Originally Posted by
wolfchild
Train your body to burn fat for energy...Human body has very limited glycogen storage capabilities but enough fat storage to keep supplying energy for hours and hours.
Wow, this is so WRONG.
Bonking is when your glycogen reserves are GONE. The marathon runner guys call this "hitting the wall" and this is a good analogy because when this happens it's close to a hard stop because your body shuts down.
For me it takes about 2 hours of intense riding.
I used to have a regular riding route that was 50 miles and at about the 37 mile point I've bonked several times. Fortunately, there was a store near this point and I would stop buy and grab a coke or two and chug them, which almost immediately restored my energy and allowed me to make it home. Yes, I was an idiot for allowing myself to get to that level but I was just learning about such matters back then. Anyway, there is no amount of "training your body" that can get you through a hard bonk once your glycogen levels are depleted.