I have sleep apnea which the doctor said was pretty severe (more than 100 episodes per hour in the sleep test). I don't meet your qualifications for performance as I've never been able to ride long distances, about 50 to 60 miles seems to be my limit. I rode 40 mi in just under 2½ hr last weekend without too much effort. My resting heart rate is usually under 40 bpm, which I suspect may be related to the apnea. I've been riding about 20 years at about 2500 mi/year with 3400 mi/yr the last 2 years.
I sleep with a mouthpiece that holds my lower jaw forward to treat the apnea. Probably not quite as effective as the air pumps, but it works for me and is a lot easier if I want to travel. I'm not sure how to comment on the effects of the sleep apnea on my cycling. I started treatment for high blood pressure about the same time as I was diagnosed with the sleep disorder (again probably related). I noticed a fairly significant decrease in my running speed at the time, but my on bike performance wasn't affected much.
I attribute the reduced performance noted to the blood pressure medicine. I have been treating both ailments about 6 years. The blood pressure doesn't require as much treatment now, but my bike performance creeps a bit lower every year (nothing to do with my age of 58, I'm sure).
Last edited by byte_speed; 06-14-07 at 09:37 PM.