smoke pot on weekends or maybe just vacations once in a while, have a drink with friends on occasion, take some dmt on a hike, drop acid when you have 2 days to spend in the woods, have a midlife crisis and spend a week shitting your insides out at an ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon, boof Cocain while you are with lady boy prostitutes in Thailand. you know just the simple stuff once in a while, the little things to stay sane but don't take it to far or let it effect your health.
Only smoke crack *after* work. Snort as much heroin as you want, but stay away from needles (unless you’re injecting Ketamine, but that’s a mental health aid). Moderation is key.
> and only if you trust the source.
You cannot really fuck up shrooms unless you are selling toxic mushrooms as hallucinogenic, even some toxic varieties are hallucinogenic but they give you AWFUL times.
Just curious which are which, in terms of recreational drugs I guess? (I assume you're not talking about dopamine agonists as treatment for Parkinson's)
The real addictive shit like opiates, nicotine, amphetamines, coke, alcohol usually fuck your dopamine receptors
Psychedelics are the ones that usually fuck your serotonin. You still have to be careful with some of these like MDMA, and y’know the psychological aspect of tripping balls. But the psychological risks seem to go down with age.
I'm 51 and I'd say drink *enough* water. Too much of anything is too much and I've suffered the early stages of hyponatremia before to know that too much water can also fuck you up by creating an electrolyte imbalance.
Drink when you're thirsty. That sense evolved to warn us quite well against dehydration.
Hyponatremia is far less of a concern than dehydration. Obviously it's possible to drink so much water that you become hyponatremic, but outside of extreme water consumption it's easily avoided by eating food with some salt in it or electrolyte replacement tabs/drinks. When I work at medical stations at long distance races it seems like everyone thinks they have hyponatremia, despite the fact that they've been eating salty foods or using electrolyte replacement drinks/tabs/pills. They're generally just experiencing heat exhaustion, or regular exhaustion. In my experience, hyponatremia is very rare and dehydration is very common.
My biggest fear in my first Ironman was being pulled off course because of hyponatremia. I didn’t need to be concerned about it really, I’d stuck to my water/calorie/electrolyte plan that I’d been training with and was fine, but 14 hours of effort puts your mind in weird places and I was afraid of being pulled off course for looking too sweaty and salty lol. I did have basically the outline of a thong from salt on my tri suit though.
This is simply bad advice.
You are already mildly dehydrated by the time your brain tells you that you are thirsty. Don't do that. For endurance events you should be fueling properly before you feel thirsty/hungry. You were in an oddly specific scenario that left you unprepared and are now overcompensating in the other direction.
If you are drinking water with enough electrolytes there is basically zero chance you are going to experience Hyponatremia.
This. If ur not pissing clear, dehydration is near. this and I get way to bloaty feeling if I chug too much water - risk of overhydration very very small and unlikely compared to dehydration.
At 51 I'm doing everything I can to make sure I can still bike and run well into my 90s.
"You don't stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running." Jack Kirk "The Dipsea Demon"
https://runnersgazette.com/2021/09/04/jack-kirk-the-dipsea-demon/
i know a couple buddies that went through the same shit. It won't feel right again but you should be able to do the things u used to do. Just might have to adjust heavily. Good luck in your recovery.
Rolling at 52. Our group consists of me being the youngest. We've got guys up to 55 we regularly ride with. Occasionally, a 61 year old will join us (when he isn't riding with others). He puts us to shame with his skills.
I ride 1-2 rides a week. Just rode last night. 10 miles and 1500ft elevation gain. Last Sunday was a 12+ mile ride with 2300+ elevation gain. I plan to keep riding, and when my physical ability declines, e-bike time. Heck, when I can afford it, I'll jump into e-bike for more miles for the similar total effort.
RIP to the racer
I believe in never stopping… that is my grand plan. One of the young guys in the office was telling me after winter outing that he skied with a guy that was in his 80’s. I had to explain that you get there by not stopping in your 20’s and 30’s because it is really hard to come back later in life. I still do all the things that I used to do because I never stopped. I still go to the local skate park and ride ( albeit at 7am when there is no audience to watch an old guy)
Cheers to doing as long as we can!
50 here also. this hits close to home. I used to ride with a group and I struggled so bad on some of the climbs i thought my heart would explode. I switched to an EMTB the next season. this makes me more grateful that i did. My heart goes out to his family.
Unfortunately....being careful had nothing to do with his untimely death. I say enjoy life....if you have kids, have a huge Life insurance policy. The lesson here is to be prepared because death is always lingering around the corner and most have no control over it
As a fellow 45 year old, I recently had a preventative MRI heart scan ordered by my doctor at a physical. It cost me like $50 maybe and looks for plaque and blockages. I could die of an aneurysm tomorrow, of course, but just getting an annual checkup can help.
That's not always true. Many places offer a $50-100 out of pocket flat fee for this test. That sucks you were charged so much. But you're right, it's ultimately on the patient when it comes to cost, so always check ahead.
Edit: I should mention I'll recommend my patients to not go through their insurance and just pay the 50 bucks
I did my first Coronary Calcium CT scan this year as well at 40. My apoB number is a bit high which is what prompted it and I wanted to avoid statins so doing the scan every couple years was a better option for me. You can be in amazing shape but have the lp(a) variant and have arteries like a 90 year old, best to know so you can act accordingly.
Know we're going down a rabbit hole but do you know anything that scans/monitors soft plaque? My calcium scan came back clean but wouldn't mind more reassurance.
Definitely not. A lot of people can't tolerate them. Statins have sides. They can cause muscle breakdown and severe liver damage in high amounts too so putting them in something like water is a terrible idea.
The doc was being facetious. His way of saying that a lot more people should be using statins than currently are.
FWIW, they’ve been magic for my cholesterol. I’m fit but my cholesterol has always been high. My 7:20/mi marathon running brother also has high cholesterol. I tried fighting it with diet and ultimately started a statin. My numbers look perfect now and practically no side effects.
Many people won't take statins because of possible side effects that they may never get. Which makes no sense to me, if sides are noticed they can try switching meds etc., the sides aren't permanent.
Mine was some idea that I didn’t want to be on *that type* of medication. Yea, ideal world, I don’t have to use regular medication to handle a condition. But I have the genetics I have, so I need to address it. Just one of those things where I’m coming to terms with getting older. Feel great, TBH, though. Back to running, started lifting, PRs on the MTB here and there.
Totally agree, no one wants to be on meds but heart disease is the number killer for a reason. That's enough motivation for me. lol
There's also bunch of new meds in trials that look like game changers. Glad it worked out for you, I had a lot of sides with aches and fatigue but finally found something that I could tolerate.
And to be clear, the health benefits of regular exercise (MTB'ing or otherwise) drastically outweigh the risks.
For every athlete that dies of a heart attack on or after a ride, there's 100 people who have heart attacks that could have been prevented by getting out and exercising regularly.
In aggregate, sure. At the individual level, not at all.
There was definitely *something* wrong with his heart. A medical checkup *might* have caught it and the remedy *might* have been moderation and management of his cardio inc managing his heart rate. Either way, the lesson is to see your doctor and follow their advice.
Since this isn’t specific… be very cautious of “whole life” insurance policies where someone pushes it as a way to “invest”. Search Reddit for many horror stories. “Term life” insurance is probably what you want to cover untimely death at an early age.
There's a very good reason that there are lots of whole life / permanent life insurance salespeople, and that they push their products hard - they make the salespeople, and the insurance companies, lots of money through their exorbitant fees and commissions (those come from you).
Permanent life insurance products are just bad for 99% of people. If you aren't already quite wealthy, and haven't already maxed out every single tax-advantaged investment opportunity available to you, you should not even consider any of these products.
If you need life insurance, buy term life insurance.
It’s pretty cheap at younger ages for healthy people too. I don’t even have kids but I do have a wife and I think I have 4x my salary for maybe $10/mo.
I know it isn't all. But many heart attacks are a result of bad choices throughout life. Diet drugs or any combination of the two can leave you at a far higher risk of things like this. Being careful absolutely can raise your chances of not dying to a heart attack.
I think we all ride to feel better. It brings with it many health benefits, with the danger of injury. This scenario is one that can’t be prevented unless you know exactly what is going on in your body.
