Saturday, January 8, 2011

Let me tell you about Texas Radio and the Big Bonk

Bonk: (Gleaned from Wikipedia)
The term "bonk" for cycling fatigue is presumably derived from the original meaning "to hit", and dates back at least half a century. A recent DVD issued by the British Transport Films Collection contains several old films, one of which entitled "Cyclists Special", a colour film produced in 1955, tells the story of a party of cyclists touring the English countryside. At one point they stop for refreshments and the film's commentator states that if they didn't rest and eat they would get "the bonk".[1]
The term is used colloquially both as a noun ("hitting the bonk") and a verb ("to bonk halfway through the race"). The condition is also known to long-distance (marathon) runners, who usually refer to it as "hitting the wall".
The Big Bonk:
I've 'Bonked Huge' twice  in my life. The first time was the whole Trauma Unit/Helicopter ride episode that I mentioned previously. But let me share last seasons Bonk Huge:
Late season, maybe like Early October. It was still warm in central PA. The Harrisburg Bike Club has these rides advertised as ''Fall Tour Warm Ups'. What they are is weekly rides of increasing lengths to prepare HBC members who are participating in 'The Fall Tour'. That, folks, is when the die hards ride from Harrisburg PA to Cape May NJ. I would rather get sprayed in the face by a skunk than do that .. but hey more power to them I say.
So this particular ride went from Hershey PA to Lititz PA and back, totaling 62 miles. 62 miles! Heck I ican do that in my sleep by this point in the season! So off we go. The ride out wasn't that bad. It was a nice cool day, no breeze, easy pace. A little to easy for me ... so I thought. We arrive in Lititz... easy ride! I feel like the king of the world! We have lunch at Subway (foot long Tuna) in Lititz, my first mistake. The second was I didn't find a venue for Gatorade. I very nice guy at the local chamber of commerce was nice enough to let me fill my water bottle at his spring water cooler.(BTW, he is now on my Christmas card list).
After lunch we lit off back to Hershey. By this time it was 80 degrees and best yet, the route back was nothing but a hill with no shade! Our 'leader' decided that he needed to get back home ... so what this means is no breaks kids.
Anyway, about a mile out of town we come up on some rail road tracks. I'm boxed in. The BBW is in front of me decides to slow to a crawl. No place to go I have to slow as well. I yelled 'GO-GO-GO' she didn't and down I go. Nothing major but I was clipped in, laying across a set of rail road tracks with a Big rig baring down on me. I scrambled up, got back on my bike, and lit off for the pack that left me for dead.
I flipped out on the pour lady! It was pretty bad .. even for me. It was at that point she (obviously knowing the roads) disappeared. WHATEVER!!
Shortly there after, no shade, climbing, climbing, climbing, out of water, it hit me. I could no longer hold my head up. I was getting chills, I was burning up ... and I had the nastiest hill In Lancaster County yet to climb.
That was it! I was barley able to get off my rig. I used it like an old man uses a walker. I walked the hill. 'I NEVER WALK HILLS' I proclaimed proudly (all be it weakly). I was out of my head. Dazed, weak .. 10 miles to go.
I finished walking the hill, dripped back to the parking lot. Crawled in a super market, bought 2 Gatorade and sat in the stores Cafe for about an hour. A few folks on the ride knew I was in serious trouble. One of them stayed with me until I regained my composure. He's on my Christmas card list as well.
So the moral of the story is; 'Some days your the Bull, some days you get the horn'. In cycling you just never know. Like I stated earlier, this only happened to me twice. The first time was what I call my 'Sual on the road to Damascus' episode. I was even uglier. Ugly oft times equals life changer ... it was.
Stay hydrated my friends ... stay hydrated.
Texas Radio:
Listening to 'Buddy Holly's Greatest Hits'

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