the (not so) new training philosophy

so yesterday, teri's coach jimmy was one of the guys that joined us for the shoot out, and ride up maderas canyon... i noticed during the ride that jimmy took in very little nutrition and only brought one water bottle for a 5 hour ride. i knew we were planning on stopping a couple of times at corner stores, so i thought that he would be taking in his nutrition there. the only thing i saw him eat/drink (and i was watching) was a red bull. on our way back into town teri and i were under strict orders to hoover around 220 watts -- he said this was partially due to the fact that we were the ones doing the race in a month and partially due to the fact that he was bonking.
i thought this was odd. the pace was fast -- he was leading the shoot out -- but he is a very experienced and strong cyclist (xterra world champ), but there was no way he should be bonking??!!
after the ride, we were sitting around talking about training (what else??) and he again mentioned that he was bonking on the way home. i made a comment about that being odd considering how much he took in on the ride, and he responded by telling me that was his goal.
i was intregued.
he went on to tell me that when he used to train with lance (armstong!!) they were not allowed anything but water on their training rides which were usually at least 7 hours long. the goal was to get their bodies to compensate by finding other sources of fuel -- hopefully fat. he said this also made the body more efficient in using/storing glucogen.. he also said some more technical stuff that actually made sense. he said that when they went on to race, they would eat but they would need way less and it would give them a huge boost.
i asked about the mental impact of bonking every ride, he replied that after a week or so of bonking everytime you head out, it gets better and you can make it through your workouts with minimal fuel. he said he bonked because he is out of shape.

so today, i tried to complete my long run without a gel. i made it to a hour and a half and just felt kinda' stale and like if i didn't take my gel i might not make it home.
not sure about this one... i really hate to bonk. might give it a try next week.