Carbonfiberboy 

Since you have a cardiologist, some time when the season is right, see if they'll fit you with a Halter device (or whatever the modern gadget is) and wearing it, go do one of those long climbs as hard as is reasonable for you. That's the only way to know for sure what's going on and whether or not it has the potential to be dangerous. It doesn't sound like good news to me.

Google "rate of heart rate recovery".

terrymorse 

The cool new heart monitor gizmo is a Zio Patch. It sticks to your chest:




Wear it for 10 days, peel it off, mail it in.

The only problem is that it falls off when you sweat, so biking with it is problematic. After 8 days, mine fell off while I was climbing Mt. Hamilton. I fished a candy wrapper out of the garbage, shoved the Zio Patch inside, stuck it in my jersey pocket, and mailed it in when I got home.

Classtime 

What I've learned (only 64) is that if I don't, eventually I can't. My surgeon who put in my new aortic valve and shored up my aortic root 11 years ago told me, "no restrictions" but my cardiologist told me, "take it easy". I followed my surgeons recommendations and after a couple of years of regular visits to the cardiologist, he finally said, "Keep doing what you're doing." They need to do more studies on us gettin old farts.

yannisg

My cardiologist seems to be on the conservative side recommending the avoidance of high intensity. Of course, high intensity is relative. High intensity meaning doing intervals at yr maxHR or 90% or lower of maxHR. I am avoiding intervals at maxHR, but knows if it really matters. Maybe you one can develop heart problems even at moderate intensity if you are prone to them.

Hermes

I think some older (context of thread: 70+) athletes have a cardiologist. And once one has one, we are in cardiologist hell. By that I mean tests, interpretation of tests, advice and treatment and unlike a bad back, heart matters are very stressful.

I started to feel extra heart beats, PACs in my late 20s, that seemed to be due to better fitness. I was running and cycling. I wore a heart rate monitor for a day, did a stress test and was told I was fine but had a heart murmur. I have been plagued by PACs off and on since then. A racing friend, who is the same age and an electro cardiologist, told me that since the arrhythmia has not killed me in 40 years it will probably not kill me in the future. That was comforting. Two other recent cardiologists, who were my doctors, said the PACs are benign and I have no “bad” rhythms. And I have less PACs than most, I just feel them.

My current cardiologist is monitoring the valve that was noted in 1980. It is stable but if it goes bad, I have to have it fixed. It has been stable for 40 years. She is a runner and treats mostly athletes - runners, triathletes and cyclists. She has reviewed my training. Yeah, she wanted to see my HR and power data. She likes my training plan. I get a lot of rest and take rest between the higher intensity intervals. I have a programmatic warmup, do the workout and then warm down and recovery ride. Then more recovery between training sessions. My heart gets a lot of recovery and it is not run for extended periods of time day after day. Although, I did a tour of Croatia, Italy and Greece last year and rode a lot. But even then, I have days of recovery between countries.

So here is the elephant in the room…what does this cardiologist think about AFib? She thinks that Afib, if affected by cycling, is driven by volume (not enough recovery) versus intensity. YMMV and sorry if that comment does not support your cycling goals.

I get a yearly echo and blood work and if I feel something change in the heart rhythm, I wear a Zio patch. My relationship with the doctor is very collaborative / monitoring.

MoAlpha

Shocking if true. What’s “older?”

cyclezen

I'm sure Hermes will respond in his own fashion. But I think you're question might be interpreted as : Who's an "athlete" ? Age being more related as we 'age'....
Athlete definition is quite soft/gray. Are you an athlete if you are training and competing in some sporting activity? I guess so. Are you an athlete if you participate in some sporting activity? I don;t consider so, that's a participant...
I don't really consider myself as an 'Athlete. Anymore. It's been 10 years since I rode any for competition and competitive goals, and 'trained' for such.
I am a lifelong 'participant' in cycling and some other sports and activities. I think 'serious' is the improper designation - I am 'Dedicated'.
so, a 'dedicated participant'. That means I do use 'training methods' to improve my current levels... also means there are goals... but a softer edge of achieving/performing. At least as to what was when competition was 'serious'.
so, Hermes is a 'competitor', as noted. He's an athlete. I'm on the soft/gray side as a 'participant'.
His observation for 'aging athletes', may appear to hold water.
Do as many aging 'participants' have cardiologists? ? ? ...
My prior, more youthful self is history, It does show the way to NOW, which is who I am.
As an aging participant, I have a cardiologist; and since I still wish to approach my boundaries, I'd rather not jump off the cliff... LOL
Whether 'Athlete' or 'Participant', how best to approach, and the tools needed, to bounce against our boundaries, is the crux of the aging mystery.
Ride On
Yuri

