How To Ride At Altitude

- Riding your bike at altitude, like here
in the stunningly beautiful Dolomites,
where the roads often go above 2,000 metres,
or six and a half thousand feet,
requires you body to adapt to an environment
where the higher you go, the less oxygen
becomes available to you,
dramatically affecting your performance.
- Yeah, let's look into that a little closer, shall we?
Coming up is what you need to know about altitude
and the best way of coping when riding
when the air is thin.
- It is a bit thin, innit?
- Okay, now for the sciency bit.
Now the percentage of oxygen in the air
is actually the same at altitude as it is at sea level,
which, I must admit, was news to me,
and that's about 21%.
But the difference is, the air molecules at altitude
are far more dispersed, meaning that with
every breath you take,
less oxygen is delivered to your lungs.
So, as the altitude increases,
you're aerobic capacity decreases.
- Yeah, and research has shown, actually,
that for a rider that's used to sea level
will actually see a decrease in their VO2 max,
which is, remember, the maximum amount of oxygen
that you can utilise with your muscles, and your heart
and your lungs, during exercise.
You'll see a decrease of 2% for every 300m,
or 1,000 feet, that you climb.
- Yeah, so let's put that into a little bit of context.
We're here on the Passo Pordoi in the Dolomites,
which tops out at 2,239 metres.
So you could expect to see a decline in your VO2 max
of around 15%.
- Yeah, you know what Matt, I actually sense that.
And imagine that if we're even higher,
so like Colorado, for example, where many of the climbs
go over 3,000 metres, or 10,000 feet,
you'd be looking at a decrease in your VO2 max
of over 20%.
That's not insignificant.
- It isn't.
Well the simple answer to this question
is to just get as fit as you possibly can,
because, short of actually living at altitude,
or simulated altitude, the only physiological thing
you can do to make a difference
is to get yourself into the best physical shape
that is possible.
And to be perfectly honest with you,
that's what we'd hope you do if you're gonna tackle
something like the Maratona, for example.
- That's right.
But interestingly, Matt, research has shown
that, actually, riders who are fitter,
who have a higher VO2 max, will actually adapt
faster to altitude than a rider who is less fit
when they're at sea level.
- Yeah, but though you'll never actually fully adapt
to altitude, the acclimatisation process does actually
begin as soon as you get to altitude,
although the effects for the first few days
are pretty small and barely negligible.
So you need a considerable period of time
to really start to feel the benefits.
- Now unfortunately, for the vast majority of riders,
there is no magic formula for performing at altitude,
except, the only thing you can really do,
which is to prepare yourself for going slightly slower
than you might otherwise normally do.
But, the cool thing, is you don't need to worry
about it, because the vast majority of riders
will be affected in a very similar way.
- Is the air thin for you, Si?
- Yeah.
- It's pretty thin for me.
- Those adaptations are negligible for me.
- Yeah.
Now in terms of the actual sensations you're gonna feel
while riding at altitude, expect there to be
a bit of a disconnect between your legs
and your cardiovascular system.
And by that I mean, you may actually find
that your legs feel quite strong with more to give,
whilst at the same time, your breathing and your heart rate
is disproportionately high.
And that's because of the lack of oxygen uptake
in each breath.
- It's a bit like pudding, Matt, innit?
- Explain.
- Well, I mean like you get to the end of the main course.
You're a bit full,
but you really want a pudding, so you order one,
only to find that halfway through it,
you really shouldn't have done,
and actually you can't follow through.
Yeah, just like pudding.
Anyway, there are other things that may cause discomfort
as well, other than dessert,
such as, you may find you get a headache,
you may find that you're suffering from poor sleep,
you get fatigue, even dizziness.
Hopefully, all those symptoms will subside
after a few days.
You may not get them at all.
Generally, it's because of actually going to altitude
too quickly.
- Unlike I did, when I first rode at altitude in Colorado,
which is over 3,000me, I may add,
try and take things steadily for the first few days.
Gradually increasing your effort
and maximising your chances of adapting as best you can.
Now, contrary to my coach's best advice,
I went out of the blocks, flat stick into the red,
and ended up with the classic altitude symptoms
of dizziness, a headache that lasted for over four hours,
and to cap it all, a nosebleed.
Needless to say so, I learned my lesson,
and for the next few days, took things rather tranquilo,
gradually increasing my effort.
- That's right.
Make sure you learn from Matt's mistake,
although, you might find that a sight difficult
if you fly out to an area like this,
which has these amazing, long tough climbs
that characterise the route of the Maratona.
So in that case, you're just going to need to exercise
some real self-restraint and try and stay well away
from going into the red on those long climbs.
Although you're not going to acclimatise
in a couple of days,
by starting gradually, you're going to be able to
slowly build your effort up and prevent
that kind of a shock that Matt felt.
- Which, believe you me, was not very pleasant at all.
So as we've just said before, for the first few rides,
build up nice and steadily.
And importantly, on the climbs, get a rhythm
where you're really in control of your breathing
and stick to that.
Now the fact is, you may be producing a bit less power,
therefore going slowly, but don't worry,
it's pretty much the same for everyone
and it's completely normal.
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- Yeah, and if you're in the mood for some more
content right now, then why not stick with the subject
of altitude, Matt and I actually did some research
of our own with the help of Professor Lou Passfield
- Pass the glasses.
- Indeed,
and that video is just down there.
Or to see the effects of proper pacing
on a long climb, irrespective of altitude,
that video is just down there.
- And to tell you one thing,
that view deserves a thumbs up.

How To Ride At Altitude

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