wxmcpo

Today I went for a ride where my main concentration was on keeping my cadence at 80+ and for probably 98% of the ride I did that. I was able to complete 54 miles in 3:10 ending with a 17 mph pace. I had a higher pace earlier in the ride, but as the winds kicked up it ended up slowing my overall pace. Anyways, I felt great the entire ride and other than my rear saying ok it's time to get off the bike, I felt I could have kept going. I got in the house, sat down for a couple of minutes then went to go make my protein shake. As I was starting to prepare my shake I felt like I was gonna pass out so I had to sit back down for a few minutes. I was finally able to make my shake and until I got it in me I felt light headed and totally wiped out. I didn't feel this way at all on the bike and like I said, I actually felt like I could keep riding.

Today was my first time concentrating on cadence where rides in the past I simply tried to keep my speed up. My 17mph pace is a personal best for me. My previous rides have been typically in the 16.5 to 16.7 mph pace. SO I knew I was working harder today then on past rides and my heart rate was even higher than it has been on any rides in the past. I ate the same things this morning as I have for all of my previous rides and have never had this feeling before.

So has anyone else has this experience where they feel great on the bike, but start feeling like crap when they get off?

blamire

i got this exact same thing yesterday, except i did 95 miles in a group a little faster. i just raided the cupboards, got some food down me and was fine. i think its more to do with you do/dont eat rather than your cadence.

coasting 

light head suggests blood pressure drop which if you are dehydrated could be it. not a big deal. just rest up and drink before you go wandering around.

achoo

Did you eat or drink while on the ride?

Motobetird

probably dehydration. You need to get down a gallon today and you should be fine.

wxmcpo

Yeah I got in almost 48 oz of water and ate some GU Chomps. This is my typical Sat and Sun routine, except today I concentrated on keeping my cadence above 80 where in the past I simply tried to keep my speed up without worrying about cadence. I know I was working harder because my HR was a lot higher than on previous rides. I guess if I'm going to do that in the future I probably need to take a little more to eat for the ride?

Yeah I was fine once I got the protein shake down.

Metzinger

After you got off the bike, the blood vessels in your legs remained dilated to circulate blood and dissipate heat. When the pulse rate dropped, and so did blood pressure. At this point, sitting followed by standing can cause dizziness or even fainting. A more gradual warm-down would likely prevent this.

Dheorl

Depending on the weather if you were pushing yourself more than normal 48oz really doesn't sound like much water for 3 hours.