Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Just had my first ride...

Hi guys!

I just had my first ride on my new road bike. I couldn't wait for the evening to come so I went out at 11:00 am. Sun was bright and the cycling computer registered a temperature of 104 F when riding. It was way too hot for me. But I wanted to complete my first circuit.

Here are my stats:

Average HR: 178
Trip time: 50 min
Calories burnt: 1355
Avg Speed: 12.19 mph
Max Speed: 19.87 mph
Avg Cadence: 74 rpm
Trip distance: 10.61 miles

What's wrong with my Heart Rate? I was near 180 for 50 minutes. I am 21 years old and I weigh 260lbs.

Do I need to use a lower gear? Or do you think it was the heat that raised my pulse?

I would doublew check that heart rate! I am 50 and 295 pounds, I get over 150 and I slow down and rest a little for 5 mins or so. Check your equipment.
BillMc

Yes that's a tad high. I would slow down, attempt a shorter trip, and ensure that you hydrate a lot. A lack of water (as well as electrolytes such as sodium and potassium) will cause your pulse to be high.

10 miles is a lot for a very first ride.

Congrats on your first ride! My average is around 150 when I am out riding. I would guess the heat played a role in the HR or your HR monitor. What kind of HR monitor do you have? Did you have any issues? Light headed? Dizzy? SoB? Might be worth a trip to the doc and get a good base line BP over several days and make sure you are in good enough shape to start the stress of biking, better safe than sorry. Stoke, heart attack, or other issues can come from the higher HR.

congrats. makes me wonder about my heart rate

Wow. my first ride was < 1 mile. I'm much older (54) so my max is less. 2 years ago before I started an exercise program my resting HR was 85. It is now 44. A avg cadence of 74 isn't too bad if sometimes you're coasting. If you're using a garmin system enable auto splits. I was concerned when my avg cadence was in the mid 70's when I enabled auto splits (mile by mile) it showed me spinning in the mid 80's when moving. The avg was including stop lights and ect. I call the Calorie figure Garmin Calories. Useful to quantify my day to day effort but not something to base eating decisions on. 6 months ago I could average 1000 Garmin Calories a day without over training. Now I can do 1500 so I'm getting fitter.

That number might be a tad high, but I have seen some (High school/ college athletes) with 180+. and that is considered normal for them. Max heart rates vary from person to person. If you haven't already done so, you may wish to check in with your doctor and have at least a cursory cardiac workup/physical done, just to get a baseline for your cardiac performance (Resting heartrate vs. Working heartrate, blood pressures...) and to possibly make sure that you don't have any underlying issues that may cause you problems in the future. Enjoy that new ride!

Thank you all for your answers! I really appreciate it.


Yes that's a tad high. I would slow down, attempt a shorter trip, and ensure that you hydrate a lot. A lack of water (as well as electrolytes such as sodium and potassium) will cause your pulse to be high.
At the moment I just use a Camelbak Rogue. I really wasn't THAT hydrated or well-fed for the previous 24h. I was moving from one town to another and I barely ate something. Do you think I'm OK just with water during my exercise? Do you suggest getting something like Powerade in addition to water? Or maybe make some drinks with electrolyte tablets?


Congrats on your first ride! My average is around 150 when I am out riding. I would guess the heat played a role in the HR or your HR monitor. What kind of HR monitor do you have? Did you have any issues? Light headed? Dizzy? SoB? Might be worth a trip to the doc and get a good base line BP over several days and make sure you are in good enough shape to start the stress of biking, better safe than sorry. Stoke, heart attack, or other issues can come from the higher HR.
I have a Sigma Onyx Classic (http://www.sigmasport.com/en/produkte/pulscomputer/onyx/onyx_classic/?flash=1). The only issue I had was occasional numbness at my right foot (due to new clipless shoes maybe?) and my right palm. Other than that, just pure fatigue from the heat and the workout :P
I've never had a problem with my heart but I haven't checked in years. I'll have to pay him a visit soon I guess.

