I’m a 42 y/o Cat 1 MTB’er who also rides road and races crits. Our mtb season ended a month ago and I took 2 weeks off the bike. I’ve only started riding with groups again on the road at a chill to brisk pace. Weather has turned cold so I set up the trainer and climbed on today to ride 60 minutes at endurance pace.
Question is, why was my heart rate higher? Last winter I was riding the endurance pace at 180-190w and heart rate was in zone 2, at 133-138 bpm. Today HR was anywhere from 145-150, (zone 3= bad). What should I adjust, or will my HR settle as I continue to ride the trainer?
I believe my max heart rate to be around 185 and last FTP test in June was 260. Thanks for the help!
I see an increase heart rate with myself and most athletes after time off the bike. You have a ton of freshness right now. Just give it time and it will settle back down.
Also being indoors can lead to an elevated heart rate. Typically the body is warmer which can also lead to that increased heart rate.
In a week or two it should be back to where you expect it to be.
As for riding the best thing is to focus not only power and heart rate but also perceived exertion. That’s is important right now with the elevated heart rate. If it also feels like zone 3 right now back down slightly so it doesn’t. Again in a week or two you should be feeling more like you expect.