Road Bike Racing - Max heart rates of the Pros at the Giro...what does it mean?

RAI coverage is showing several riders/stage with real-time HR monitors, as HR, max HR and % max.

I'm surprised to see so many riders NOT at 200+ bpm Max, only around 180.

Does anyone have a list of measured HR maxs of pro riders? Does max HR really mean much? Or is % max a more important number?

Max heart rate means very little. Sustainable power output is all that matters. Obviously, the more power you can sustain at a lower percentage of your max HRM the better.

--Steve

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I agree - it is interesting that a lot of guys have max HRs lower than 200. 180? Forgetaboutit. I see 180 on my HRM every time I get on a bike and can average in the upper 160s on interval days.

I don't have high speed internet so i'm reduced to watching on OLN.

When Milram was leading in to the final sprint for Petacchi (sp?) I was surprised at how long the lead guy was in front while beating at 195 (give or take a few beats).

I remember hitting 200 once and though my body was going to explode.

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From what I've read I'll say "Yep too."

My max Hr is 172, my zone 1 is 123 and below. A couple of years ago I was on a training ride with several guys, it was early in the season and we were all doing base miles. I was new to this type of training (I was just starting to train using base/build etc so the concepts were kinda new to me) and when I got to the front a guy told me to keep my HR below 150. So we hit a climb and I held it at 150. Everyone was screaming at me to slow down because they were all hitting 170-180 high zone 4 and low zone 5 for a lot of them. It's all relative.

I have no idea what my max is. I thought it was 180, but during a climb I got into an argument with a pickup truck driver and my HRM hit 185 from exertion and adrenaline. I could feel the pounding in my chest.

Since training using HRM parameters, my fitness level has increased much more than using any other measure, such as distance or speed.

HR is totally individual. Knowing your own HR at lactate threshold is valuable info, because you can establish HR traing zones from that. Used to train regularly with a guy who's max HR, and HR at LT threshold were at least 20 beats lower than mine, even though he was stronger and faster. If I tried to train based on his HR zones I'd gt no workout. If he tried to train based on my mine he'd blow up.

So that data you see from pro's HR monitor's is at best an interesting curiousity.

I've hit 218. I'm 22, so my MHR *should* be 198. I agree it's relative, if you can produce the same power @ 180'ish as someone doing 200+, then you are better off.

I'm probably assuming wrong but I thought the max HR used on the OLN feed for each of the riders was being supplied by the teams, if thats the case maybe they arrived at the numbers with something a little more sophisticated than the old 220 - age formula?

The actual HR isn't that useful but seeing the % of max in different parts of the stage is very entertaining and maybe even educational.

I was under the assumption that they were referring to the riders' LTs, and that the percentage they show is in relation to it.

I'm probably assuming wrong but I thought the max HR used on the OLN feed for each of the riders was being supplied by the teams, if thats the case maybe they arrived at the numbers with something a little more sophisticated than the old 220 - age formula?

The actual HR isn't that useful but seeing the % of max in different parts of the stage is very entertaining and maybe even educational.

No, they use team data.

HR and % max is nice to see in a race, I'd also like to see real-time speed and cadence, as well gearing.

I've hit 218. I'm 22, so my MHR *should* be 198. I agree it's relative, if you can produce the same power @ 180'ish as someone doing 200+, then you are better off.

...if you have the same max HR. If his max HR is around 20 beats higher than yours, then you're no better off. Again, it's all relative.

Armstrong's max is 201, and his time-trial rate is 188 to 192

http://www.lancearmstrong.com/ for more, click on "ABOUT LANCE", then "key stats"

even knowing where they're at in relation to their max is not that instructive. What would tell you more is where they are at in relation to their LT threshold, and where an individual's LT threshold is, as a percentage of maximum varies. Take the case of 2 hypothetical riders. Both have MAx HR of 200, but Rider A has an LT threshold of 185. Rider B has an LT threshold of 175. now if both are doing 185 bpm, Rider A is in a zone where he can likely do that for an hour. Rider B is likely to blow pretty soon.

I've been watching the races on OLN. The data must have been from the team, because resting heart rate (RHR) is usually determined (averaged over several data points) upon rising from a night's sleep and MHR is from full out efforts.

I did notice an incongruity between the percentages. From it I determined that they are using the heart rate reserve method (a.k.a., Karvonen Method) of determining percentages. In other words, the percentages are determined via this formula:

%heart rate = ((Measured Heart rate minus RHR) divided by (MHR minus RHR)) x 100

So, if they displayed that a rider who has a MHR of 194 and a RHR of 45 and is working at 62% (actual heart rate is 137.4), then that number was determined by:

%heart rate = ((137.4 - 45) / (194 - 45)) x 100
%heart rate = (92.4 / 149) x 100
%heart rate = 0.62 x 100
%heart rate = 62%

even knowing where they're at in relation to their max is not that instructive. What would tell you more is where they are at in relation to their LT threshold, and where an individual's LT threshold is, as a percentage of maximum varies. Take the case of 2 hypothetical riders. Both have MAx HR of 200, but Rider A has an LT threshold of 185. Rider B has an LT threshold of 175. now if both are doing 185 bpm, Rider A is in a zone where he can likely do that for an hour. Rider B is likely to blow pretty soon.

I agree that a percentage of LTHR would have been more informative. Maybe the teams didn't want to give any secrets away. ;)