Originally Posted by RockyMtnMerlin

As I have said before - get Joe Friel's "Cycling Past 50" for all the info you need on the HR monitor and its benefits in cycling fitness. Goes all the way from getting started to several different ways to establish Max HR to training for touring, centuries or racing. But given that your post talks about a tragedy - (and as Jay said) you might want to start with a chat with your physician and see if a medically supervised stress test is in order. I personally would not go out and try to find my Max HR on a hard hill climb if I had any concerns whatsoever or was just getting back into shape. Finally, not sure a HR monitor is an accepted tool to avoid or even be warned of an impending tragedy.