Thursday, June 2, 2011

No Bonking!

Bonking is when you clobber somebody, right?  Right in the kisser!  Turns out bonking is a cycling term.  And I don't mean cycling as in the washing machine.  Here's what happens:  you are on your bicycle, tricycle, cycle of choice.  But you are not merrily toodling around, you are roaring down the road, maybe doing that thing where you stand up and pedal which is always impressive.  Then whammo!  Your body has used up all your sugars, all your energy and in protest it screams to a stop and you go flying over the handlebars.  I made that handlebar part up.  But it could happen!  Because when you bonk you haven't eaten enough and your body has nothing to work with.  You get fatigued, light-headed, might have tremors, palpitations, confusion, tunnel vision! Hopelessness!  Hostility!  Bonking is bad.  So eat and bring food along when in the mood for strenuous biking.  Say, on RAGBRAI - you can't be sure when the next pie stand will pop up.

Bicycling, Dec98, Vol. 39 Issue 11, p24, 1/
Denver Examiner, March 20th, 2009

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