You should be ok with the water. After all, water is the main ingredient in Gatorade, Powerade, and other such drinks. I usually load up my Lobo with water and then toss a small bottle of Gatorade/Powerade in with the energy/nutrition bars in the storage compartment. The important thing, as Mithrandir and the others have stated, is to keep yourself well hydrated.

Remember, proper hydration is something you need everyday. I found that when I gave up Diet Dr Pepper and drink at least 100 - 120oz/water a day, I have more energy when I ride, my body can handle the heat much better, and I recover quicker. If you are properly hydrated, you shouldn't need a gatorade or other high calorie drink for a 1 hour ride, water is fine. Just eat a banana after the ride and you will replenish the potassium you lost and unless you are eating a no sodium diet you will get enough salt from regular food. If you are going out for over an hour, then you may want to bring an ***ade drink.

Remember, proper hydration is something you need everyday. I found that when I gave up Diet Dr Pepper and drink at least 100 - 120oz/water a day, I have more energy when I ride, my body can handle the heat much better, and I recover quicker. If you are properly hydrated, you shouldn't need a gatorade or other high calorie drink for a 1 hour ride, water is fine. Just eat a banana after the ride and you will replenish the potassium you lost and unless you are eating a no sodium diet you will get enough salt from regular food. If you are going out for over an hour, then you may want to bring an ***ade drink.
I can't stand bananas. They make me wanna puke. :$

What would be a good alternative to bananas?

Figs have lots of potassium. Orange juice. Potatoes. :)

My wife is the same way. After our first, for some reason she cannot stand bananas at all. But there are a lot of other foods that are good.

http://www.thepotassiumrichfoods.com/

And they are much better for you than an electrolyte drink loaded with sugar. I do drink the 'ades on longer 2+ hour rides, but not on my normal 1 hr workout ride. Another benefit of drinking a lot of water is it helps suppress my appetite. :)

Oh thank you guys! Water suppresses my appetite too. I don't like figs either, but it's good to know I can get away with some orange juice (100% natural and concentrated).

I don't fancy sports drinks either. I get enough salt from the food. But I don't know what other electrolytes I may need.

And I don't plan on riding more than 1:30 hour at one ride.

Tree fruits like apples, oranges, nectarines, mangoes have good levels of potassium. Dried fruits like rasins, dates, figs and prunes are good. Juices like orange, grapefruit, pomegranate are good sources as well. Just try to avoid the ones with added sugars and preservatives. Try not to overdo it with the potassium, as too much can cause problems as well. When you see your Doctor, ask for his advice regarding your needs.

So guys, I thought I'd let you know I just had my 2nd ride. It went way better because I did it the first thing in the morning. Sun was barely up. It was a nice cool ride. 6 am is the time for me.

Some stats:
Total time: 59 min
HRavg: 162 bpm (I think I really improved this)
Avg cadence: 76 rpm
Same distance.

I stopped for some pics too. I don't know if you're insterested but here they are:

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/193/06072011185.jpg
http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/5710/06072011187.jpg
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/8589/06072011188.jpg
http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/4669/06072011189.jpg

Looks like you have some beautiful country to ride in. I really hope to make it there someday.

Looks like you have some beautiful country to ride in. I really hope to make it there someday.

Hi there! Greece is a beautiful and sunny country indeed. Especially at this time of the year, tourists seem to love coming over here.

For me, I'm used to seeing all these fields. My house is next to a river, too. When I'm sitting at my veranda, if I look around, the only thing I see are trees and flowers :PPpp

I wanna take a video of my trip. But I don't have a helmet cam. I wanna find a way to make my cell phone a video recorder for the bike.

I can't stand bananas. They make me wanna puke. :$

What would be a good alternative to bananas?

I'm in the same boat, can't stand bananas.

So I take 8oz of OJ in the morning (bad side is all the sugar of course), and one cup of "low"* sodium tomato soup each day. Again lots of sugar.

I try to eat a lot of tomatos in addition to that though. Raw cherry tomatos on my salads, it works well.


* low as in "lower than regular soup", but still an astronomically high amount of sodium... at least for someone who is sedentary and doesn't sweat a lot.