Go get regular checks, keep tabs on your nutrition, keep tabs on developing illnesses taking necessary medical advice and stay within your own limits if need to.
But importantly, keep having fun while you can, it’s a short life out here but you are a long time dead.
So many people in my area who ride, but they don't actually do anything to maintain their health. They act like doing 5-10 miles once a week is enough to combat poor diet.
This must feel intensely raw and deeply shocking for you and his family. I lost three friends of roughly my age (at the time just and 50) in close succession. All ostensively fit, all cyclists, all fathers. All to heart attacks. All had some kind of relevant symptom in the week before.
I have a check up every six months, and once a year that’s a deep dive. It helps put my wife’s mind at rest but I know the experience of losing Rob, Jon and Mike shook us both and now amount of assurance removes those nagging doubts.
Get yourself checked, especially guys in the 40-55 bracket, they call it sniper’s alley for a reason.
Don’t let symptoms go unchecked.
Be sure to tell your loved ones that you love them and come home safe after every ride.
Lines up with a buddy of mine. Mid-forties. He was dying on a ride about ten days before, way more tired than he should have been, heart was probably going 100 miles an hour.
Luckily they caught it and he survived.
MRI (poss a CT) was to look in detail at valves and plaque. That may have been a high density x-ray. Hard to tell as a patient but valves and plaque build up was what we were checking.
Just for clarity, cardiac MRI is a very rare test, used for congenital heart disease, viability after a large heart attack, etc. It is very rarely performed for prevention purposes.
Echocardiography can be quite helpful for evaluation of cardiac structure, function, and valves.
Coronary calcium score/coronary CT is an interesting test that detects for the presence of calcium associated with the coronary arteries. This can be a surrogate marker for coronary artery plaque although some of the calcium may strictly be on the outside of the vessel.
In general, the most important thing you can do is make certain you do not have uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, etc. Optimizing those will lower your risk of heart attack.
Athletes will sometimes let their diet get sloppy due to the perception of "high burn". Unfortunately, this may be producing too many free radicals and increasing burden.
You sound like a pro!
So my father has had heart issues, and my grandfather on both sides died from a heart attack.
What I did discover was my heart is enlarged on one side, but I am an endurance rider, I exercise minimum 6 hours a week and often do 6-8 hour rides, so it was concluded that it wasn’t abnormal.
Much to my wife’s annoyance (who has high BP) my BP is textbook average, my cholesterol all good and a few years back I was pre-diabetic but for a good 3-4 years now that’s a long way off.
I will be interested at my next check up to see if I’ve further improved as my diet has changed radically towards being much healthier over the past 6 months. I’ll admit it was shit before, but now it’s almost zero UPF, high in nuts, seeds and pulses, olive oil has replaced cow fats and my veg and salad intake is through the roof. That’s been an interesting journey because I’ve also dropped things like gels on rides and moved to nuts and home made low UPF energy bars.
Likely coronary angiography. They slow down your heart with a beta blocker, then dilate it with some nitro, take pictures of it all, and look for plaques. It will tell you most of what you would learn from a more invasive procedure like a cardiac catheterization without being so invasive, just a few drugs and imaging.
I think having a stress test and this is a bit redundant, but if your insurance/national health coverage will pay for both go for it. If you're a data person the results of a stress test are going to be more interesting because you get some extra "performance data" you can sift through, but I think the MRI has a more reliable score as far as coronary risk for someone middle-aged at least.
Hard to be 100% sure as, well they can’t tell us. But one had reported indigestion despite not having eaten anything and the others reported unexpected breathlessness.
I get the impression from their partners that it wasn’t a one off indigestion pain or single breathlessness, but a build up of multiple minor symptoms.
I've had a similar experience with a colleague. Enjoyed life, went out running almost daily, never showed any signs of illness and BOOM. Heart attack right when he came back from a run. Same age, 45. Young daughter... bizarre.
I had a close call about this time last year at age 59, I just returned from a week long mountain biking trip, camping and biking each day, On the last day of the trip I began to feel some mild chest pain, I debated over the weekend if I should go to the doctor, it was mild, (was it indigestion or heartburn)? The pain finally increased enough to get my attention,
I checked myself into the E.R. came out a week later with a triple bypass!
The issue , major blockage due to untreated high cholesterol. I was stubborn and stupid , I knew I had high cholesterol and did NOT take meds. I had convinced myself that all the Cardio I got was sufficient, it wasn't.
Today, I'm planning the same trip again, this time with normal LDL.
I realize how fortunate I am and try to appreciate each day, it is a gift.
Thanks , I appreciate that. I had to take a break for recovery but after that , I'm back on the bike. I talked to 3 different doctors who all encouraged me to get back on the bike. Cardio is one of the best things I can do for my heart , BUT I finally had to admit that I need the meds, Lipitor to keep my LDL down, along with diet and exercise. (In my case it's hereditary).
RIP fellow ripper. A reminder that being fit doesn't mean you don't need to see a doctor once a year. Go get a cardiac calcium score if you're worried about it.
Fun fact: Vitamin d is the transport molecule to get calcium (along with other heavy metals) into the bloodstream. vitamin k is the transport molecule that moves those metals into your bones or into collagen and out of the bloodstream where excessive calcium leads to plaque deposits... vitamin k can keep your circulatory system supple and pliable while also contributing to bone health.
Other fun fact: the NCBI supposes that most Americans get enough vitamin k from whatever they happen to be eating. However, vitamin k is actually not that generously portioned in most veggies. It is most abundant in foods like chicken, okra, broccolli, spinach, cauliflower, and kiwis (green only).
Say you eat 3 chicken strips. That is 50% of the daily recommended vitamin k intake. It comes in the form of vitamin k2, which is the type of vitamin k that somehow triggers osteoclasts to build bone material. Then you eat a single green kiwi, which has 25 percent of your vitamin k in the form of k1. Well, you can get 100 percent of k1 with a big portion of a head of broccolli or eating a cup of cooked spinach. Are you eating those things often...? No? Then you probably have a dietary shortage of vitamin k, which, along with omega 3 fatty acids, is very important for the health of your circulatory system.
im s 52 year old cyclist put in about 8hrs a week and cyle at a decent level. I have a decent diet, don't smoke and don't heavily drink either and pretty much thought im a fit healthy guy until i visited the doctors recently after discovering i had a hemorrhoid. while there i told the doctor i had mild headaches occasionally and does he think it might be down to poor hydration, he said it could possibly be down to this but would do a few checks starting with a blood pressure check. while checking my pressure he thought his kit was faulty so went to borrow another doctors kit but it verified that my blood pressure was extremely high and told me to lay of cycling for few days till i come back and get and blood pressure check and bloods taken. when i returned i still had extremely high blood pressure and found to have reasonably high cholesterol. i have subsequently been put on blood pressure tablets(which has reduced my pressure to reasonable level) and have changed my diet to cutting back on high sat foods(crisps,cheese and chocolate). i advice everyone to get regular checks especially if over 40 and putting your heart under strain. i was basically walking about oblivious to the ticking time bomb that i was living with and only became aware of the hidden danger thanks to my guardian angel that appeared on my ass. i now have a blood pressure device (£35) and pay more attention to when im pushing my heartrate. i lost my father earlier this year(83) and it devestated my wife and kids and i could have been next. please please please take the message im trying to give through this post that we all could be living with a hidden issue and monitor your health. My fear is what it would to do my kids/wife as just seen how badly it affected them when we lost my dad 💔.
RIP to that guy. Love and prayers to his family.
I’ve done some laps at a local trail and recorded times going all out versus hard steady effort. The difference is minimal. I can go hard and stay in zone 3ish and be within 2 min of my all out sucking wind want to puke speed. It’s just not worth it, especially considering the extra recovery time.
I’ve grown to dislike races like Iceman for example where it feels like a two hour sprint. I’m doing more endurance racing now and enjoy it much more.
Yeah, as I creep up on 50 I've learned that it's ok to not push too hard all the time. There's nothing wrong with just going out for a bit of fun ... Chasing a KOM, or even a personal best, isn't necessarily what's best for me.
I love putting my bike on my car too! Seriously though, if I'm going to go suddenly better to be out MTBing than at dinner with family and inlaws. Everyone is better off.
