Beyond Bonked - A Cyclist Who Goes The Distance

No matter how many times you go out on an ultra-long bike ride, you seem to be testing yourself, your endurance, ability to endure pain, and challenge the power of your strength of character and will. As you get better, you can go longer distances with more confidene yet, it takes a superior mind, body, and willpower to go beyond your ability, or to continually put out energy when you've already reached the end of your rope. In cycling we call this "bonking out" and I suppose it's very similar to a marathon runner who; "hits the wall."

In fact, there is a very decent YouTube video titled; "It's All About the Mind: The Psychology of Cycling," by a psychology professor, Jim Taylor, (also Founder of the Trium Group). The video was part of the lecture series University of California Television (UCTV). I believe it was posted in March of 2013.

Mr. Taylor is a cyclist himself, and he makes no bones about it, you have to be in good physical condition, or none of what he is explaining to his audience matters. But if you are in the proper conditioning, it is amazing what you can get your body to do. There is a point when you feel as if you can't go any further, a point at which you know if you get off the bike, or fall off the bike, you will not be able to get back up and get back on it.

When riding if you aren't constantly eating, you won't have enough calories or carbohydrates to continue. That becomes quite tough, and the need to quit becomes so overwhelming it becomes more important living. You may not understand that, but if you ever talk to someone that does rock climbing they will explain the incredible fatigue that one gets to the point at which your muscles hurt so bad, you just want to let go. Of course, self-preservation is also very strong force, and no one wants to let go, even if they think about it or even want to.

Not long ago, I read in a study that will power had nothing to do with nutrients in the brain. Whereas, this may be true from a neurological standpoint, you'll never convince me of it, and I wonder if those researchers have ever been through what I've been through, or pushed their body beyond those limits. Now it does make sense evolutionarily speaking that when you are lacking food that it wouldn't create such a barrier to willpower that you didn't go out and hunt for more food.

So there may be reasons why they came to this conclusion, but if they negate what I know about human performance, they need to go back to the drawing board with their study. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it.