CoachingDIAGNOSIS

WHY IS MY CYCLING HEART RATE SO HIGH?

Your HR runs 10-20 bpm higher than you think it should for a given power output. Easy rides don't feel easy. Every session feels harder than the numbers suggest it should.

THE SHORT ANSWER

Most often, this is because cardiac drift on long rides — HR rises for the same power as fatigue accumulates. The fix: recalculate your hr zones — zones drift with fitness — retest when ftp changes.

WHY THIS HAPPENS

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Cardiac drift on long rides — HR rises for the same power as fatigue accumulates

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Dehydration — blood volume drops, HR climbs to maintain cardiac output

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Under-recovery from previous sessions, illness, or poor sleep

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Heat stress — warm days can add 10-15 bpm at the same power

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Caffeine, alcohol, or stress the night before

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Zone miscalibration — your zones may be wrong if FTP hasn't been tested recently

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Overtraining — elevated resting HR for 3+ consecutive days is a red flag

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Under-fuelling — low glycogen drives HR up at lower intensities

WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

1

Recalculate your HR zones

Zones drift with fitness — retest when FTP changes

2

Track resting HR trends

Morning RHR is your canary for under-recovery

3

Fix your fuelling

Low glycogen drives HR up at moderate intensity

4

Read the HR vs power guide

When each metric tells you the real story

FREE DIAGNOSTIC

Recalculate your HR zones

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