Early cycles

I could only manage a couple of 20k cycles before hitting a wall when I first got home. Hitting a wall, otherwise known as bonking is still a horrible feeling everytime it happens but the first time was very confusing. I didn't know what was going on. I'd been cruising through Phoenix park at around 30k or so and then suddenly I couldn't do more than 15. Then I had to get off and rest for a while. It has a lot to do with the fact that I'd never gone 20k before but mainly that I wasn't really eating or drinking much. As I went on more cycles and covered larger distances I couldn't really rely on the first excuse anymore but still it took me a fairly long time to figure out you need to eat and drink a ridiculous amount before and during big cycles. On a mild enough day I got up to 50k around the Dublin mountains and down by Enniskerry without much going wrong except having to walk up a few hills.

Sometime in March I decided to attempt a 100k up the mountains and out to Blessington and home by Enniskerry again. When I got out to Blessington I still felt fairly fresh but a bit peckish so bought a snickers and a bottle of lucozade and headed home. In the end it was the down-hill that killed me. Theres a good stretch getting to Enniskerry where I must have been going for a good 10/15 minutes over 40k. This would of been fine except it was a nippy day and I was just wearing shorts and a very short sleeved cycling t-shirt. I could feel the cold piercing through my arms but didn't stop cause going that fast for that long was a bit of a rush. It wasn't til I got to a flat bit of road I started to feel a bit nauseous. I made it as far as Templeogue village but had to stop in Silvio's for food before I passed out. I inhaled that and then stopped in the Chinese a mile later and brought a take away home. After eating that I lay on the couch huddled up in the fetal position shaking uncontrollably while my Mam put a load of blankets over me. There I stayed until it was time for dinner. 103k with no food had seriously taken its toll on me.