March 15, 2018
The Dreaded Bonk
Day Two: St. Charles, MO to a few miles east of North Jefferson, MO
In endurance sports such as cycling and running, hitting the wall or the bonk is a condition of sudden fatigue and loss of energy which is caused by the depletion of glycogen stores in the liver and muscles. - Wikipedia
I was up at 5:00, after sleeping fitfully. I shouldn't have had that ice-cold Diet Coke at 9:00 last night. But it was so very tempting. And I am so very weak.
I was at the hotel breakfast at 6:00 sharp, where I was the only one up so early, then got my bike stuff together as slowly as always, and was back on the Katy Trail at 6:40. While I was turning on my lights, a cyclist with one Ortlieb pannier rode up. He was Jason, on his regular commute to work.
We rode together for several miles talking about bike touring, and about the TransAmerica race, which he's done. That's an accomplishment I find extremely impressive; I rode the TransAmerica Trail in 66 days as a tourist, while the racers complete it in an incredible 18 to 21 days.
It was a cool, pleasant morning, although the wind was in my face, and not at my back as had been forecast last week.
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When I got to the Weldon Springs depot I took a break, confirmed that the bathrooms and water were not available on the trail until the end of the month, and glanced at the "mileage matrix". Every depot on the Katy Trail has a bathroom, water fountain, and informational signs that include, among other things, a matrix showing the miles from each town on the trail to every other town.
This was how I learned that I had somehow miscalculated today's total distance, and that it would be 114 miles from St. Charles to my destination of Hartsburg, not 102 miles. That might not sound like a big difference, but combined with the unanticipated headwind, it was a bad surprise.
I made my way to the town of Defiance, where the only place was open was a tiny coffee stand, "The Defiant Bean." I got a hot chocolate and talked to the young woman there for a while, then rode on into the increasingly strong wind.
It continued to be pleasant riding on the trail. I saw a few bike tire tracks, but didn't encounter any other cyclists most of the morning. The headwind continued to increase as the sun moved higher in the sky.
At the tiny community of Dutzow there was an open country store just off the trail, and I decided to stop and get a homemade breakfast sandwich. It was good, and I probably should have eaten two of them.
As the hours passed, the sun continued to beam down and the wind grew stronger. It required more and more effort to keep the bike moving on the slow trail surface in the open areas, where there was nothing to block the wind. I began to look forward to the sections with wind-slowing trees, where I could "speed up" to a not-especially-impressive 11 miles per hour.
At just under 70 miles, I stopped at a bar and grill in Rhineland (population 142). They were frying fish there, and I was nauseated by the strong smell when I walked in. I stayed long enough to chug a Diet Pepsi and then visit the absolutely filthy bathroom, which was one of the worst I've seen in some time.
I was getting tired now. At each depot on the trail I obsessively checked and re-checked the mileage matrix. I began to conserve my water, since there were no opportunities to resupply at the tiny communities along the trail.
At around 95 miles, as I arrived in Tebbetts (too small to have a population listed), I was sick. I lay down on the bench at the depot for a while, then tried to eat from the large bag of Peanut M&Ms I was carrying. I could barely force myself to chew - they felt like rocks in my mouth.
Tebbetts has a hostel in an old building: The Turner Katy Trail Shelter. I walked the bike a few hundred feet, found the key hanging on a utility pole, and went inside. I considered staying there. It was basic but certainly worth the $5 (based on the honor system - no one was there.) There were bunk beds, but no bedding, and I wasn't carrying a sleeping bag. Plus, I was looking forward to the hot, home-cooked dinner I'd arranged at the B&B in Hartsburg. I went outside and lay on the picnic table for a half hour, then sent a message to the B&B telling them I'd be arriving two hours late, in the dark.
Back on the bike, I felt barely alright for about six miles - maybe I could make it - and then, with a shockingly sudden certainty, I knew I was finished riding a bicycle today. It was the dreaded Bonk. I got off the bike and lay on the rough trail, using my helmet as a makeshift pillow. It was getting dark now, and chilly. Clearly I couldn't spend the night lying on the Katy Trail, so I got up and started walking the bike. Interestingly, I was able to walk without much problem; but there was absolutely no way I could continue to turn the pedals and ride.
Twenty minutes earlier, I'd seen one of the few cyclists all day, and now he'd turned around and was riding back in my direction. He stopped, and after a quick look at me in the dim light, asked me if I needed a ride. I paused for a couple of seconds, and replied that yes, while I hated to inconvenience him, I think I'd take him up on that offer.
I continued walking the bike for another half mile or so, waiting for George, a colonel at a nearby air force base, to come back in his truck.
He drove me the twelve miles to the The Globe Hotel Bed and Breakfast in Hartsburg, where the super-nice proprietors, Mark and Leaia, were waiting for me. After a quick shower I had my 9:00 PM dinner of crockpot roast beef, carrots and potatoes, buttered bread, red velvet cake and ice cream.
Soon after, I went to bed and fell into a deep, deep sleep.
Today's ride: 102 miles (164 km)
Total: 170 miles (274 km)
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