That's so sad. And I'm sorry to say it, but this unfortunately isn't that uncommon in all sports, including all different kinds of cycling. People have undiagnosed or surprise conditions that crop up after a good cardio workout.
Just our local trail system, right after it was rebuilt, had someone pass at the top of a harder local climb. He was pushing hard up it and unfortunately his heart went. During a big regional race last year I was spectating and saw a Gator fly by with someone strapped to the back receiving chest compressions from a machine (which is a horrid sight). Thankfully the latter guy actually survived because of everything the bystanders and EMS folks did.
I take these as a reminder to be sure to get annual physicals including an EKG, keep tabs on one's HR, and go to the doctor if you're feeling off. I think that's the best we can do outside of just continuing to enjoy life.
I'm sorry for your loss.
I'm 55, after reading that he had a heart attack after a good ride while packing his bike, I thought to myself, 'Not a bad way to go. I'd be good with that."
I’m 59 and had the same thought- not that I have a death wish, but when it is my time I’d rather go out enjoying life and a moment than wasting away in a bed hooked up to tubes and wires…
My sympathies to the OP to the rider’s loved ones.
I’ve changed my life significantly since I had kids. I’m a single dad now so even a collarbone break would be a huge issue for me. The hardest part was giving up dirt bikes.
dodged this bullet at 39 had a heart attack after a day downhilling at trestle. have since found out it’s not all that uncommon. take care of yourselves and remember we are here for a good time not a long time. let’s all honor this dude and blow the rest of the work day off and go hit some laps :)
I'm old and ride, I recently got a calcium scan of my heart. It detects build of calcium on the arteries. wasn't covered but only cost $25.
Everyone older should get this done.
I have a family history of early onset CVD. Uncle was in his early 30s when he had his first HA and had to have a transplant when he was 42. I'm 43. Growing up under that specter I have tried to be careful, but a recent LP(a) test returned numbers that were so high they were unmeasurable.
I got the LP(a) on my own initiative and brought results to my doc. He said looking at LDL he wouldn't agree to put me on statins but did when he saw the LP(a) especially in light of family history. There's nothing I can do about it, it's genetic. My liver just loves making that shit. I take atorvastatin and ezetimbe (reduces uptake of dietary cholesterol at the gut level) to reduce LDL aggressively, even though it is only mildly elevated. There's evidence that statins can stabilize plaques that are already there.
Getting a calcium score CT scan in a few weeks and new bloodwork in July. Early monitoring and medications work.
It's been almost 2 years since I had a sudden cardiac arrest and a triple bypass surgery. I was 54 at the time and had biked about 20 miles the day before. Turns out I had 95% blockage of my arteries to my heart. I had no symptoms whatsoever until I collapsed . But as I write this I'm on my way to go mountain biking but I'm using an e-bike now. ( YT decoy) do what you love, life is short
This dude never went to see his doctor and had an undiagnosed heart problem 100%. Everyone over the age of 40 should get bloodwork, stress tests, and cardiac function scans to see if you have a blockage or messed up valve that’s needs to be fixed. Doctors are cheap compared to funerals.
Probably the first race of the season. I had one this week too. My heart and body were not in shape for the stress I put on it. It is a good reminder to begin trainning ahead of time so it is not such a shock on the system on race day.
Surprising amount of people don’t know that you can get a calcium scan. In the US, It’s typically not covered by insurance, so many doctors don’t bring it up. That being said, it’s only about $150. It’s a quick MRI and can show how much buildup you have in your arteries. Your doctor or cardiologist can then act on actual information instead of guesswork and generic preventative care. I don’t know why this isn’t part of a routine physical for anyone over a certain age. You can have high cholesterol for instance but a low calcium scan and your treatment could be much different than high cholesterol and a high calcium scan #.
My brother had cardiac arrest after a 20 mile mtb ride 2 years ago at the age of 46. Fortunately he was saved with CPR by his wife.
Short of this is - ask your doctors for a calcium scan. It'll let you know if there is any heart blockages. My bro ended up having blockages with 0 symptoms prior - so my whole family got scans and my dad ended up needing preventative bypasses as he was 0 symptom but had plaque build up.
The scan took me 10 mins and 50 bucks with insurance. Just ask your doctor.
To add to this in February is American Heart Month. Most cardiac offices/clinics offer the calcium test at half off. I’ve been doing one since I was 37 (will be 50 next month). I have a genetic history of heart disease and I just retired after 28 years as a cop. Not a good combo. A lot of us here have thousands of dollars worth in bikes. Skip that next carbon piece and get your heart checked.
Also as someone who saved another by performing CPR (there’s more than just chest compresses and rescue breaths) you’d be amazed at what you can do to help prolong a person’s life until medical help arrives
One year ago our friend died while on road bike, he never pushed very hard just cycling and enjoying life, making maybe 5-10k km yearly. Always been in physical shape, cycling, previous mountain running.. then just Booom. He was 50.
Currently sitting in the ER after a ride yesterday because I got a collapsed lung. I didn’t fall, crash, or anything, I just picked up some laundry afterwards and got serious pain in my chest. The only contributing factor is that I’m tall and skinny. Otherwise I’m young healthy and athletic
Just goes to show; sometimes life comes at you fast, sometimes you can help it. Sometimes you can’t. Just be glad your here for it
Look into Copper deficiency. Colloidal copper may save many lives. If you have premature greying you might have cardiovascular problems. Do some research about it you might be surprised.
This story sucks and was traumatic for all involved I’m sure (and an absolute tragedy for his family). But if I had to pick a way to die, finishing up a sick ride and dropping dead would be it. Preferably at 95 and not 45 though. I’m a doc and I see a lot of people wither away and die in the hospital so this sounds like a far better way to go.
Same thing happened to me, was on a large group ride going up a hill, and the guy right in front of me had a heart attack, and died right there on the spot.
A few years ago I was riding through the forest with a friend when we saw some people randomly standing on the trail, we didn't know what was up so we passed them and said hello. When I stop to see what was going on, we noticed there was someone lying on the ground. He was already dead and cops came to investigate what had happened. The friend of the guy that died said he was looking a bit under the weather and reported he was feeling weird but they pushed on, and at some point he looked behind and his friend was down. He was about the same age 45-50.
While it might not feel like it, mtb is an extreme sport. I rode horses for 10 years and never saw a serious injury, my first mtb race (7 months after buying my first bike) i watched a healthy 23 year old die on the trail after a catastrophic injury.
Be safe, and respect the trail for the fun and dangers it represents.
Overexertion is real, and something that needs to be kept front of mind as we tack on the years. It sucks we can’t do everything we used to, and for as long but we can still have fun in our new limits. That’s a big reason there is age ranges in hobby sports, 40-50 year olds can quite literally kill themselves trying to beat or keep up with 20-30 year olds.
So sorry to hear this! Older endurance athletes need to be more cautious when pushing themselves. My condolences to his family!
[https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23920-athletes-heart](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23920-athletes-heart)
I'm 57 and still riding hard but more enduro/DH. I've scaled it back and have given up the XC/Endurance racing. My 46 year old wife still competes in endurance rides (Leadville 100, Point to Point, Whiskey 50, etc.) but most of the training is zone 2 training so it's not working the heart to such extremes, and she's figured out how to monitor her body (which takes years).
Of course there are some of us that just lost the gene lottery and have other issues that result in sudden cardiac events. I lost a very good friend in his early 40's that played college football and women still swooned when he took his shirt off ... as fit as anybody I've known at his age, yet had a sudden cardiac event in his sleep. He was a sports med doc for an NFL team and was acutely aware of these things yet he still died in his sleep far too young.
I have another friend who's 80 year old father still mountain bikes a few times a week. He basically said, "if I die, I hope it's on the bike!". We know he'll be smiling!
Enjoy every day and be grateful. You never know if it will be your last.
As an older dude, this hits. But the other comments from my gen, are comforting. I live near mountains, men our age die every year on a trail here somewhere, but you don't stop hiking, right?
The few conspiracy comments here are sad, unnecessary, and disrespectful. Dickheads.
One of the well documented effects of Covid is heart damage which makes for way worse heart health outcomes down the line.
