If you're gonna bonk, do it right.

I would like to start with noting that I've never really bonked before, I've had rides where I've gotten tired or just haven't been feeling it and been on the edges of a bonk but never really bonked hard.  Take for example the last time I rode Pumpkin Ridge (65 miles or so) near the start of base miles.  It was one of my first rides back and I probably should have started with something a little shorter/easier but it seemed like a good idea at the time.  The last 10 miles up Thompson were rough; gear-grinding, teeth-clenched and then I got passed by a couple of 60-year olds...  Regardless, at the top I caught my second wind and made it back just fine.  Not today.