Originally Posted by
cyclintom
I've passed your posting on to the old farts I ride with. Of course they are all at least 5 years younger than me and think that they are still young, but if another one of them has a heart attack maybe they will begin thinking. I've always had an interest in survival. Strangely enough I've never worried much about cars. I am always polite to them and they in general are polite with me. But I have always known that pushing yourself too hard is not good for you. But I come from a family of fighters and perhaps my view of "too hard" and other people's is different. I remember my Uncle John after a middle weight fight would take 2 months to heal. And those were the one's he won.
What has happened to Lennard Zinn and countless endurance athletes who would push their hearts for 8 hr. straight riding excursions is pretty eye opening.
Zinn is a very smart guy and can't reverse his heart damage so far. The article makes a lot of sense. If the muscle stiffens as it is damaged by age and overuse and the electrical system doesn't morph, the firing of the heart can go out of rhythm. Has killed a fair share of aging endurance guys including runners.
Take away to me, is prolonged hard efforts in the saddle are not good for the heart. I have done my share of distance riding with high effort. I am not going to push my luck and have really backed off distance riding or...pushing myself too hard to stay up on the A group ride.
Lennard Zinn is now relegated to riding his excellent e-bike because he can't push his heart at all without it going out of sync. Sobering for a guy who embodies the sport.
Good luck to us all.