Road Bike Racing - the downside to being a super fit cyclist

Today I had a fairly unpleasant experience thanks in part to the physiological impact of cycling 20 hours a week on my body. I had a little stomach bug last night and was very dehydrated from vomiting and diarrhea. I felt a little better in the morning and was sitting in the living room reading the newspaper. I got all nauseated and decided (stupidly it turns out) to just step outside onto the porch and puke over the railing. Somehow I passed out in the process, fell backward onto the cement porch, and cracked my head. I ended up with a big gash and (I think) a concussion. Wow, fun. My blood pressure has always been low and since I've been cycling it has gotten even lower. Dehydration contributed to that as well, so I ended up out cold. Durham Regional Hospital is a crappy place to spend spring break.

That certainly puts a damper on my weekend race plans, I'll probably be prudent and stay off the bike for 4 or 5 days. Who knows, maybe I will avoid overtraining and come back from the break even more beastly than usual...

So does anyone else on this forum have problems with their blood pressure being too low?

Never passed out, but I get the light-headed darkness-is-closing-in feeling quite a bit when I stand up.

i'm not sure cycling is too blame, or did the doctor tell you that?

yeah i don't think it's completely to blame but i think it did contribute a little bit. anyway it still bites

Haven't passed out from it in a few years. Happened three times when I used to be a runner and weighed 135 (I'm 6'3").

These days I seem to get just as intense a head rush feeling, I just have avoided passing out.

When I'm fit, I get light-headed if I stand up too fast too. I haven't passed out but sometimes I get dizzy and my vision goes black for a moment. When I was fat and unfit and had borderline high blood pressure it didn't happen. The evening after a long hard ride its the worst. Sit around, the blood pools in the legs. Then stand up too fast and boom, the world goes dark and starts spinning.

Over the years I've learned to stand up a little slower and to be close to something solid in case I need to hang on for a moment. I asked my doctor and he said it's not a problem. It's not just low blood pressure that causes it- my wife's BP is even lower than mine and she doesn't get it.

there are plus sides to being a slightly less fit cyclist - going down hills faster :D

since there is no chance of me ever becoming a super fit cyclist (moderately fit is a long shot as well), I have nothing to worry about.

speedy recovery.

drink something.


and eat a twinkie.

orthostatic hypotension (http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/medical/orthostatic.html)

it really sucks riding roller coasters... black out.

that's why i stay out of shape by drinking lots of booze and eating trash.

I am one of those guys that everytime I stand up quickly I feel extremely light headed. I have never fainted but I have felt very close a few times.

orthostatic hypotension (http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/medical/orthostatic.html)


Blah blah diseased person stuff blah blah


CASE EXAMPLE:

A 57 year old man presented complaining of lightheadness on standing and a pressure sensation in the back of his neck (on standing). Other medical problems included a low thyroid. Blood pressure was 90/65 standing vs 130/80 supine (on medication). This documents a significant orthostatic hypotension. A sweat test showed about 50% anhidrosis. Norepinephrine level was about 30 units lower supine than upright. He was diagnosed as having neurogenic orthostatic hypotension. Present treatment includes Proamatine (mitodrine) 10 mg TID, salt supplements, and erythropoetin.

Where do I sign up?

Jesus Q, that sucks. For sure take it easy for a few days, you won't be doing your fitness any favors by hopping back on the bike tomorrow. At all.

I get light headed after taking one too many days off when following a long block of training. That seems to be too much a shock to the system. I have a sitdown computer job, so sometimes I'll wear those traveler's socks(compression stockings) which helps recovery + the lightheadedness...

(I don't have any subscriptions at the superfit club though...)

I get light headed after taking one too many days off when following a long block of training. That seems to be too much a shock to the system. I have a sitdown computer job, so sometimes I'll wear those traveler's socks(compression stockings) which helps recovery + the lightheadedness...

(I don't have any subscriptions at the superfit club though...)

I've thought about using those, I've got some thigh high ones left over from knee surgery fun - how long are you wearing them for, for the purpose of cycling recovery? The post-op protocol was to wear them all the time for several days following the operation...but that's clearly a wholly different thing.

jebus - 20hrs a week?? I have to jump through hoops to hit 13...what cat you racing?

I have recently lost around 30 pounds (now at 143) with cycling and i would say have progressed to somewhat fit. I also get the light headed feeling when i stand up fast.