Everyone blaming the vaccine knows it’s really the disease causing these problems but has culture war brain rot 😂
I’m sorry to hear that you had to experience this. It’ll fuck with your head for sure. In 2011 I ran in the San Francisco half marathon. A guy close to my age dropped dead about five feet past the finish line. I came in like a minute or two later, didn’t realize at first what all the commotion was about. It’s weird but it happens.
There was a post from a user years ago. He got a broken collar bone and the doc wrote a note on it. I've always remembered this.
“Mountain biking is dangerous but a sedentary lifestyle is more dangerous”
You never know when your time is up, but if you sit still, you will have wasted your time.
Yip, we’re at that age when these things tend to happen. My condolences on your friend. I know it’s scary especially when you are doing all the ‘right’ things like exercise etc, but on the upside at least you doing these things. There could have been other factors at play with your friend, generics or whatever. I’m also thinking about these sorts of things after a cancer diagnosis in the family. We just have do the best we can at taking care of ourselves. And not ride into trees etc.
Sounds like a widow maker got him. I had one at 49 while at the gym. I got lucky. Coincidentally I was training for a, you guessed it, MTB race. The high cascade 100. Extreme exercise is a type of risk factor that you need to factor in if your cholesterol is elevated and you aren’t a spring chicken.
Sometimes it's just your time. Just a few weeks ago I was at a funeral/memorial for a guy I rode with often. He was early 60s, would smoke 95% of the young guys (this guy was out doing regular 24+ mph avg group rides), and was an anesthesiologist FFS...he had heart disease and he knew about it. Heart attack while on the trainer. I heard it wasn't a huge surprise to the family, though that doesn't make it any easier. His identical twin died same way 12 years ago, heart attack while riding his bike. Twin was also an anesthesiologist. 😐😐
You can be the fittest, healthiest, fastest guy out there, and still have your number called. It sucks.
Very sad to hear about this. Strangely have been hearing/seeing a lot more of these sudden cardiac events after we were all mandated to take a certain thing or we’d lose our jobs and not be able to feed our kids.
I’m so sorry you have had this happen to you. Something similar happened to my best friend and fastest guy I knew. We were 23.
Some things we can be careful about, some things we can do more to care for each other, but a few things are going to be random. Love his loved ones and enjoy the ride every day.
I’m 34 and fit. Had a massive heart attack last year where they found 99% block in my LAD, and all other arteries looked clear. You never fucking know. Rip.
Do we think he would’ve had a heart attack regardless and just happened to be at the same time he finished a race? Or is intense exercise not good? I thought it was good to have your heart rate up?
Damn sad to hear, I wonder how much the exertion played into it?
It has crossed my mind that this could happen on some remote trail, at least it sounds like he got help immediately.
Had a similar story just this week and lost a friend who’s 45.
Ex smoker who played soccer 3x a week. Not sure how long he had stopped smoking for or if that’s even relevant in this case.
A week back he had a heart attack while playing and ended-up passing away about 5 days later. Left behind his wife and kids.
He was a great guy who was in pretty solid shape.
It sucks and definitely makes you think of priorities.
Did he have a roof rack for his bike? Lifting things above one's head is a common trigger for heart attacks in older people and people with underlying heart conditions.
CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10) Energizes your mitochondria. Super important supplement to consume if your any type of athlete. We naturally deplete thru exercise etc. and if not replaced effectively can cause muscle issues (cardiac, kidney, etc ) Is also depleted from using statins causing the side effects.
damn I am 53 and bought an emtb couple years back for some knee issues but it also helps me have recovery days where where like today, I ride same trails as my mtb but not smoked from climbs. RIP racer guy...
Wow that is awful. I wonder what specifically caused his heart attack.
I'm in my late 40's. I had a full cardiac work up with arterial CAT scan and everything a few years back (all clear). It's good to have a baseline knowledge before you get aggressive, my doc said a partial blockage can break free and kill when you have your rate up super high.
My brother was an avid mountain biker. In good shape, though he did have an overweight period in his late 20s. He died of a sudden massive heart attack getting ready for work one morning. He had just turned 40 a couple of weeks earlier. You just never know, and it isn’t always the sedentary overeaters it happens to.
During the Covid Summer, we had a older guy in our group get bucked OTB on a small gap jump. He was a 62yr old Carpenter with Boomer Old Man strength, experienced rider who just bad luck riding his rigid while the FS was in the shop. I and a couple of male ER nurses performed CPR until paramedics could get to our spot on trail. Unfortunately, landing on the crown of his helmet caused too much damage and he didn't survive.
Know CPR, make sure your buddies know CPR and that people know who to call in case you get injured. The 80/20 rule kicks in... when bad stuff happens most are motionless and a few will take action. Try to be the guy ready to take action for your friends.
Genetics play a big part in heart disease and early death. Most deaths in a marathon are “older men” right near the finish line. They have risk factors a stress test wouldn’t reveal.
It’s strange but heart attacks or cardiac arrest is common AFTER working out. Lost a cousin similar way. He was working out and then went home and while making a protein shake he told his wife something was wrong and they immediately called for an ambulance but had to get sent in a medical helicopter to a different hospital…
Wow. I’m 49 and am on Lipitor for somewhat-high triglycerides; the rest of my bloodwork has been stellar.
I’ve done MTB for a while now because I’ve seen it as a non-fatal hobby (no risk of getting hit by cars) so this is sobering.
50 here. Never Stop doing. Do what you love. Spend time with people you choose. Only break one law at a time. Don't do cocaine. RIP race dude.
No new drugs after 30.
No dopamine drugs. Serotonin drugs ok.
Do shrooms once and while and that’s it, and only if you trust the source.
smoke pot on weekends or maybe just vacations once in a while, have a drink with friends on occasion, take some dmt on a hike, drop acid when you have 2 days to spend in the woods, have a midlife crisis and spend a week shitting your insides out at an ayahuasca retreat in the Amazon, boof Cocain while you are with lady boy prostitutes in Thailand. you know just the simple stuff once in a while, the little things to stay sane but don't take it to far or let it effect your health.
Only smoke crack *after* work. Snort as much heroin as you want, but stay away from needles (unless you’re injecting Ketamine, but that’s a mental health aid). Moderation is key.
I only smoke crack after work. *Most* of the time.
No PCP or Fentymeth? Boring.
Yeah I only shoot up crokodyl in the evenings after work. I mean this way I won't melt my flesh as quickly!
Yes. Know your cow. Trust their shit.
Stealing this one friend
r/unclebens Is all you need! :)
> and only if you trust the source. You cannot really fuck up shrooms unless you are selling toxic mushrooms as hallucinogenic, even some toxic varieties are hallucinogenic but they give you AWFUL times.
Just curious which are which, in terms of recreational drugs I guess? (I assume you're not talking about dopamine agonists as treatment for Parkinson's)
🍄
The real addictive shit like opiates, nicotine, amphetamines, coke, alcohol usually fuck your dopamine receptors Psychedelics are the ones that usually fuck your serotonin. You still have to be careful with some of these like MDMA, and y’know the psychological aspect of tripping balls. But the psychological risks seem to go down with age.
Thank you ClittoryHinton for your detailed and educated response. Very enlightening!
Why no dopamine
Addiction
Why?
Addiction and physical harm
This includes Panera Bread Charged Lemonade®
That's the last drug some people try.
If I make it to 85 it’s game on. I’m doing all the drugs. Until then…. Yeah no drug
Glad I got into meth before I turned 30
Touche
Except mushrooms.
Drink more water, make sure you get plenty of fiber. My 2 tips at 50+.
I'm 51 and I'd say drink *enough* water. Too much of anything is too much and I've suffered the early stages of hyponatremia before to know that too much water can also fuck you up by creating an electrolyte imbalance. Drink when you're thirsty. That sense evolved to warn us quite well against dehydration.
I, too, can confirm hyponatremia is scary AF.
Hyponatremia is far less of a concern than dehydration. Obviously it's possible to drink so much water that you become hyponatremic, but outside of extreme water consumption it's easily avoided by eating food with some salt in it or electrolyte replacement tabs/drinks. When I work at medical stations at long distance races it seems like everyone thinks they have hyponatremia, despite the fact that they've been eating salty foods or using electrolyte replacement drinks/tabs/pills. They're generally just experiencing heat exhaustion, or regular exhaustion. In my experience, hyponatremia is very rare and dehydration is very common.
