Carbon Unit

What kills me is not climbing but long sustained climbs that don’t seem to end. I belong to a bike club that organizes rides. We have about 50 Saturday rides that consist of a short, medium and long ride.

I did the medium ride today and it is one of the most grueling climbs of the 50. It is about 5 miles of constant climbing ranging from probably 8 to 18 degree, then about a 1 mile of flat and another 3 miles of 6 to 12 degree climbing.

I tried this ride a little over a year ago and had to turn around half way through the ride. Today at least I completed the ride but stopped three times for my heart rate to come back down. I actually had to get off the bike and sit on curb because I was getting dizzy. This is the first time I ever had to do this.

In the past three years I have had two surgeries to repair my diaphragm and move my stomach out of my chest where it collapsed my left lung and cut off oxygen to the left side of my heart. I am fixed now but improving my fitness for these long climbs is damn hard.

I may not have helped that it was 94 degrees with 45% humidity and I probably didn’t bring enough water but I don’t think that is what kicked my butt.

My goal is to do this ride without stopping and if possible reduce the level of suffering but I need some sort of plan to do it. My concern is that I might be damaged goods and not capable of doing this ride but I don’t want to give up.

Any suggestions?

ahsposo 

Well, you've made some improvement. It can take a long time.

But yes, survival of extreme stress does make you stronger - or at least aware of what it takes to overcome that stress.

Maybe a change of diet: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...1#post14592421

colombo357

Get a heart rate monitor and don't overexert yourself. Also consider changing your cassette and your crank spider to run compact gearing if you don't have it already.

cocar

I don't know what to tell you as far as trying to fix the problem, but I'm with you. I had the same kind of a thing happen to me last weekend. There is a longish steep bridge (one of several) at the end of a longer ride that I usually can get over with no trouble. It was 95 and 75% humid, and I had to stop near the top because my heart rate was WAY too high, and I was getting dizzy. I drank plenty and wasn't dehydrated.

Now, in the last 3 years, I've had open heart surgery (replaced mitral valve), open brain surgery, and a major stroke. Generally, I don't have any trouble, but on that day, in those conditions, for whatever reason I did. I don't like to accept that I have limitations, but sometimes I do and there isn't any way around it. Really pushing myself in extreme heat/humidity is probably stupid...my heart isn't normal. Won't ever be normal. Which isn't to say I'm giving up at all. Just that you may want to think hard about what the risk/benefit is when it's really hot.

Maybe try it again when it's cooler and see what happens?

For me, the hottest day of the year isn't the best day to do the longest/hardest ride. It won't benefit me at all to pass out/have heat exhaustion.

Mansram01

Do you just wait for the club rides or are you at least trying to do these climbs on your own? Only asking because it seems like you've only done this climb twice. You can't expect to improve until you continually climb even if it's at a slow pace. It's taken me a while but my improvements have been significant by riding these difficult rides over and over.

As for your condition, I hope you've had that cleared with a doctor beforehand. Wish you the best on your climbs!

mkadam68

Ride slower in an easier gear.

RIRview

When the weather is that oppressive, I hit the road as soon as the sky gets light (around 6:00 am), and I'm back home by 10:00. No need to roast alive............

hhnngg1

You'll get there. Keep working at it. Try riding slower and easier on the climb rather than trying to burn it out hard - that's the key to success - you can gradually ratchet up the pace as you get stronger, but first you have to be confident that you can make it up.

Carbon Unit

Yes, I have one and paid close attention to it. I have a triple with a 53/42/30 and a 13-26 cassette. I typically only use the small chain ring about once a year and for maybe ten minutes but today I used it for probably close to an hour.

Carbon Unit

Yes, I was moving slow in the easiest gear I have today. I don't get a burn in my legs, what happens is that my heart rate increased until I have to stop.

Carbon Unit

I do a lot of climb rides with the club and this is the only one that does me in. On my own I do a ride about once a week that is a 2.5 mile look and it includes a half mile of climbing but is nothing compared to what I have done today. Maybe I need to attempt this ride a couple of times per year just to see if I am beating this climb.

Carbon Unit

Thanks, this encouragement does help.

Carbon Unit

Yes, it is an oven today. We usually get a hundred people on the Saturday ride and today there was maybe 30.

cocar

This is what I usually do. But I was with a group, and even though we started early, there were some mechanical issues, so we were out way later than intended. Blah.

Carbon Unit

Your situation sounds similar to mine. I typically do not have problems on climbs and can climb any hill I encounter but today it just didn't work. Maybe the heat did make a difference. I will try the ride again when the weather is better.

By the way, I spent a lot of summers in Tampa as a kid. My mother was from there. I loved the place but it has probably to the point where I wouldn't recognize it.

GP

When it's unseasonably hot you shouldn't worry about your performance.

valygrl

18% always sucks, don't beat yourself up about it.

Try going as slow as you can. You can probably go slower than you think you can.

Try standing for part of it.

On the flat part in the middle, recover. Go slow, let your HR come down, drink, eat.

Lose weight.

Climb more.

MikeWMass

I am probably going to get flamed for this, but here goes anyway! I would recommend you try a HIGHER gear and a LOWER cadence when you notice your heart rate going up. You are "blowing up", going anaerobic; keep going and there are three possible outcomes: 1) you stop 2) you pass out, or 3) you reach the top before 1 or 2 happens. If your knees and quads will take it, this may well help. High cadence/low gear stresses your cardiorespiratory fitness, low cadence/high gear stresses your musculoskeletal system. On a long climb, you can switch back and forth, and even stand for a while.

ericm979

Sounds like you overheated. I have a HRM and power meter, and I can see when I overheat (like today- it was 112 degrees)- HR stays up but power drops a lot.

Keep at it, you will keep improving. It takes years to reach your genetic limit.

ahsposo 

Actually I agree. So called 'dancing on the pedals'. If I understand your point.

Mixing it up is good.

ericm979

Except your HR goes up when you stand. If he's already at his limit that'll put him over.

lungdoc

That is fairly major surgery and it certainly wouldn't surprise me if you were left with some significant lung function impairment even after surgery. Would be useful to know as could at least manage expectations. Lung function testing and a cardiopulmonary exercise test measuring your V02max, saturation etc. would be interesting and certainly could be justified at least in my area. I'd suggest hill training if that's a goal for you - repeatedly climbing shorter hills. There's several posts about people from very flat areas doing hill and interval training and successfully climbing some major climbs e.g Mauna Kea, Alpe D'Huez etc.

FrenchFit 

You are quoting a man who lived into his forties, suffered from syphilis, who was thought to be manic-depressive with periodic psychosis, with multiple heart attacks to boot. Need I say more...

Waxbytes

There is an upper limit as to how much work you can do at higher temperatures.
"Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun"

pallen

Well obviously whatever he was doing killed him and did not make him stronger.

First, I would say, talk to your doctor about doing this kind of strenuous exercise. If he thinks you are ready for it, then yes, keep at it, and you wll get stronger.