This is something that I have noticed as well. In the off-season I never have a problem, but once my training really gets going after about month two, I get really light-headed whenever I stand up too fast. I only noticed this once I started biking 3 years ago. I naturally High-Normal BP. I think it probably has something to do with the increased vascularity and blood tending to pool in the legs more because of increased fitness. I've done google searches, but have not come up with anything definitive, but I do seem to remember that fighter-pilots were not encouraged to become to fit, it pulls blood from the head which was necessary for High-G manuevers.

Well that's great. I'm a vegetarian and in the unhealthy low weight section right now, I drink, and eat a ton of stuff, but it happens to me all the time, especially when I don't get more than 9 hours of sleep, which is everyday with highschool.

Everyday with high school? Wait till college. You'll dream of the days where you get 6 hours of sleep.

Everyday with high school? Wait till college. You'll dream of the days where you get 6 hours of sleep.

:p Quiet, I already do.

hah, it all depends on your major though son, architecture, pretend you even get 4 hours of sleep. finanace, pretend you only get 14 hours sleep.

that means, if you want to be good, i dont know. i drank alot of gin an tonic and bourbon tonight. thats what not to do in cycling.

how long are you wearing them for, for the purpose of cycling recovery?

Well from 7:00ish AM to maybe 6:00ish PM. The whole time I'm sitting at as desk or driving. I only do it when I feel a lot of blood pooling in by legs at work or get the light headdedness.

Dave

Everyday with high school? Wait till college. You'll dream of the days where you get 6 hours of sleep.

Are you kidding? College was four years of blissful, almost limitless empty hours, interrupted only by the occasional need to attend a test or bang out an essay overnight. The rest of the time we watched music videos and collected empties for the Friday-night sherry binge. 'Course, I was in arts, not engineering or anything complicated like that.

Work, by contrast, has proven to be a horrible time sink, sometimes requiring up to 40 hours a week.

Re: the topic, yeah, I get light headed too when I stand up fast, although I hadn't related it to being more fit.

i have a fear of being found passed out at the foot of the crapper, pants at my ankles, a floater in the bowl.

a buddy of mine passed out while getting up from a chair at my place... we were just about to leave for a ride and he just switched off like one of those goats that pass out when you startle them.

Everyday with high school? Wait till college. You'll dream of the days where you get 6 hours of sleep.

College I slept more than I ever did in high school. MOst semesters my first class didnt start until 10am and last class ended at 2pm. Plenty of time for a nice afternoon nap.

jebus - 20hrs a week?? I have to jump through hoops to hit 13...what cat you racing?

well maybe closer to 17 hrs/week but whatever... i am a 3, hopefully not for long though.

Q-
that sucks. I noticed as I dropped weight in the last couple of years that I was getting that light-headed feeling on standing up. I eventually figured out that I was chronically slightly dehydrated. Once I changed that, the feeling went away (except for the occasional time I notice it after a killer day riding before I'm fully hydrated again). Hope it gets better quickly. You're right, that's a poor spring break to have.

Sorry about the accident...on the plus side, 17 hours a week is amazing...I can't imagine you'll be cat 3 for long with that kinda riding time. I'm lucky to get 8.

I've had a fainting spell about a year ago. On my 9-10 hour drive to school, I didn't eat much/at all, and when I got back to school, someone did something that would normally make me feel a little queezy but because I didn't have anything to eat, my blood sugar was way down and I ended of just fainting.

College I slept more than I ever did in high school. MOst semesters my first class didnt start until 10am and last class ended at 2pm. Plenty of time for a nice afternoon nap.

we had an ongoing competition to see who could get the easiest schedule each semester. one time i score big and only had classes tuesday, wednesday, and thrusday. 4 day weekends!!! i still had to work though, so that bit sucked.

someone did something

??

??

lol, it was at a party and I saw someone puke, which normally makes me feel like puking.

Graduate school can even have its moments of slackitude. In a three week period, I would have an easy week, where the only thing I'd have to do would be a 10-page essay, a couple of articles, or give a lecture. Week two would be a bit harder, maybe an extra lecture or research project proposal. Week three would be a killer, and I'd have to do all the aforementioned stuff and more. Plus, I had to teach graphic design three days a week and grade the classwork from all those students.

But, with all that, I still averaged 10-15 hours of week on the bike AND I was able to go out with some regularity. Now, take into account that I was in a graduate journalism program, and that knocking out a 10-page research paper is an afternoon's worth of work. But when it came down to going out partying on a Saturday night, or staying in so that I could get in an 80 mile ride on Sunday, I always chose to go riding.

