Long story short I was sprinting for 10 miles because I had no one to pace off. And on the last lap i got to the top of the hill after the gravity cavity and fell asleep holding onto a tree on my bike. I finished the race next to last. I was told I was there for a good 10 minutes before I started roling again. POwer gel is a wonderful thing
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You dare to drive after such a draining adventure?? 
One of the bigger roadie events here in sweden had to change the rules after an incident last year.
It's a long 300km road race that runs on regular roads that are not cleared of traffic. Some riders takes over 10 hours to complete.
Well ..
This rider finished in like 7hours and then prodeeced to drive home... Dozed off behind the wheel, wiped out and took 8 riders with him..
Dont remember if anyone was killed or not..
But now you rest for X hours afterwards or you're disqualified.. I think they even hold on to your keys..
One of the bigger roadie events here in sweden had to change the rules after an incident last year.
It's a long 300km road race that runs on regular roads that are not cleared of traffic. Some riders takes over 10 hours to complete.
Well ..
This rider finished in like 7hours and then prodeeced to drive home... Dozed off behind the wheel, wiped out and took 8 riders with him..
Dont remember if anyone was killed or not..
But now you rest for X hours afterwards or you're disqualified.. I think they even hold on to your keys..
Moore Fun - Fruita, CO.
October 2003.
We drive from Denver the night before, to be specific, it was the night the Red Sox's lost to the Yankee's. We get in late, and stay up even later, why? I don't know.
So we get up the next morining, sort of early, about 9 am, and stroll into Fruita for some breakfast. Me, being a dumbass, proceeds to drink a double shot, to give me some pep. I have a bannana, and am all ready to ride.
Well, we still needed to get one of a our group a ride, he had relocated back to Ohio, and did not bring his bike. So we finally get one and it is now about 11 am, mind you it is hot, about 98 or so, and there is not a cloud in the sky and we are getting ready to ride for 3+ hours in the desert, (great idea!)
So before the ride, I decide I am still not "charged" enough, and pound a red bull. Well trust me, I am bouncing off the walls. We start riding and things are great. We make it to the top, and I start feeling a bit, weak, but think nothing of it. I then try to drink some water, and I feel it sit in my stomach, try again, it sits there.
I then proceed to puke only water, up. cest la vie, we ride some more, then comes the rock, you know the one (if you have not rode this trail, click here). Well I have my own trouble and get some good scrapes, but what I really notice is the nice rose hue to the desert. Wow this is way cool.
We proceed to ride, and only afterwords do I hear that I seemed out of it, aloof. Well it only got worse, I cant keep any water down, I am bloated like a dead cow. We ended up stopping in the middle of the desert by the only tree that we could find and I just passed out. I finally was able to eat some powerbar, and take a bit of water, so we pushed on, and finally got up to an access road, I have no idea how.
Well I stay up at the access road, in the shade, and eat more power bar, and notice the great black spots all around my world. I wake up in the car, as we are riding back to the hotel. Everyone is like, dude, you alright?
Apparently I was cohernt but dont remember $hite, as I loaded up the car and got in the back.
Bonked hard, don't even remember 1/2 the ride, really. Saw some cool colors. This was a bit of mix between bonking, dehydration and heat stroke, killer combo.
Dumb dumb dumb.
I know from know on to eat carbs, have some sodium and hydrate well, before I ride. And of couse, go easy on the coffee/ red bull.
October 2003.
We drive from Denver the night before, to be specific, it was the night the Red Sox's lost to the Yankee's. We get in late, and stay up even later, why? I don't know.
So we get up the next morining, sort of early, about 9 am, and stroll into Fruita for some breakfast. Me, being a dumbass, proceeds to drink a double shot, to give me some pep. I have a bannana, and am all ready to ride.
Well, we still needed to get one of a our group a ride, he had relocated back to Ohio, and did not bring his bike. So we finally get one and it is now about 11 am, mind you it is hot, about 98 or so, and there is not a cloud in the sky and we are getting ready to ride for 3+ hours in the desert, (great idea!)
So before the ride, I decide I am still not "charged" enough, and pound a red bull. Well trust me, I am bouncing off the walls. We start riding and things are great. We make it to the top, and I start feeling a bit, weak, but think nothing of it. I then try to drink some water, and I feel it sit in my stomach, try again, it sits there.
I then proceed to puke only water, up. cest la vie, we ride some more, then comes the rock, you know the one (if you have not rode this trail, click here). Well I have my own trouble and get some good scrapes, but what I really notice is the nice rose hue to the desert. Wow this is way cool.
We proceed to ride, and only afterwords do I hear that I seemed out of it, aloof. Well it only got worse, I cant keep any water down, I am bloated like a dead cow. We ended up stopping in the middle of the desert by the only tree that we could find and I just passed out. I finally was able to eat some powerbar, and take a bit of water, so we pushed on, and finally got up to an access road, I have no idea how.
Well I stay up at the access road, in the shade, and eat more power bar, and notice the great black spots all around my world. I wake up in the car, as we are riding back to the hotel. Everyone is like, dude, you alright?
Apparently I was cohernt but dont remember $hite, as I loaded up the car and got in the back.
Bonked hard, don't even remember 1/2 the ride, really. Saw some cool colors. This was a bit of mix between bonking, dehydration and heat stroke, killer combo.
Dumb dumb dumb.
I know from know on to eat carbs, have some sodium and hydrate well, before I ride. And of couse, go easy on the coffee/ red bull.