Progress in my performance.

I am trying to improve my riding performance after my heart valve was repaired in March. I had naively expected to be just a little down on fitness but instead I found that I was very weak initially. I have continued to improve and can now do something akin to a mountain bike ride. Today I rode to an old favourite at Birkacre for 2 particular downhill sections.

I started slowly and warmed up on the way to the fairly long downhill from Eaves Green which took me 1 minute and 36 seconds. This compares favourably with my all time best of 1 minute 21 yet requires little physical effort. The gradient gives you the speed.

I checked my pulse rate several times during my ride and measured a highest of 124 bpm. At my age, 63 years old, I should be able to reach a maximum heart rate of 220 minus my age, or 157. This means I reached 79% of my maximum heart rate, often called V max. During much of my ride I was presumably riding at around 70 to 75 % of V max yet my breathing remained steady. I’m thinking that my lungs are still functioning well, as they did 2 years ago before I even knew I had a valve problem. My heart, meanwhile, has a lot of catching up to do. My plan going forwards is to keep training at the kind of intensity I achieved today and hope that my performance improves as my heart gets fitter.

I loved the 2 downhills today, twisting and turning on the loose dirt surfaces. Nothing beats it and I’m thrilled to be back doing what I love.