But when it came down to going out partying on a Saturday night, or staying in so that I could get in an 80 mile ride on Sunday, I always chose to go riding.

The point of college is to abuse your youth and do both of these things. Only old folks need choose.

^^^ Hell yes.

Plans for two weekends from now:

1) Group ride Friday.
2) Get piss drunk Friday night.
3) Race Saturday.
4) Repeat 2.
5) Group ride Sunday. With hot college girls. Whilst reeking of booze. Going fast.

I hear that combination can be quite the aphrodisiac.

^^^ Hell yes.

Plans for two weekends from now:

1) Group ride Friday.
2) Get piss drunk Friday night.
3) Race Saturday.
4) Repeat 2.
5) Group ride Sunday. With hot college girls. Whilst reeking of booze. Going fast.

I hear that combination can be quite the aphrodisiac.

I ride my bike at least 5 hours a day.

3 with the FAST guys.
2 with the HOT girls.

Seeing as Quickstep hasn't offered me a contract yet, I think the second two hours are more worthwhile.

That was a bit sexist. ***** happens.

If anyone is looking for an excuse to blackout... or redout for that matter.

Get at me. We can write ur name in the sky. Just don't write ur name in vomit all over my cockpit...

Ah... who am I kidding. I could make any of you guys toss ur cookies.

The point of college is to abuse your youth and do both of these things. Only old folks need choose.

Umm, I got a lot of that **** out of my system when I was 21-24. Now I'm an old crusty fogie at 27, and I've finally figured out how to mix cycling and drinking effectively: ride to the bar, drink, ride back home. Repeat every Friday night after class. =)

It's funny, everyone in my graduate program, with the exception of just a few, were pretty low key and didn't get too wild, with dinner parties and tastings of homemade beer at someone's house my main social outlets in graduate school.

Honestly, the group rides every night at 6:00 and the long weekend rides were how I liked to spend my time with other people outside of my program. I made some great friendships and connections, which is something I'm sure wouldn't have happened if I made a point to go out to the bars every weekend.

Of course, everyone's experiences are their own. I got what I wanted and I'm satisfied with that.

Live fast and die young!!!!
http://www.catalystmedia.org.uk/issues/misc/images/headbangers_journey.jpg






Stupid kids

http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/music/slam3.jpg

Well from 7:00ish AM to maybe 6:00ish PM. The whole time I'm sitting at as desk or driving. I only do it when I feel a lot of blood pooling in by legs at work or get the light headdedness.

Dave
<Did a search and found this thread>

I've been off the bike for a week because after a pseudo-bonk I got slightly light-headed, it was kind of a "weird headspace" (don't know how else to describe it). I actually pushed myself too hard leading up to this episode, and overtrained. Looking back at my cycling journal all the classic signs were there, but I simply refused to heed them. I'm stupid.

I sit at my desk too long every day, too. What does blood pooling in your legs feel like? I wonder if this is something I need to be concerned about. What I've noticed is that I get a bit light-headed when I stand up after squatting down to do something low to the ground. I associated it with the strain on my quads from too much cycling, but it's peculiar standing up and feeling like your balance is just a bit off. I think I need to consider more cross-training and standing up from the computer at regular intervals.

Still, it's been enlightening finding this thread. I never used to get the slight light-headed thing before I started cycling.

^^^ Hell yes.

Plans for two weekends from now:

1) Group ride Friday.
2) Get piss drunk Friday night.
3) Race Saturday.
4) Repeat 2.
5) Group ride Sunday. With hot college girls. Whilst reeking of booze. Going fast.

I hear that combination can be quite the aphrodisiac.

That sounds exactly like my college experience. Nothing like burning your drunk off by riding to the race.

You never finish a ride hungover.

Everyday with high school? Wait till college. You'll dream of the days where you get 6 hours of sleep.

6 hours? Wait until you have young kids. You'll dream of the day...oh wait...dreaming means you're actually sleeping.

Nevermind.

What does blood pooling in your legs feel like?

For me it feels like there's static pressure in the calves & feet with slight to no throbbing. Also a dead heavy feeling. Sensation is improved with stretching and flexing.

Drink more (not alcohol).

What's with the recent trend of thread resurrection these days?

On a side note, I've ... well .... actually I've got nothing interesting to say.