Biomechanics
By Amanda Brunner

Dealing with Elevation

Many riders can get confident on their trails at home and decide to take a trip to areas of higher elevation (such as Colorado) only to discover that they become seriously ill and don’t know what is happening to their bodies.

Imagine the following: You’re riding the trails and at the first pedal stroke you start to feel a shortness of breath, your head begins pounding, and you’re nauseas and weak. This pool of symptoms is the first signs of hypoxia, the given to the condition associated with a sudden change in altitude. This is also the fist sign to take it easy. Your body needs time to adjust and for once stubbornness doesn’t make you stronger. If you were to push through these feelings thinking no pain, no gain the symptoms (and bodily harm) will only worsen. The second set of symptoms begins with an accelerated pulse (pounding in your chest); your lips may turn blue followed by difficulty in comprehension and judgment. If this continues the sufferer will show signs of euphoria and delirium.

A change in altitude has many potential affects on the body and if you’re planning a ride in elevation here are a few tips to keep in mind.

First off- Give yourself time to acclimate.
Plan a trip longer than a few days as it takes the body time to become acclimated to the change. If you are planning on participating in a race, make sure that you arrive a few weeks before the race so that you can train in those conditions (altitude and climate). The symptoms of altitude sickness will subside in a few days but it takes a full two weeks for the body to become fully acclimated to a change in altitude.

Second- Keep the partying in check.
Alcohol, narcotics, morphine, and barbiturates will exacerbate the signs of altitude sickness so steer clear of them before, during, and after riding. Quite frankly if you are serious about your conditioning you should steer clear of this substances always. Water and sport drinks are the best to consume before, during, and after a ride. These help keep the body in proper fluid and electrolyte balance. Due to the low humidity associated with higher altitudes your body can become dehydrated faster. Drinks like coffee should also be used in moderation since they act as a diuretic (meaning they increase your need to urinate).

Third- Diet suggestion.
Be sure to consume foods high in carbohydrates and low in protein until the body has become acclimated to the change in altitude.

Once your body does begin to become acclimated to the altitude change, the level of hemoglobin will increase. Hemoglobin is located in the red blood cells and its purpose is to carry oxygen throughout the body. Your lung size will also increase which allows more oxygen to enter the lungs. However, these changes don’t mean superhuman strength when you return back to your normal altitude. The cells in your muscles do not change regardless of where you are in relation to sea level, sorry.

Be careful and have fun out there. Getting out to enjoy new places and scenery is what our sport is all about. If you already happen to live in high elevation areas, you have an unspoken advantage over all of your fellow racers who travel up from sea level.