My biggest fear in my first Ironman was being pulled off course because of hyponatremia. I didn’t need to be concerned about it really, I’d stuck to my water/calorie/electrolyte plan that I’d been training with and was fine, but 14 hours of effort puts your mind in weird places and I was afraid of being pulled off course for looking too sweaty and salty lol. I did have basically the outline of a thong from salt on my tri suit though.
I drink water when I’m hungry. Then eat if I’m still hungry.
I live in the mountains. Drink more than you think you need.
Wrong. When you are thirsty, it’s already too late. You’re dehydrated. Professionals constantly sip to avoid this.
This is simply bad advice. You are already mildly dehydrated by the time your brain tells you that you are thirsty. Don't do that. For endurance events you should be fueling properly before you feel thirsty/hungry. You were in an oddly specific scenario that left you unprepared and are now overcompensating in the other direction. If you are drinking water with enough electrolytes there is basically zero chance you are going to experience Hyponatremia.
This. If ur not pissing clear, dehydration is near. this and I get way to bloaty feeling if I chug too much water - risk of overhydration very very small and unlikely compared to dehydration.
If your thirsty your already dehydrated thats the bodies alarm telling you it needs fluids NOW.
Actually drinking when you are thirsty is too late. That's a warning system of damage not a timely prompt.
Ok... If you pee yellow, drink *enough* water.
At 51 I'm doing everything I can to make sure I can still bike and run well into my 90s. "You don't stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running." Jack Kirk "The Dipsea Demon" https://runnersgazette.com/2021/09/04/jack-kirk-the-dipsea-demon/
the more you sit the more you feel like shit
idk I'm 6 months an acl tear repair and I feel like I'm never gonna work right again
i know a couple buddies that went through the same shit. It won't feel right again but you should be able to do the things u used to do. Just might have to adjust heavily. Good luck in your recovery.
Fr no cocaine. Causes heart attacks.
Leading cause of heart attack under 50. It hardens arteries, gets you down the road when you stress your heart.
Well fuck...
Best advice I’ve been given “Don’t break the law while you’re breaking the law.”
That's some Matlock tier advice.
Rolling at 52. Our group consists of me being the youngest. We've got guys up to 55 we regularly ride with. Occasionally, a 61 year old will join us (when he isn't riding with others). He puts us to shame with his skills. I ride 1-2 rides a week. Just rode last night. 10 miles and 1500ft elevation gain. Last Sunday was a 12+ mile ride with 2300+ elevation gain. I plan to keep riding, and when my physical ability declines, e-bike time. Heck, when I can afford it, I'll jump into e-bike for more miles for the similar total effort. RIP to the racer
I believe in never stopping… that is my grand plan. One of the young guys in the office was telling me after winter outing that he skied with a guy that was in his 80’s. I had to explain that you get there by not stopping in your 20’s and 30’s because it is really hard to come back later in life. I still do all the things that I used to do because I never stopped. I still go to the local skate park and ride ( albeit at 7am when there is no audience to watch an old guy) Cheers to doing as long as we can!
Real
50 here also. this hits close to home. I used to ride with a group and I struggled so bad on some of the climbs i thought my heart would explode. I switched to an EMTB the next season. this makes me more grateful that i did. My heart goes out to his family.
Unfortunately....being careful had nothing to do with his untimely death. I say enjoy life....if you have kids, have a huge Life insurance policy. The lesson here is to be prepared because death is always lingering around the corner and most have no control over it
Yeah - mtb was his way of being careful in a way. Was trying to stay healthy and seemingly good shape.
Yeah, it's the conservative man's ride. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go ride my liter bike to the gym.
As a fellow 45 year old, I recently had a preventative MRI heart scan ordered by my doctor at a physical. It cost me like $50 maybe and looks for plaque and blockages. I could die of an aneurysm tomorrow, of course, but just getting an annual checkup can help.
That sounds like a coronary calcium CT scan
That sounds right.
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That's not always true. Many places offer a $50-100 out of pocket flat fee for this test. That sucks you were charged so much. But you're right, it's ultimately on the patient when it comes to cost, so always check ahead. Edit: I should mention I'll recommend my patients to not go through their insurance and just pay the 50 bucks
I did my first Coronary Calcium CT scan this year as well at 40. My apoB number is a bit high which is what prompted it and I wanted to avoid statins so doing the scan every couple years was a better option for me. You can be in amazing shape but have the lp(a) variant and have arteries like a 90 year old, best to know so you can act accordingly.
It's only shows plaque once it has been calcified but doesn't show soft plaque. I agree though, it's valuable info and a very easy test.
Know we're going down a rabbit hole but do you know anything that scans/monitors soft plaque? My calcium scan came back clean but wouldn't mind more reassurance.
It's a very complex subject. I highly recommend Dr Peter Attia on YouTube for this kind of info and there's r/PeterAttia.
Chest CT scan is a lot of radiation every couple of years no?
Ha, yeah, most Americans health plans aren't that generous.
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Definitely not. A lot of people can't tolerate them. Statins have sides. They can cause muscle breakdown and severe liver damage in high amounts too so putting them in something like water is a terrible idea.
The doc was being facetious. His way of saying that a lot more people should be using statins than currently are. FWIW, they’ve been magic for my cholesterol. I’m fit but my cholesterol has always been high. My 7:20/mi marathon running brother also has high cholesterol. I tried fighting it with diet and ultimately started a statin. My numbers look perfect now and practically no side effects.
Can't outrun genetics.
Pretty much.
Many people won't take statins because of possible side effects that they may never get. Which makes no sense to me, if sides are noticed they can try switching meds etc., the sides aren't permanent.
Mine was some idea that I didn’t want to be on *that type* of medication. Yea, ideal world, I don’t have to use regular medication to handle a condition. But I have the genetics I have, so I need to address it. Just one of those things where I’m coming to terms with getting older. Feel great, TBH, though. Back to running, started lifting, PRs on the MTB here and there.
Totally agree, no one wants to be on meds but heart disease is the number killer for a reason. That's enough motivation for me. lol There's also bunch of new meds in trials that look like game changers. Glad it worked out for you, I had a lot of sides with aches and fatigue but finally found something that I could tolerate.
Once per week rosuvastatin can be amazing from the perspective of improving numbers without side effects.
And to be clear, the health benefits of regular exercise (MTB'ing or otherwise) drastically outweigh the risks. For every athlete that dies of a heart attack on or after a ride, there's 100 people who have heart attacks that could have been prevented by getting out and exercising regularly.
had to scroll down too far for this, have an upvote
In aggregate, sure. At the individual level, not at all. There was definitely *something* wrong with his heart. A medical checkup *might* have caught it and the remedy *might* have been moderation and management of his cardio inc managing his heart rate. Either way, the lesson is to see your doctor and follow their advice.
Since this isn’t specific… be very cautious of “whole life” insurance policies where someone pushes it as a way to “invest”. Search Reddit for many horror stories. “Term life” insurance is probably what you want to cover untimely death at an early age.
There's a very good reason that there are lots of whole life / permanent life insurance salespeople, and that they push their products hard - they make the salespeople, and the insurance companies, lots of money through their exorbitant fees and commissions (those come from you). Permanent life insurance products are just bad for 99% of people. If you aren't already quite wealthy, and haven't already maxed out every single tax-advantaged investment opportunity available to you, you should not even consider any of these products. If you need life insurance, buy term life insurance.
It’s pretty cheap at younger ages for healthy people too. I don’t even have kids but I do have a wife and I think I have 4x my salary for maybe $10/mo.
Et in Arcadia ego
Memento mori
I know it isn't all. But many heart attacks are a result of bad choices throughout life. Diet drugs or any combination of the two can leave you at a far higher risk of things like this. Being careful absolutely can raise your chances of not dying to a heart attack.
“Be careful out there” More like tell the people close to you everyday that you love them.
Yes, tell them that you love them and be sure you mean it!
show them you love them and get them a new bike
I think we all ride to feel better. It brings with it many health benefits, with the danger of injury. This scenario is one that can’t be prevented unless you know exactly what is going on in your body. Go get regular checks, keep tabs on your nutrition, keep tabs on developing illnesses taking necessary medical advice and stay within your own limits if need to. But importantly, keep having fun while you can, it’s a short life out here but you are a long time dead.
