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16deg, Morning Commute

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

16deg, Morning Commute

Old 01-17-11, 09:02 AM
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16deg, Morning Commute

It's the first time I've been able to get out on the road since early Dec. I was given (paid forward) a crap load of winter threads. So I decided to HTFU and ride to work this morning. I must say with all my layers other than my face I wasn't cold at all.

This is my first winter that I've been able to ride. Is it normal for riding in cold weather e.g. 16deg, feels like 4deg. to have a much higher heart rate than compared to riding when it 40+deg?? My HR was a consistent 160-185bpm on a route I normally ride in on when it's warmer and my HR is usually 150-165bpm.
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Old 01-17-11, 09:27 AM
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Commuting with a HR of 150-165bpm -- and, for that matter, even knowing what your HR is when you are commuting -- isn't commuting. It's training.
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Old 01-17-11, 09:38 AM
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Force of habit I always wear my HRM when I ride. So I happen to have the data for today's ride, which was a short commute to work.
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Old 01-17-11, 10:42 AM
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Wind resistance. Cold air is more dense.
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Old 01-17-11, 11:35 AM
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I'd say that's plausible
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Old 01-17-11, 12:00 PM
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I'm just guessing, but maybe you're dedicating more effort to staying warm so your heart rate elevates for that. As I understand it, different aerobic activities have different ranges for heart rate. And I'd say cold weather (less than freezing) biking is pretty different from warm weather biking.

I'd ignore it .

Last edited by crhilton; 01-17-11 at 12:00 PM. Reason: grammar
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Old 01-17-11, 01:24 PM
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Did you remove other variables such as wind? You're carrying a lot more weight with all that winter clothing, which incidentally also increases drag.
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Old 01-17-11, 04:20 PM
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I also think with all my gear my chest felt a tad bit restricted. But overall I think it's just a normal reaction to riding in sub-freezing weather.
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Old 01-17-11, 04:41 PM
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Originally Posted by BengeBoy
Commuting with a HR of 150-165bpm -- and, for that matter, even knowing what your HR is when you are commuting -- isn't commuting. It's training.
Indeed. There's commuting then there's commuting

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Old 01-17-11, 04:45 PM
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It's 2 things.

1) Air much more dense hence more resistance. It's good for 2-3 mph in my experience
2: Cardio will bump to keep your core warm. After it warms up the peak HR should fall off some.

It's really normal. While most of the 41 is sipping lattes and riding trainers I commute every day and that's the same behavior I see..
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Old 01-17-11, 05:05 PM
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Also, the way I read it, it's been over a month since the OP was on a bike. That'll probably cost some fitness and result in a higher HR.
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Old 01-17-11, 06:09 PM
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Originally Posted by dennisa
Force of habit I always wear my HRM when I ride. So I happen to have the data for today's ride, which was a short commute to work.
I have noticed the same, higher heart rate and significantly slower speeds for similar routes. I thought it secondary to the inertia of layers, additional weight from clothes, care in downhill runs, warm up time. Also mentioned was increased resistance from increased density of cold air, a factor I had not considered.
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Old 01-18-11, 10:11 AM
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Actually it was only a month since I've been on the road. I've been indoors on the trainer as a result of not having winter clothes until a few days ago.
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