Heat bonk...

[DirtyHippieUTE]

Ok you medical and hot weather experts...

How do you recover from an overheating bonk?

I'll give you some background. I have been treated for heat stroke/exhaustion before. It was when I was in the army. According to some this makes me more prone to heat injuries than others.

So I'm out riding today. The temperature climbs to about 96 by the time I'm at about 2 Hours. I stop in a shady spot, switch out warm water for cold (love public water fountains), take a break, wet my head and sit down for a bit.

When I got back on the bike I couldn't seem to recover at all. It was like I'd overheat immediately again. I took it REALLY easy and finally made it home but I wondered why I couldn't get back to at least a functional status after a good solid cool off.

Experiences?

[MikeWaters]

your strategy should be to not heat bonk in the first place.

First off, hydrate before you ride. Make sure you wear sunscreen. Take plenty of liquids. Don't wait until you are thirsty to drink. By then it is too late, and you are falling behind and won't catch up.

If I were going out on a hot day for two hours, I would be carrying two polar bottles and 70oz in my camelbak.

I'm big on having enough liquids. Screw the weight. I want the water.

Try using powerade or gatorade too, if you aren't. They can hit the spot. I like to have half and half. Half my liquids are water, half powerade.

If you have already bonked, take it easy. Get home, recover.

[Archaea]

I agree with Mike, don't bonk. Once you bonk, you can only recover by getting out of the heat, hydrating and taking better precautions next time.

Watch Landis on his glorious day. He kept hydrated and his core cool.

Fuel, fuel and fuel.

(Working in 120 degree, I've heat bonked more times than I'd like to count).