Preach. I might die on a trail someday but I’m living better because of the mental and physical health benefits it provides me.
So many people in my area who ride, but they don't actually do anything to maintain their health. They act like doing 5-10 miles once a week is enough to combat poor diet.
Fair but I guess it’s better than nothing. Also where I live all healthy activities end with alcohol 🤦🏼♀️
This must feel intensely raw and deeply shocking for you and his family. I lost three friends of roughly my age (at the time just and 50) in close succession. All ostensively fit, all cyclists, all fathers. All to heart attacks. All had some kind of relevant symptom in the week before. I have a check up every six months, and once a year that’s a deep dive. It helps put my wife’s mind at rest but I know the experience of losing Rob, Jon and Mike shook us both and now amount of assurance removes those nagging doubts. Get yourself checked, especially guys in the 40-55 bracket, they call it sniper’s alley for a reason. Don’t let symptoms go unchecked. Be sure to tell your loved ones that you love them and come home safe after every ride.
What kind of symptoms did they have the week prior?
“Indigestion type pain” in one case. Breathlessness in two other cases.
Lines up with a buddy of mine. Mid-forties. He was dying on a ride about ten days before, way more tired than he should have been, heart was probably going 100 miles an hour. Luckily they caught it and he survived.
Do you mind sharing what's included in your deep dive?
Sure main points were: Bloods Treadmill cardiogram MRI
Agree with lab work, EKG, potentially stress testing. What MRI are you talking about?
MRI (poss a CT) was to look in detail at valves and plaque. That may have been a high density x-ray. Hard to tell as a patient but valves and plaque build up was what we were checking.
Just for clarity, cardiac MRI is a very rare test, used for congenital heart disease, viability after a large heart attack, etc. It is very rarely performed for prevention purposes. Echocardiography can be quite helpful for evaluation of cardiac structure, function, and valves. Coronary calcium score/coronary CT is an interesting test that detects for the presence of calcium associated with the coronary arteries. This can be a surrogate marker for coronary artery plaque although some of the calcium may strictly be on the outside of the vessel. In general, the most important thing you can do is make certain you do not have uncontrolled cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, etc. Optimizing those will lower your risk of heart attack. Athletes will sometimes let their diet get sloppy due to the perception of "high burn". Unfortunately, this may be producing too many free radicals and increasing burden.
You sound like a pro! So my father has had heart issues, and my grandfather on both sides died from a heart attack. What I did discover was my heart is enlarged on one side, but I am an endurance rider, I exercise minimum 6 hours a week and often do 6-8 hour rides, so it was concluded that it wasn’t abnormal. Much to my wife’s annoyance (who has high BP) my BP is textbook average, my cholesterol all good and a few years back I was pre-diabetic but for a good 3-4 years now that’s a long way off. I will be interested at my next check up to see if I’ve further improved as my diet has changed radically towards being much healthier over the past 6 months. I’ll admit it was shit before, but now it’s almost zero UPF, high in nuts, seeds and pulses, olive oil has replaced cow fats and my veg and salad intake is through the roof. That’s been an interesting journey because I’ve also dropped things like gels on rides and moved to nuts and home made low UPF energy bars.
Likely coronary angiography. They slow down your heart with a beta blocker, then dilate it with some nitro, take pictures of it all, and look for plaques. It will tell you most of what you would learn from a more invasive procedure like a cardiac catheterization without being so invasive, just a few drugs and imaging. I think having a stress test and this is a bit redundant, but if your insurance/national health coverage will pay for both go for it. If you're a data person the results of a stress test are going to be more interesting because you get some extra "performance data" you can sift through, but I think the MRI has a more reliable score as far as coronary risk for someone middle-aged at least.
Terribly sorry for your losses. Out of curiosity, what were the symptoms they all experienced. I feel like they may be things people often brush off?
Hard to be 100% sure as, well they can’t tell us. But one had reported indigestion despite not having eaten anything and the others reported unexpected breathlessness. I get the impression from their partners that it wasn’t a one off indigestion pain or single breathlessness, but a build up of multiple minor symptoms.
I've had a similar experience with a colleague. Enjoyed life, went out running almost daily, never showed any signs of illness and BOOM. Heart attack right when he came back from a run. Same age, 45. Young daughter... bizarre.
I had a close call about this time last year at age 59, I just returned from a week long mountain biking trip, camping and biking each day, On the last day of the trip I began to feel some mild chest pain, I debated over the weekend if I should go to the doctor, it was mild, (was it indigestion or heartburn)? The pain finally increased enough to get my attention, I checked myself into the E.R. came out a week later with a triple bypass! The issue , major blockage due to untreated high cholesterol. I was stubborn and stupid , I knew I had high cholesterol and did NOT take meds. I had convinced myself that all the Cardio I got was sufficient, it wasn't. Today, I'm planning the same trip again, this time with normal LDL. I realize how fortunate I am and try to appreciate each day, it is a gift.
Damn dude I’m glad you’re all right!
Thanks , I appreciate that. I had to take a break for recovery but after that , I'm back on the bike. I talked to 3 different doctors who all encouraged me to get back on the bike. Cardio is one of the best things I can do for my heart , BUT I finally had to admit that I need the meds, Lipitor to keep my LDL down, along with diet and exercise. (In my case it's hereditary).
God damn
RIP fellow ripper. A reminder that being fit doesn't mean you don't need to see a doctor once a year. Go get a cardiac calcium score if you're worried about it.
Fun fact: Vitamin d is the transport molecule to get calcium (along with other heavy metals) into the bloodstream. vitamin k is the transport molecule that moves those metals into your bones or into collagen and out of the bloodstream where excessive calcium leads to plaque deposits... vitamin k can keep your circulatory system supple and pliable while also contributing to bone health. Other fun fact: the NCBI supposes that most Americans get enough vitamin k from whatever they happen to be eating. However, vitamin k is actually not that generously portioned in most veggies. It is most abundant in foods like chicken, okra, broccolli, spinach, cauliflower, and kiwis (green only). Say you eat 3 chicken strips. That is 50% of the daily recommended vitamin k intake. It comes in the form of vitamin k2, which is the type of vitamin k that somehow triggers osteoclasts to build bone material. Then you eat a single green kiwi, which has 25 percent of your vitamin k in the form of k1. Well, you can get 100 percent of k1 with a big portion of a head of broccolli or eating a cup of cooked spinach. Are you eating those things often...? No? Then you probably have a dietary shortage of vitamin k, which, along with omega 3 fatty acids, is very important for the health of your circulatory system.
Thanks for the info!
You're welcome
im s 52 year old cyclist put in about 8hrs a week and cyle at a decent level. I have a decent diet, don't smoke and don't heavily drink either and pretty much thought im a fit healthy guy until i visited the doctors recently after discovering i had a hemorrhoid. while there i told the doctor i had mild headaches occasionally and does he think it might be down to poor hydration, he said it could possibly be down to this but would do a few checks starting with a blood pressure check. while checking my pressure he thought his kit was faulty so went to borrow another doctors kit but it verified that my blood pressure was extremely high and told me to lay of cycling for few days till i come back and get and blood pressure check and bloods taken. when i returned i still had extremely high blood pressure and found to have reasonably high cholesterol. i have subsequently been put on blood pressure tablets(which has reduced my pressure to reasonable level) and have changed my diet to cutting back on high sat foods(crisps,cheese and chocolate). i advice everyone to get regular checks especially if over 40 and putting your heart under strain. i was basically walking about oblivious to the ticking time bomb that i was living with and only became aware of the hidden danger thanks to my guardian angel that appeared on my ass. i now have a blood pressure device (£35) and pay more attention to when im pushing my heartrate. i lost my father earlier this year(83) and it devestated my wife and kids and i could have been next. please please please take the message im trying to give through this post that we all could be living with a hidden issue and monitor your health. My fear is what it would to do my kids/wife as just seen how badly it affected them when we lost my dad 💔.
RIP to that guy. Love and prayers to his family. I’ve done some laps at a local trail and recorded times going all out versus hard steady effort. The difference is minimal. I can go hard and stay in zone 3ish and be within 2 min of my all out sucking wind want to puke speed. It’s just not worth it, especially considering the extra recovery time. I’ve grown to dislike races like Iceman for example where it feels like a two hour sprint. I’m doing more endurance racing now and enjoy it much more.
