Road Cycling - Asthma?? Allergies??

After taking a 25 mile ride yesterday (at a slightly harder than usual pace), I had a hard time breathing without coughing. Every time I inhaled, there was a strange feeling in my lungs, as though they were filled with fluid or something, and a strong urge to cough. I couldn't breathe in fully without coughing. After about 2.5 hours it mostly went away. Nonetheless, it scared me ... this is the second time it's happened. Anyone else every experience this? I tried using my sisters inhaler thinking it might be asthma, but it didn't seem to help. Now I'm afraid to go riding again, thinking I might have an asthma attack or something. The air was warm and humid, which doesn't seem to be anything to trigger asthma ....?

EVERYTHING triggers asthma! Lord, I wished it didn't.

Your sister's inhaler was not mixed for you. So it might work..it might not.

You probably need to get the the doctors and find out what it is. They have drugs for everything..just not cures.

The good news is you can still ride no matter what the allergy is or if you have asthma.....just some days are better than others.

But the end result is what my wife tells me>>>>"SHUTUP AND JUST RIDE".

I hope you find a simple problem with a simple cure.

I don't know much about asthma, but I've already experienced what you're describing. I usually get like that after a very hard winter ride when the air is cold. Or, I get it in the summer when it's very humid and I've got very hard for a long time. I honestly don't know what it is, but it has always gone away in about the time you've mentioned. I don't think it's very harmful to us, but definitely annoying. Taking small breaths is the only thing that seems to help.

I have had this happen about 40 miles into a ride, and I wasn't halfway yet, so I was worried...
The air was hot and humid, and it had rained alot the day before... I think it was allergies to pollen in the area. It went away like you experience... and I finished the ride. I've done the same ride a couple of times since, and everything was fine.
:confused:

Humid air is heavy and tough to breathe after a while. Here in south Florida it hits you as soon as you set foot out the door. It feels like someone just threw a plastic bag over your head. Extremes in either direction (either arid or humid) are hard on athletes. What you experienced may have been just humidity overload.

I would advise caution with inhalers that have been prescribed for others. Rescue inhalers have steroids and other compounds which cause the heart to speed up.

Absolutely- do NOT f*** with inhalers that aren't prescribed to you!

There are also pollutants in the air that can also cause those reactions. My advice is get it checked out. I have allergies too and sometimes I'll cough a bit and be a little phlegmy after a long ride- dust pollututants and pollen can all do that. So can high altitudes but that's not a problem for me.