PAlt

Yesterday, rode in the Tour de Cashiers in the western NC mountains. Unfortunately, there was a fatality, a tandem rider of approx 60+ was doing the metric route, and 5 miles in suffered what appeared to be a massive heart attack and perished. His wife was the stoker. A rider who I met at one of the rest stops saw it occur and tried to administer CPR, but two doctors who were riding were also immediately on the scene intervened to try and help.
I asked the rider about his observations on the gentleman's overall physical condition (i.e. weight, observed fitness, etc.) and i sounded like he needed a bit of work in that regard. Not passing judgment here, as we don't know much about this mans fitness, but a reminder that regular physicals, checks for arterial plaque, etc., for those of us engaged in demanding athletic endeavors (especially if we've had past or family history or heart issues, cholesterol, high BP) are cheap insurance for avoiding larger problems.
Let's also remember tragedy endured by this fellow's spouse...

overthehillmedi

This was a horrible event to occur in front of the wife but she has the knowlegde that everything that could of been done to save her husband's life was done. She also knows that he was doing something he liked when he died and that he didn't have to suffer from a long illness. Let's face it it's a good way to die all things considered for a rider. My thoughts and condolences go out to his family.

stapfam

I started riding in 1990. Fairly fit and barring the ten year lay off that enticed me into cycling- I had been physically active all my life. 99 and I was in training for a hard ride and one weekend did a long Offroad ride with my normal riding partner and he was fit. Did more then my fair share of pulling that day. Next week and a metric on the road that we did every year. Halfway point normally took 2.5 hours to get to and we did it that year in 2 hours. Mountain bikes for you roadies and it was all uphill from the coast to the highest point in Sussex and a lot of steep stuff. On the return you had 4 miles of descent --then 5 miles of ascent. Had to carry my mate. Then the last long hill and before we got to it my mate insisted on a rest. Obviously an off day for him. Next week and a 65 mile offroad training ride for the Big ride. There was the Italian Grand Prix on and we both wanted to start early so we could get back and watch it. We pushed that ride and as we got to the end- I remarked that we had time for one more climb. My mate groaned but we did it.

Then 3 days later got caught in a traffic jam on the way to work. After 1 hour it got moving but I had indigestion. Few minutes later and I decided that if I was going to have indigestion this bad- I was going to take a sickie and headed home. 5 minutes later and I was on the phone for an ambulance. The indigestion was intense- Headache- sweaty and when I looked in the mirrir I had lost all my face colour.

Now I was fit- probably the fittest I had ever been for many years and I had a heart attack. Cholesterol build up was the problem but while I was recovering- My mates wife came in one day. "What had me and Mike been up to?" That morning he had not felt right and gone to the Doctors. The Doctor called for an ambulance because she thought he had had a heart attack. Mikes had to go back for an angiogram and stress test after a month- but nothing was found. I was up for a bypass.

ahsposo 

Don't forget the guy who got 10s of thousands of Americans jogging and running, Jim Fixx, died while on a work out from a heart attack.

I do believe he was an exception. A lot of heart attacks are caused by sudden exertion layered on a sedentary lifestyle. I had a boozy old uncle run aground on a sandbar and he suffered a fatal heart attack trying to get his boat unstuck. It was a real wake up call for my mom. She began a regular mild exercise and diet program in her mid 50's and lived into her 80's (cancer) far outliving her seven siblings who died in their 60's from heart attacks, diabetes (type 2) or cirrhosis of the liver. Smoking and drinking were major lifestyle choices as well as an inability to resist one more helping of what ever was left on the table.

cyclinfool

Don't be too judgemental, my uncle was very fit - no smoking, normal weight and good diet. Died of an MI in the middle of a recreational tennis game. It can happen at any time independent of fitness level - but the odds are more in our favor.

BikeWNC

Dang Pat. We came up on him laying in the road at the top of the first climb out of Cashiers on 107. There were people attending him and we rode up the road to flag traffic coming from the opposite direction. When that was taken care of we rode on. I had hoped the fellow had touched a wheel and gone down but your report brings home the worst news.

oilman_15106

Sorry to hear of that. I had a guy probably about 65 years old in front of me keel over on the rail to trail one time. Very hot and humid day. They guy was almost passed out from heat stroke and his wife or mate or whatever was encouraging him to get back on the bike and ride. He got up and keeled over again. A gal nurse came along and took over while I called 911.

Also to add something light to this post. I was riding this weekend and did not take my HRM strap. When I scrolled though the computer it was showing a heart rate!

akohekohe

+1 I'm still in a bit of shock by Tom Milton's death. https://www.rivbike.com/blogs/news_post/232 scroll to the bottom. You can also read more at the end of the Selle An-Atomica thread on this forum. 6'1 and 165 lbs and he did 11 double centuries last year.

LAriverRat

15 years ago i played golf no matter how hot it was. I went out in 110 degree weather and gave myself mild heat stroke. I was 49. I realized then how stupid i could be.
My resting heart rate this morning was 53. I am very careful about hydration and rest and keep my heart rate at 130 or less while riding my bike. I could push my self but to what end? Now when i feel weak or lack of energy i just rest until i perk up. If the weather is bad for old guys like me i just stay off the bike. Last year when we had the brush fires hear in SoCal so bad it made the air bad i stayed inside until it was ok. I hope for the best for his family and friends.

NealH

This was indeed very sad. I was riding with BikeWNC when we came upon the scene. My heart goes out to his wife and family.