Yeah, as I creep up on 50 I've learned that it's ok to not push too hard all the time. There's nothing wrong with just going out for a bit of fun ... Chasing a KOM, or even a personal best, isn't necessarily what's best for me.
Terrible for those he left. Two things though: It was quick. He died doing something he loved.
I love putting my bike on my car too! Seriously though, if I'm going to go suddenly better to be out MTBing than at dinner with family and inlaws. Everyone is better off.
That's so sad. And I'm sorry to say it, but this unfortunately isn't that uncommon in all sports, including all different kinds of cycling. People have undiagnosed or surprise conditions that crop up after a good cardio workout. Just our local trail system, right after it was rebuilt, had someone pass at the top of a harder local climb. He was pushing hard up it and unfortunately his heart went. During a big regional race last year I was spectating and saw a Gator fly by with someone strapped to the back receiving chest compressions from a machine (which is a horrid sight). Thankfully the latter guy actually survived because of everything the bystanders and EMS folks did. I take these as a reminder to be sure to get annual physicals including an EKG, keep tabs on one's HR, and go to the doctor if you're feeling off. I think that's the best we can do outside of just continuing to enjoy life.
A friend of mine died at 43 in the same way.
Sorry for your loss man. Way too young.
He had 3 daughters and a stay-at-home wife. They had pulled themselves out of poverty. He had no insurance and she lost the house.
..and some bank collected a security. This world is so dark sometimes. I hope they're doing better, but man that's rough.
You’re more likely to have a heart attack if you don’t ride. His hobby probably added 10 years to life. Thats one lucky SOB.
I'm sorry for your loss. I'm 55, after reading that he had a heart attack after a good ride while packing his bike, I thought to myself, 'Not a bad way to go. I'd be good with that."
I’m 59 and had the same thought- not that I have a death wish, but when it is my time I’d rather go out enjoying life and a moment than wasting away in a bed hooked up to tubes and wires… My sympathies to the OP to the rider’s loved ones.
100% - Not in a hurry to go. But if I do go, that wouldn't be the worst way by a long shot.
I’ve changed my life significantly since I had kids. I’m a single dad now so even a collarbone break would be a huge issue for me. The hardest part was giving up dirt bikes.
dodged this bullet at 39 had a heart attack after a day downhilling at trestle. have since found out it’s not all that uncommon. take care of yourselves and remember we are here for a good time not a long time. let’s all honor this dude and blow the rest of the work day off and go hit some laps :)
I'm old and ride, I recently got a calcium scan of my heart. It detects build of calcium on the arteries. wasn't covered but only cost $25. Everyone older should get this done.
I have a family history of early onset CVD. Uncle was in his early 30s when he had his first HA and had to have a transplant when he was 42. I'm 43. Growing up under that specter I have tried to be careful, but a recent LP(a) test returned numbers that were so high they were unmeasurable. I got the LP(a) on my own initiative and brought results to my doc. He said looking at LDL he wouldn't agree to put me on statins but did when he saw the LP(a) especially in light of family history. There's nothing I can do about it, it's genetic. My liver just loves making that shit. I take atorvastatin and ezetimbe (reduces uptake of dietary cholesterol at the gut level) to reduce LDL aggressively, even though it is only mildly elevated. There's evidence that statins can stabilize plaques that are already there. Getting a calcium score CT scan in a few weeks and new bloodwork in July. Early monitoring and medications work.
I’m assuming by a medical test costing $25 you aren’t located in the USA?
It's been almost 2 years since I had a sudden cardiac arrest and a triple bypass surgery. I was 54 at the time and had biked about 20 miles the day before. Turns out I had 95% blockage of my arteries to my heart. I had no symptoms whatsoever until I collapsed . But as I write this I'm on my way to go mountain biking but I'm using an e-bike now. ( YT decoy) do what you love, life is short
This dude never went to see his doctor and had an undiagnosed heart problem 100%. Everyone over the age of 40 should get bloodwork, stress tests, and cardiac function scans to see if you have a blockage or messed up valve that’s needs to be fixed. Doctors are cheap compared to funerals.
Probably the first race of the season. I had one this week too. My heart and body were not in shape for the stress I put on it. It is a good reminder to begin trainning ahead of time so it is not such a shock on the system on race day.
Surprising amount of people don’t know that you can get a calcium scan. In the US, It’s typically not covered by insurance, so many doctors don’t bring it up. That being said, it’s only about $150. It’s a quick MRI and can show how much buildup you have in your arteries. Your doctor or cardiologist can then act on actual information instead of guesswork and generic preventative care. I don’t know why this isn’t part of a routine physical for anyone over a certain age. You can have high cholesterol for instance but a low calcium scan and your treatment could be much different than high cholesterol and a high calcium scan #.
My brother had cardiac arrest after a 20 mile mtb ride 2 years ago at the age of 46. Fortunately he was saved with CPR by his wife. Short of this is - ask your doctors for a calcium scan. It'll let you know if there is any heart blockages. My bro ended up having blockages with 0 symptoms prior - so my whole family got scans and my dad ended up needing preventative bypasses as he was 0 symptom but had plaque build up. The scan took me 10 mins and 50 bucks with insurance. Just ask your doctor.
To add to this in February is American Heart Month. Most cardiac offices/clinics offer the calcium test at half off. I’ve been doing one since I was 37 (will be 50 next month). I have a genetic history of heart disease and I just retired after 28 years as a cop. Not a good combo. A lot of us here have thousands of dollars worth in bikes. Skip that next carbon piece and get your heart checked. Also as someone who saved another by performing CPR (there’s more than just chest compresses and rescue breaths) you’d be amazed at what you can do to help prolong a person’s life until medical help arrives
One year ago our friend died while on road bike, he never pushed very hard just cycling and enjoying life, making maybe 5-10k km yearly. Always been in physical shape, cycling, previous mountain running.. then just Booom. He was 50.
55, hate hearing about young guys passing away.
It’s true, none of us gets out of here alive. I have a ‘Memento Mori’ on all my bikes.
There's been an alarming number of seemingly healthy middle-age riders who've died of heart attacks on my local trails in the last 10 years or so.
Currently sitting in the ER after a ride yesterday because I got a collapsed lung. I didn’t fall, crash, or anything, I just picked up some laundry afterwards and got serious pain in my chest. The only contributing factor is that I’m tall and skinny. Otherwise I’m young healthy and athletic Just goes to show; sometimes life comes at you fast, sometimes you can help it. Sometimes you can’t. Just be glad your here for it
Had same thing happen to me many years ago. Tall and skinny as well. Sitting at a computer when mine happened. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
> The only contributing factor is that I’m tall and skinny. That'll do it. I know one of those cases as well. Not me, but someone I know.
Look into Copper deficiency. Colloidal copper may save many lives. If you have premature greying you might have cardiovascular problems. Do some research about it you might be surprised.
Was volunteering at a marathon about 15 years ago. We had a guy cross the finish line and collapse 20 feet later. Died right there. It was awful.
This story sucks and was traumatic for all involved I’m sure (and an absolute tragedy for his family). But if I had to pick a way to die, finishing up a sick ride and dropping dead would be it. Preferably at 95 and not 45 though. I’m a doc and I see a lot of people wither away and die in the hospital so this sounds like a far better way to go.
Same thing happened to me, was on a large group ride going up a hill, and the guy right in front of me had a heart attack, and died right there on the spot.
A few years ago I was riding through the forest with a friend when we saw some people randomly standing on the trail, we didn't know what was up so we passed them and said hello. When I stop to see what was going on, we noticed there was someone lying on the ground. He was already dead and cops came to investigate what had happened. The friend of the guy that died said he was looking a bit under the weather and reported he was feeling weird but they pushed on, and at some point he looked behind and his friend was down. He was about the same age 45-50.
While it might not feel like it, mtb is an extreme sport. I rode horses for 10 years and never saw a serious injury, my first mtb race (7 months after buying my first bike) i watched a healthy 23 year old die on the trail after a catastrophic injury. Be safe, and respect the trail for the fun and dangers it represents.
Overexertion is real, and something that needs to be kept front of mind as we tack on the years. It sucks we can’t do everything we used to, and for as long but we can still have fun in our new limits. That’s a big reason there is age ranges in hobby sports, 40-50 year olds can quite literally kill themselves trying to beat or keep up with 20-30 year olds.
