Started to feel really cold during Sportive

photonic69

I did an 80 mile sportive this weekend. It was 18 miles more than I had done before and I had not done enough training in the 3 weeks leading up to it due to unforeseen circumstances. I was otherwise feeling fit and well.

52 Miles in at a 2nd feed stop I felt a little light headed and dizzy. I had plenty to eat and drink (at first stop - flapjack, banana, coffee, and juice) and had a little bite to eat between the two. I had more food (similar amount) at the 2nd stop. About 18 miles from the end I began to feel quite cold despite it being around 24 degrees C. I was wearing a base layer and short sleeve jersey. I put arm warmers on but still felt chilled. It was like my skin was cooling too much and getting into my core. I even put my rainshell on for the last 4 miles. I was also feeling very low in energy about 10 miles to go as my riding pal was on a mission to finish and I had trouble keeping on his wheel. Had a couple of gels to keep going. I managed to finish with a good average speed of 16mph which for me was amazing. I felt completely drained at the end and just wanted to sleep. Felt back to normal the next day apart from slightly stiff muscles etc.

Any one else suffered similar and found out what caused it?

diy

Did the gels do the trick? were you tracking HR at all when this happened? It sounds like physical exhaustion. I've had it myself on longer endurance rides. The trick on long rides is to take very short breaks and only when you have to (pee/water/food). If you stop for more than 2-3 mins you are really going to struggle as the body will cool down very quickly.

On a 24 hour ride I did a few years back, I was early stage exhaustion hypothermia in the time it took to get a hot drink from the tea earn at the end of the ride.

Don't over fuel either as this means blood and energy get diverted to the stomach. Unless you are a skinny streak of pee, there is no reason you can't fuel on less than half what you ate.

fenix

Undertrained won't help.

Also if you stop and eat a bit - then your body then has to break down that food. If you've taken on a lot in one go - then the body struggles with digesting and you riding - so on top of your fatigue....

Take on smaller bits more often and train more and you'll have a more enjoyable time next one.

Well done on the finish.

webboo

How sunny was it.

diamonddog

Heat exhaustion?

photonic69

Yes - the gels did the trick and got me round. Heart rate was not usually high I usually average around 140-150 when riding. Rest is 65 Max is 181. At the time I felt cold there were no spikes or troughs.

Stops were a bit long. Perhaps 15 minutes or so. Needed to rest at the 2nd stop though as light headed. I don't have great muscle mass or reserves. I'm 6ft and weigh 72kgs - legs and arms quite skinny.

The day was warm and sunny at times - looking at data between 22-28 C. Not much breeze either, just now and then.

I've a feeling it was just pure exhaustion. I'd had a particularly heavy week at work with three consecutive 13.5 days and a 12.5 hour day but no cycling. Just a 1400m swim on the Friday and 1,300ft of gentle climbing on Saturday. Looking at past data for my rides I usually go a lot slower and average around 12.5-14mph and do a distance of 55-62 miles and finish feeling that I still have something left in the tank. But, no. Not on Sunday. I was completely depleted!

It was just worrying feeling so cold when all others were in short sleeves and sweating a bit.

diy

I've seen this before. I have a MTB mate who has the same issue. He's similar build to you and he can't perform in higher temperatures for long periods. The fact that the gels perked you up suggests it was exhaustion. When my mate bonks, normally in hot weather at about the 6 hour mark - I normally squeeze a few gels down his throat and he's leaving me for dead 20 mins later.

Definitely cut the breaks down 15 mins!! I'd never get going agian.. Think about some sugar/salt/caffeine energy powder in your water as this will keep you topped up and perhaps consider some bonk training to get better at running post glycogen depletion.

Simon Notley

diy wrote:

Think about some sugar/salt/caffeine energy powder in your water as this will keep you topped up and perhaps consider some bonk training to get better at running post glycogen depletion.

If you experienced light-headedness I wouldn't use caffeine. It can impact your blood pressure which could make any symptoms worse. Definitely try a sports drink with carbohydrates and electrolytes though - will help you stay fuelled and hydrates without binging during stops.