# Bonking a little over 100 miles



## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Been doing some 200k (130miles) rides and pacing myself to what seems a comfortable 18-20 mph pace. Everything feels pretty good until between 100-110 miles where my legs run out of power. I can either drop to about 15 mph and hold it or slow down to 13mph for a little while and then build up some energy to hang on at 17 for a little while before falling off in the legs again. 

I try to stay hydrated, using a 24oz bottle of sport drink every 25 miles and snacking on cliff bars or Hammer bars and stopping 3-4 times to refill and grab a banana or sandwich. Also been using caffeine/sugar gels which seem to help for a short time.

I've been riding for a little over 2 years and ride a Fuji Altamira and in South Florida things are generally flat, hot and windy. 

Is it just more training to get past that 110 mile mark?


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Go by time, not miles.

Sounds like you're not drinking enough. And you should be consuming ~200 Calories an hour.


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## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

Could be your pacing. You're riding too fast at that 18-20mph pace and you reach your limit at "100-100" miles.

It could be your short tenure in the sport. Endurance develops over a period of years; 2 years is not enough to qualify.

Could be endurance will never be your strong point. You may be better at shorter distances.

I think you're eating and drinking enough but since you live in Florida, but the heat could be causing you to lose more fluid than you can readily replace and assimilate. Loss of essential fluids can definitely result in reduced performance. Blame the climate or your genetics for an inability to thrive in such conditions.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Thanks for the suggestions. This past ride I did find myself behind on drinking early on but I made that up. I was at 40 miles and finished 24 oz where I try to drink an oz a mile. But by 60 miles I was back on track on fluids. Perhaps eating more and someone said I need to eat and drink more the day before. 

I have been riding 26 months and so far completed 15 200k rides and a RUSA series, 200,300,400 & 600k rides. Some are faster then others but I have a hard time trying to figure out why some go better then others. For the 200k I generally end up around 9 1/2 hours. I have had trouble with a couple,f last summer it took me over 11 hours due to extreme heat and I found myself fighting muscle cramps from dehydration as well as stomach cramps from trying to drink too much liquid. I just had to take breaks to cool down and absorb liquid. Another one also took 11 hrs but that was was hot, into a solid headwind and was the second 200k in 2 days. 

So I'll try eating more, getting more liquids in and keep practicing.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

5+ hour rides are long rides. It makes sense that you'll bonk, especially in that heat. Just keep at it, stay on top of your hydration and fueling, and keep training with good rest days and rest weeks. You'll push through.


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## ericm979 (Jun 26, 2005)

Second 200k in two days? You need to recover between those unless they're at an easy pace.

24 oz for 25 miles at 18 mph is 17oz/hour. When it's hot I need significantly more than that, and I weigh 145 lbs.

Also when it's hot I need electrolytes. If I don't drink enough or don't get enough electrolytes, my stomach becomes unhappy. 

On long rides I carry two bottles, one of sports drink and one of plain water.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

I was working on my Rusa R-12 and took advantage ofd Labor day weekend being 8/31 and 9/1 so I rode from Florida City to Key West on the 31st and rode back the 1st. On the way down there was a nice tailwind, I even avg 26.8 mph over the 7 mile bridge which is basically flat. I was holding steady at 30-31 mph for a couple of miles. Spent the night in Key West and rode back this time into a headwind and was able to avg. 13.6 over the same bridge. It took 11 hrs on the way down but mostly due to stopping to enjoy some sights, and 11+ hrs on the way back mostly due to headwind, heat and having ridden 200k the day before. 
I have been drinking Vitamin water which seems to agree with me. Gatorade gives me heartburn. I carry 4 bottles, one with drinking water and one with water to wash my face and spray on myself to cool down when required. This past weekend there were 4 of us and it was a nice pace until about the 105 mile park when I started to drop back. I was keeping the other three in site until we came to a drawbridge and I got caught when the arms came down to open for a boat. After that rely I finished 20 minutes behind the others.


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## Jwiffle (Mar 18, 2005)

ericm979 said:


> Second 200k in two days? You need to recover between those unless they're at an easy pace.
> 
> 24 oz for 25 miles at 18 mph is 17oz/hour. When it's hot I need significantly more than that, and I weigh 145 lbs.
> 
> ...


This. Aim for the whole bottle per hour, more if it's hot. If it's in the 90s, you may need 30+ oz in an hour.


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## Srode (Aug 19, 2012)

I carry 4 bottles on long rides and take in a 25oz bottle every 50 minutes to an hour depending on temperature and pace. Also 335 calories / hour (I weigh 185lbs). If you are staying aerobic, hydration and calories should be all you need to worry about. You probably want to get more deliberate about your fueling and hydration plan for the longer rides. All my calories are in the bottles and I use a timer on the Garmin to prompt me to drink every 10 minutes, starting at the very beginning of the ride. 

Repeatedly getting above your FTP for climbs etc will burn through your stored glycogen and that won't get recharged during the ride regardless of what you are doing for fuel. In this situation you will be stuck in a lower output power zone the rest of the ride for the most part.


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## aureliajulia (May 25, 2009)

I'm on the South East Coast, and had a horrible type with dehydration until I clued in that I needed more salt. Like a lot more. Now I have sports drink in one bottle, and saltwater in the other. For a long ride like that, I'd take extra salt with me. (Or Salt Tabs, Nuun, something like that). I like having the plain water with salt so I have one 'clean' bottle if necessary.


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## Rokh Hard (Nov 25, 2013)

eat more carbs, time them properly, use caffeine and hydrate on your ride. :thumbsup:


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## porterhouse (Jan 27, 2009)

Mr645 said:


> I have been drinking Vitamin water which seems to agree with me. Gatorade gives me heartburn.


Ditch the vitamin water for a true sports drink (possibly something sold at your LBS) and if you still feel your reserves getting low late in your ride, grab a coke.


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## gaspi101 (May 12, 2011)

Cycling in Miami, and having done the exact route you're talking about, I will just add to the great advice on the forum and say that it's all about the hydration. There is only one stretch of road on Cardsound that is about 20 miles where you can't refuel, but other than that, take good drinks every 10-15 minutes, and make sure you're eating at least 250 calories per hour, and don't skimp on the electrolytes. If you can't handle Gatorade (which works great for me), there are other alternatives that work great, like Cytomax, Accelerade, etc. Pace yourself, keep well fueled and hydrated, and there's no reason your legs shouldn't propel you to 200 mile rides and beyond. Cheers.


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## Mr645 (Jun 14, 2013)

Thanks for the tips all. I rode this weekend, 100k local group ride Friday and a 200k Brevet Saturday. I made it a point to increase my liquid intake and use a true sport drink instead of vitamin water. Heading North started off nice but as the sun rose, we got into a heavy headwind. The 6 of us (5 bikes, 1 tandem) split up a bit as we fought the wind. I was the last one to the lunch control by about 5 minutes. We left together with a wonderful tail wind and we all took turns pulling, even me with a 5 mile pull at 21-23 mph. Even though I have not been riding much since September due to work, getting in an avg of 14 miles per week, I was strong right to the end. Still finished in about 9 1/2 hours but that included a sit down lunch and a 15-20 stop for a mechanical on one of the bikes. I was paying attention and using a 24oz bottle of sport drink every 25 miles, plus drinking another bottle of something at each control. I didn't want to go crazy increasing my liquid intake as I have have completed RUSA R-12 and did a full series but the increased liquid seemed to help, especially considering my last of riding these last few months, and also doing a 100k the day before. Temperatures were cool, in the 70's and with beautiful blue skies with lots of puffy white clouds to diffuse the sun. Winter in Florida is awesome


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