The bonk is a funny name for a terrible feeling, when suddenly there's nothing left in the tank, the legs turn to jelly, and getting to the finish or just back home becomes an altogether supreme effort of will.
But what is the bonk? The simple explanation for its occurrence is that long-endurance exercise depletes the body’s store of glycogen, which produces the energy required to maintain performance. When the glycogen depletes entirely, the body has no more fuel and instead burns fat, resulting in a surge of fatigue and a performance collapse. That’s the simple version anyway, but research shows it may be more complex than this nutritional description suggests, with genetics, mental factors and training all playing a role.
So in this examination of the bonk we start with the basics: the nutritional causes and how you can safeguard yourself against them; and then we move onto the more complex and controversial aspects.
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A cyclist’s best protection against the bonk is to ensure that glycogen is fully topped up before starting and that it’s replenished throughout the ride. The former is generally achieved through carbohydrate loading — that’s ensuring all meals in the 48 hours prior to a big event or training ride contain an adequate level of carbohydrate.
But this certainly shouldn’t be taken to extremes. Many amateur athletes often use the carbo-loading excuse to pig out on pasta, potatoes and rice, believing it will protect them from the bonk. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.
"Every day, you need about 7-10g of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight to keep glycogen fully topped up," says Dr. Karen Reid, who runs the sports nutrition website Performance Foods. “Overloading on carbs will result in weight gain.”
Glycogen theories
Bonk-busting training
On the cusp
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