How Will Elevation Change From Sea Level to Altitude Affect Heart Rate?
By Gale Bernhardt For Active.com Q. Hey Gale, Would you mind commenting on my situation? I’m traveling from sea level to race in the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race this year. I’ve used your book Training Plans for Cyclists to help me plan my training for the event and to establish some guidance for heart rate for the upcoming race. Yesterday I went through a battery of tests to determine my overall heart health and ability to perform on a bike. I did a 15-minute ride to maximum effort on an indoor trainer and had a heart rate of 174 at the very end. My average heart rate for the 15 minutes was probably around 166. Results summary: 1) My heart health is much improved. 2) My ability to ride at distances is that of an average trained cyclist. 3) My sprint strength is really very poor. Using the heart rates I achieved, as a sea level dude I recognize some shortcomings in my plan. First, my heart rate and cardiovascular system are going to get screwed around when I go to altitude. Second,
