Bonking / Cycling Nutrition / Fueling Plans
Bonking is usually the late discovery that the ride needed a plan earlier. By the time energy drops, focus fades, and every small effort feels expensive, it can be hard to fix quickly. The better strategy is to reduce bonk risk before the ride starts.
No app can guarantee that you will never bonk. What BonkGuard can do is help you plan the carbohydrate, fluid, sodium, and timing pieces so you are less dependent on memory when the ride gets busy.
Start fueling before you feel empty
Waiting for hunger is a common mistake. During long or hard rides, appetite can lag behind the work. Many athletes are better served by starting early, often within the first 20-30 minutes of a longer session, then keeping intake steady.
This matches the practical logic behind carbohydrate timing guidance: once rides extend beyond about 60-90 minutes, planned carbohydrate intake helps support blood glucose and carbohydrate availability. The ISSN position stand summarizes 30-60 g/hour as a common range during extended high-intensity exercise, while longer events may require more practiced intake.
Choose a carb target for the whole ride
Do not only think in gels. Think in grams per hour. A 3-hour ride at 60 g/hour requires about 180 g total carbohydrate. That could come from drink mix, gels, bars, chews, real food, or a mix. The plan should add up before you leave.
- Shorter endurance ride: 30-45 g/hour may be enough for many riders.
- Hard 2-3 hour ride: 45-60 g/hour is often more realistic.
- Long event: 60-90 g/hour may fit trained athletes who have practiced the intake.
Practice higher intake gradually
Higher carbohydrate targets are not just a math problem. Your gut has to tolerate the plan at the effort you will ride. Jeukendrup's review notes that higher intakes around 90 g/hour generally depend on multiple transportable carbohydrates and practice. If you want to raise your target, do it in training first.
Do not ignore fluids and sodium
A carb plan can fail if fluid intake is far off. NATA's fluid replacement guidance emphasizes that sweat rate varies widely and that athletes should avoid both large body mass losses and weight gain from overdrinking during exercise. Sodium needs also vary, especially in heat, long events, and heavy or salty sweaters.
For practical riding, ask: how many bottles can I carry, where can I refill, what is in each bottle, and will my solid fuel require extra water?
Pace the ride you are actually doing
Fueling cannot fully compensate for pacing far above what you can sustain. A ride that becomes harder than planned will burn carbohydrate faster, make eating harder, and may change hydration needs. If the effort rises, treat the fueling plan as something to protect, not something to postpone.
Carry backup fuel
Long rides often change: wind, detours, missed aid stations, dropped bottles, group surges, or a longer route home. Carry a small backup that is easy to tolerate. Backup fuel is not a substitute for the plan; it is insurance for the parts of the ride you cannot control.
How BonkGuard helps
BonkGuard helps you create a fueling timeline from target carbs per hour and selected fuels. The reminders are useful because many bonks start with small misses: the first gel delayed, the second bottle saved too long, the bar skipped before the climb. A simple timeline lowers the chance that those misses stack up.
Key takeaway
To reduce bonk risk, plan the full session: target carbs per hour, fuel servings, timing, fluid, sodium, pacing, and backup fuel. Start early enough that you are not trying to rescue the ride after the fade has already started.
Sources and context
- International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: nutrient timing
- A Step Towards Personalized Sports Nutrition: Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise
- National Athletic Trainers' Association position statement: Fluid replacement for the physically active
Educational note
This article is educational and is not medical or nutrition-treatment advice. Athletes vary widely in tolerance, sweat rate, health history, and goals. Practice fueling and hydration changes in training, not for the first time on race day, and work with a qualified professional when you need individualized medical or nutrition guidance.