GhostRider62

I'm a little shy of the 70 if this thread and I have a Cardiologist. I guess I'm still an athlete, I still keep my USACycling license but rarely race anymore, I had intended to see if sub hour was possible for 40k but orthopedic issues got in the way of my heart.

I find that too much intensity causes timing problems for me (missing beats...PVC). I can do as much zone 1/2 riding as I want and not have any observed effect on my heart.

The best relevant study that I could find is a little annoying in describing the training of those males with higher risks of a-fib other than they raced more and did better in the races. Does that mean they did more or less HIIT?

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full...AHA.118.039461

Hermes

We live in a world of sound bites, captured expressions and edited narrative that takes information out of context for a purpose. So be it. I struggle with what to call older people that are still participating in a sport or activity. I find athlete a better description than old fart or other adjectives that embrace old age and stigmatize us.

The context of this thread is 70+ so one could assume that is what I meant. “Most” is probably too grand of a modifier. The lead in sentence is just that - a lead in. My heart health is very important to me and once it was compromised by heredity or environmental, I was now in hell. That is the point and I am sure that others are in their with me.

In my 7 decades, I have read many articles, books, studies, trials and etc. Some have turned out to be true and many, that seemed promising, walked back. Does that mean I ignore peer reviewed journal articles? No. I rely on my docs that I use to review the pertinent information and in connection with the cadre of patients they treat, provide me with the best medical care. I use general information available to me to stay informed but not make medical decisions about my heart health.

I have revised my introductory sentence of a rather lengthy post to be…more precise so that it can stand alone.

Trakhak

I'm 71, ride both hard and easy; average 15 to 20 hours a week (other than winter). No cardiologist. I've been visiting my GP for a checkup about once every 5 years or so for a long time, though.

gringomojado

REEL mower?

Wildwood 

Yeah, real old.

rsbob 

An analysis of the aero effects of Figon’s pony tail figured in his losing attempt to win the Tour de France showed that it created such drag, he lost to the very aero Greg LeMond. Not that you are out to win Le Tour, but thought it was a fun fact. Ride on!

Wildwood 

Maybe I should shave the head - not to go faster, but to reduce the intensity needed to achieve the same speed.
Maybe naked riding would help, too.
But we all set our limitations.
Mine to minimize others' lamentations.

soloman

I'll be 78 in a few weeks and live in Florida where bike trails are mostly flat. I generally ride my Catrike 40 miles twice a week, averaging 12/13 mph with an occasional 14 MPH ride. My heart rate is unusually low, sometimes mid 30s in the morning and 40s/50 during the day. I gradually get it up to 120/140 on my rides. My annual checkup is coming up and I'm going to ask if I ought to take it easier. I hope I won't have to. I'm having fun.

GamblerGORD53

Hills will get the heart going no doubt. Getting too sweaty is not my thing.
I have never read 1 word in a book about heart rates. LOL. I have ZERO miles wearing a monitor. The doctors did hook me up a couple times because I fainted at work because of gallbladder stones giving me pains. Waste of time, I keep telling them fainting is of NO concern in my case.
10 years ago I was checking my pulse on 100 mile rides. It would stick around 110 I think.
Just the last 3.5 weeks I did 92.5, 100, 115 and 106 today. I sight see, do my miles, have a couple lunches, get tired and go home. LOL.
The other 6 months I sit on my computer chair. Maybe go out and shovel snow off the street. My new strength exercise is grabbing my 44 and 75 lb bikes by the seat tube and lifting them up for a minute. LOL.