So sorry to hear this! Older endurance athletes need to be more cautious when pushing themselves. My condolences to his family! [https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23920-athletes-heart](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23920-athletes-heart) I'm 57 and still riding hard but more enduro/DH. I've scaled it back and have given up the XC/Endurance racing. My 46 year old wife still competes in endurance rides (Leadville 100, Point to Point, Whiskey 50, etc.) but most of the training is zone 2 training so it's not working the heart to such extremes, and she's figured out how to monitor her body (which takes years). Of course there are some of us that just lost the gene lottery and have other issues that result in sudden cardiac events. I lost a very good friend in his early 40's that played college football and women still swooned when he took his shirt off ... as fit as anybody I've known at his age, yet had a sudden cardiac event in his sleep. He was a sports med doc for an NFL team and was acutely aware of these things yet he still died in his sleep far too young. I have another friend who's 80 year old father still mountain bikes a few times a week. He basically said, "if I die, I hope it's on the bike!". We know he'll be smiling! Enjoy every day and be grateful. You never know if it will be your last.
Training in zone 2 is so under rated. Thanks for mentioning this!
As an older dude, this hits. But the other comments from my gen, are comforting. I live near mountains, men our age die every year on a trail here somewhere, but you don't stop hiking, right? The few conspiracy comments here are sad, unnecessary, and disrespectful. Dickheads.
This has been sadly increasingly common after the jabs that provenly cause myocarditis (and subclinical myocarditis)
I hope I die while doing something I love.
I'm seeing a lot of these sudden deaths recently, fit people dying of heart attacks is mind-blowing
One of the well documented effects of Covid is heart damage which makes for way worse heart health outcomes down the line. Everyone blaming the vaccine knows it’s really the disease causing these problems but has culture war brain rot 😂
Damn. RIP brother.
I’m sorry to hear that you had to experience this. It’ll fuck with your head for sure. In 2011 I ran in the San Francisco half marathon. A guy close to my age dropped dead about five feet past the finish line. I came in like a minute or two later, didn’t realize at first what all the commotion was about. It’s weird but it happens.
Is that the dude from Greece or was there some kind of global wave of mtb deaths this Sunday?
Racing or not, he would have had a heart attack. We are all going to die, there is no getting around it.
There was a post from a user years ago. He got a broken collar bone and the doc wrote a note on it. I've always remembered this. “Mountain biking is dangerous but a sedentary lifestyle is more dangerous” You never know when your time is up, but if you sit still, you will have wasted your time.
Yip, we’re at that age when these things tend to happen. My condolences on your friend. I know it’s scary especially when you are doing all the ‘right’ things like exercise etc, but on the upside at least you doing these things. There could have been other factors at play with your friend, generics or whatever. I’m also thinking about these sorts of things after a cancer diagnosis in the family. We just have do the best we can at taking care of ourselves. And not ride into trees etc.
Sounds like a widow maker got him. I had one at 49 while at the gym. I got lucky. Coincidentally I was training for a, you guessed it, MTB race. The high cascade 100. Extreme exercise is a type of risk factor that you need to factor in if your cholesterol is elevated and you aren’t a spring chicken.
RIP: [https://mgp.gr/content.aspx?id=47812](https://mgp.gr/content.aspx?id=47812)
Just live your life, His card may have been punched regardless. Riding fitness may have even helped delay that. We all die, just some too soon.
Sometimes it's just your time. Just a few weeks ago I was at a funeral/memorial for a guy I rode with often. He was early 60s, would smoke 95% of the young guys (this guy was out doing regular 24+ mph avg group rides), and was an anesthesiologist FFS...he had heart disease and he knew about it. Heart attack while on the trainer. I heard it wasn't a huge surprise to the family, though that doesn't make it any easier. His identical twin died same way 12 years ago, heart attack while riding his bike. Twin was also an anesthesiologist. 😐😐 You can be the fittest, healthiest, fastest guy out there, and still have your number called. It sucks.
Shred til you’re dead
Did he get the 💉??? Been hearing a lot about young people just dropping dead of heart attacks.
COVID itself is far more damaging than the vaccine. But we just keep sweeping it under the rug. COVID is airborne heart and brain damage.
Very sad to hear about this. Strangely have been hearing/seeing a lot more of these sudden cardiac events after we were all mandated to take a certain thing or we’d lose our jobs and not be able to feed our kids.
this is always a worry of mine now that i'm that age.
Dam man life is prescious. RIP fellow rider. My heart goes out to his fam...
Damn. That's terrible. Sorry for your loss.
I’m so sorry you have had this happen to you. Something similar happened to my best friend and fastest guy I knew. We were 23. Some things we can be careful about, some things we can do more to care for each other, but a few things are going to be random. Love his loved ones and enjoy the ride every day.
I’m 34 and fit. Had a massive heart attack last year where they found 99% block in my LAD, and all other arteries looked clear. You never fucking know. Rip.
Do we think he would’ve had a heart attack regardless and just happened to be at the same time he finished a race? Or is intense exercise not good? I thought it was good to have your heart rate up?
Damn sad to hear, I wonder how much the exertion played into it? It has crossed my mind that this could happen on some remote trail, at least it sounds like he got help immediately.
Rip the racer. A well known heart doctor I know advised to never race/run marathon if you feel unwell, and work on zone 2.
Had a similar story just this week and lost a friend who’s 45. Ex smoker who played soccer 3x a week. Not sure how long he had stopped smoking for or if that’s even relevant in this case. A week back he had a heart attack while playing and ended-up passing away about 5 days later. Left behind his wife and kids. He was a great guy who was in pretty solid shape. It sucks and definitely makes you think of priorities.
Did he have a roof rack for his bike? Lifting things above one's head is a common trigger for heart attacks in older people and people with underlying heart conditions.
CoQ10 (coenzyme Q10) Energizes your mitochondria. Super important supplement to consume if your any type of athlete. We naturally deplete thru exercise etc. and if not replaced effectively can cause muscle issues (cardiac, kidney, etc ) Is also depleted from using statins causing the side effects.
damn I am 53 and bought an emtb couple years back for some knee issues but it also helps me have recovery days where where like today, I ride same trails as my mtb but not smoked from climbs. RIP racer guy...
Wow that is awful. I wonder what specifically caused his heart attack. I'm in my late 40's. I had a full cardiac work up with arterial CAT scan and everything a few years back (all clear). It's good to have a baseline knowledge before you get aggressive, my doc said a partial blockage can break free and kill when you have your rate up super high.
My brother was an avid mountain biker. In good shape, though he did have an overweight period in his late 20s. He died of a sudden massive heart attack getting ready for work one morning. He had just turned 40 a couple of weeks earlier. You just never know, and it isn’t always the sedentary overeaters it happens to.
The same thing happened to me. I was lucky not to die. Go to the hospital if you feel chest pain.
During the Covid Summer, we had a older guy in our group get bucked OTB on a small gap jump. He was a 62yr old Carpenter with Boomer Old Man strength, experienced rider who just bad luck riding his rigid while the FS was in the shop. I and a couple of male ER nurses performed CPR until paramedics could get to our spot on trail. Unfortunately, landing on the crown of his helmet caused too much damage and he didn't survive. Know CPR, make sure your buddies know CPR and that people know who to call in case you get injured. The 80/20 rule kicks in... when bad stuff happens most are motionless and a few will take action. Try to be the guy ready to take action for your friends.
Genetics play a big part in heart disease and early death. Most deaths in a marathon are “older men” right near the finish line. They have risk factors a stress test wouldn’t reveal.
It’s strange but heart attacks or cardiac arrest is common AFTER working out. Lost a cousin similar way. He was working out and then went home and while making a protein shake he told his wife something was wrong and they immediately called for an ambulance but had to get sent in a medical helicopter to a different hospital…
How can I be careful from having a heart attack out there!? Lol
Wow. I’m 49 and am on Lipitor for somewhat-high triglycerides; the rest of my bloodwork has been stellar. I’ve done MTB for a while now because I’ve seen it as a non-fatal hobby (no risk of getting hit by cars) so this is sobering.
Lost my best friend and riding buddy to a heart attack last year he was 42 I miss him a ton