We kept and eye out for you Pat but, never saw you. Of course at these events its sometimes hard to concentrate on much but the ride ahead. Anyway, I'm glad you rode it. Like last year, it was a good tough ride. Weather was much better this year. Really nice mountain event.

donheff

That is pretty scary. His spouse must be devastated. I worry about keeling over on the bike. I suffer from a mild case of ortho-static hypo-tension (dizziness on changing position). I wrote here about getting hauled off to the hospital on a ride a couple of years ago when I combined that with dehydration. Since then I changed meds (which were exacerbating the situation) and always watch my hydration carefully. My cardio doc checked and says I am in great shape so not to worry about the heart. But I still can have problems with dizziness. On Saturday I rode a 40 miler in hot humid weather (first hot ride this year) with another guy who has the same problem. At the end of the ride I felt good enough to continue riding but my buddy got quite dizzy and laid down. A minute later the same happened to me. I ended up turning the keys over to his wife for the drive home. It took me about 15 minutes to recover. My buddy (an endodontist) says that it is common for this to occur shortly after you have stopped pedaling. While your legs are moving the blood flows OK but when you stop and stand it goes down to your legs leaving you with low pressure/high heart rate up top. The only solution is to lay down and elevate your legs until you recover. Makes some sense to me and I hope he is correct. It fits a couple of experiences I have experienced in the middle of a ride (brief dizziness at a rest, then fine for the remainder of the ride). I hope this doesn't gradually get worse to the point where I can't ride. My regular doctor and the cardio guy don't have any solutions.

Tom Bombadil

Jim Fixx came from a family where men had heart problems, with his father suffering a heart attack at 35 and dying of another at 42. Fixx led a very unhealthy life for a while, weighing 240 pounds and smoking two packs a day. Then he took up running. And lived until 52. So it is quite likely that his running extended his life.

He really isn't the best poster child for illustrating what running or biking can do for you. If he had led a healthy life throughout, he might have lived several more years.

Road Fan

And recently Tom Milton, a randonneur who created the Selle Anatomica saddles.

The Weak Link

If you ride bikes you might:
-get hit by a car.
-have an MI.
-get lost near Aintley, Georgia, and get ***** by rednecks.
-fly over a guardrail and plummet to your death.
-have an affair with a hot cath tech and get shot by your wife.

It would suck to have any of that happen to you.

I wouldn't do anything foolish, like ride with crushing chest pain figuring it was bad indigestion. I also keep tabs on my glucose, cholesterol, and blood pressure.

But when your time comes, I guess it helps to be ready.

As my signature says, the finish line is always closer than you think.

FloridaBoy

Don't push it in the heat. It takes a few (or a few more) rides to get acclimated to the heat & humdity. Ask your M.D. about doing a 10-15 minute cool down on the bike.

Speedskater

In a running web-page a MD suggested taking a Baby Aspirin before long runs.
Then on another web-page a PhD. suggested taking Omega 3 Fish Oil when taking Baby Aspirin.

ahsposo 

Whoa!

Did this happen to somebody you know? Or is this "Deliverence" inspired?

I've been all over GA (and it's been all over me, too) but I've never been to Aintley and will avoid it in the future.

I'll bet the affair with the hot cath tech is only happening in the seedy motel room of your mind so your wife is only going to shoot you with imaginary bullets. But if I lose the bet don't talk in your sleep!

You didn't buy her a gun, did you?

Phil85207

I do get a check up once a year and am blessed with good health.
That being said, If I were to go with an heart attack, I can't think of a better way to go than ridding my bike.
The main thing is to know where you are going to go after you kick the bucket.

jppe

PAlt or BikeWNC-did you ever read or hear who the person was that suffered the heart attack Saturday?

Cychologist

Biking saved my life!!!

New Years Day of 2006 some of us did the traditional New Years ride. Up the first moderate hill, I pass out. In figuring out why I passed out, they found some significant blockage. (This even though I had had a cardiologist give me a complete workup four months before.) I've always had slightly high cholesterol and the blood pressure ran about 130/90. I had had a mild heart attack several years before, with very minor damage.

So I'm rushed off to the cardiac unit at St. Thomas Hospital in Nashville and end up with five bypasses. They said, probably because of my cycling, my heart was the healthiest heart they had worked on and the veins they harvested from my leg for the bypass were in excellent shape. My recovery was quick and routine. My cardiologist agrees with me, my cycling saved my life. Had I not passed out and had I not been in reasonably good shape from cycling, I was a major heart attack waiting to happen.

Now I ride not only for the fun of it, but also for my health, something I used to take for granted. I only regret they have me on a beta blocker which will not allow my heart rate to get above 110-115. But when I discuss this with my doctors, they say they are more interested in keeping me alive than getting up hills faster. So where I used to average 17-19 mph on a moderately hilly 50+ ride, I now do 15-16 mph and try to pick a route that avoids the hills.

jppe

Thanks for posting. Your cycling goals are much more important than some of the rest of ours!

Daspydyr 

Yard Work in July, southern NV, provided me a "Septal Infarct" 6 years ago. I was overweight and ate poorly, no CV. Once you get past 50 yo, take extra care. Biking is supreme! So sorry to hear about the riders death. Sad day!

PAlt

Joe- Gentleman by the name of Cliff Davis. I attempted to find more information online, seemed he might have been from somewhere in GA.

Cychologist

Any time a cyclist dies doing what we do, due to health reasons or accident, I feel the need to process it. It reminds me of how vulnerable we are, yet lucky to be alive and enjoy our passion.

On the first day of the Bike Across Kansas last year, a gentleman died of a heart attack. The ride organizers didn't acknowledge it or discuss it at all. We had to get on the Internet to learn his name. The rest of the week people discussed it, grieved, and debated how the organizers should have handled it. I won't be doing the BAK this year.

DiabloScott

If it can happen to Tom Milton it can happen to anyone... he'd done over 50 double centuries in California alone and PBP... an amazing endurance athlete for any age. Checkups aren't really insurance, but they might be an idiot light on the dashboard of life.