Bonked. That feeling when you can’t bike another inch. When the life and sanity drains out of you like water being squeezed out of a wet, dirty rag. When the only logical thing to do, the literal only option, it to get off your bike and lay down on the asphalt. No, the road is not cool, shady, or refreshing. It is hot, hard, and hazardous. Today, I bonked. I had biked almost 90 miles and made the mistake of not eating enough calories. But that’s not how the day started.
We woke up at 5:30 am and went to the kitchen to eat breakfast burritos prepared for us by Cindy. She also packed up seven (7!) Tupperware containers of chicken tortilla soup, apples, carrots, cookies, veggies, and enough mom energy to make us forget about feeling homesick. So generous. The first 20 miles were chill; we biked west through Rangely to Blue Mountain Road, a northbound paved road that would take us to Highway 40. We passed some huge pigs, a Trump 2020 sign, and a lot of rocky desert landscape. I have a routine of starting off the day by listening to the news on the Democracy Now podcast.
The next 20 miles were hilly. A never-ending succession of ups and down. No one hill was too steep, but after 20 miles of climbing and descending, we could feel it. Thankfully, the sky was cloudy for most of the morning, so the temperature was nice and cool. At the top of each hill you could see the next hill, and from that angle, they looked like vertical walls. Mountains. Another comfort was the quality of the road. A huge section of the road was freshly paved; smooth riding.
Because this was a 100 mile day, we decided to have our third section of riding be 20 miles as well. We usually break the day up into chunks of 20, 20, 15, 15 miles, etc. After 60 miles, we stopped in the tiny town of Maybell, Colorado and ate lunch on a picnic table under an awning. There was an elementary school playground nearby that had a cool bouldering structure that Sean and I climbed around on. This was when I made my crucial error. I only ate chips and salsa and then hopped back on the bike.
We went another 15 miles and then took a break. I was pumped and jamming out to some Blood Orange. I was feeling energized ready to bike the final stretch into Craig, so I didn’t eat anything at this stop. About 9 miles down the road is when it hit me. A weird feeling came over me. My eyes felt saturated with color and my breath was loud in my ears. I was worried I would pass out. So, I got off the bike and lay down on the side of the road. I knew Cole and Anna weren’t far behind me, and sure enough, they showed up after a few minutes. When he saw me, Cole instantly knew what had happened. “You bonked!” Cole exclaimed with a sympathetic smile on his face. Anna gave me her bag of emergency peanuts and Cole gave me an apple. They tasted amazing. As I revived myself, Cole explained that Bonking is when you run out of caloric energy and your body starts to break down your muscle in order to fuel itself. Apparently, Cole has bonked a few times on the trip so far.
The final 6 miles were mostly downhill. And we arrived at the First Congregational Church in Craig, Colorado. Only Asia and Travis got to shower, because the recreational pool closed because of a lightning warning. I had to take a shower in the sink of the men’s restroom. A new experience. We had lasagna leftover from a church function for dinner and then browsed the aisles of Walmart for entertainment.
Bonking is scary. I hope I don’t have to experience it again, but I’m grateful for the lessons it taught me. I will be careful to eat at every break, even if I’m not hungry.
-Maceo
Post-bonking Revival
Asia, Travis, and Maceo Biking into the Distance
Asia Captured this photo of the Epic Sky