Most of my 5k finishes are a blur… Legs screaming, lungs about to come out through my mouth, heart about to explode…
Good times!
Recommended. Would do it again.
An hour after the race: sure thing.
Five seconds after crossing the line, where you’re hesitating between passing out or throwing up: not quite.
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That looks scary to me and I would not classify it as a spike as your HR is elevated more than momentarily.
Please do consult a physician
And another one here.
That was what I was thinking it might be when I read the OP. My episodes can last 5-20 minutes though, rather than spikes.
Not life threatening, but I chose to ease up a bit in training & a make a few lifestyle changes, and i haven’t had an episode for 3 or 4 months now 
I had a similar thing with my Garmin chest strap a while back.
The spikes were made all the more confusing because I HAVE had a few occasions where my heart rate HAS gone thru the roof on a few outdoor rides. I did feel those- they were real. Had heart checked out and nothing at all obvious.
So more recently, got a few random spikes (again outdoors), where I felt fine- not the chest-thumping sensation as previous.
Anyway, on inspection I noticed one of the small press-stud contacts on the strap (and opposing part on the transmitter part), had slight oxidation on them. Cleaned that off with some IPA and toothbrush etc, gave the strap a good clean and put a small amount of Vaseline on the contacts, and it’s been fine since with no spikes.
Now…admittedly, I don’t clean it anywhere near as much as I should,
Hello
I had exactly the same last year when I started training on a home trainer. It happened on the home trainer (picture below), so I changed the battery of my heart monitor as I thought it was not working well, but it happened on my next outdoor ride in a small climb. I checked with my watch and a finger on my wrist : indeed the heart rate was at the minimum over 190. (my “normal” max heart rate is around 180).
It scared me so I had a full check including an electrocardiogram done on a bike (like a ramp test but the doctor monitors your heart, your VO2 max, your oxygen rate in the blood…). I then had a heart monitor with 4 or 5 electrodes for a few days, including during rides outdoors and indoors but I could not reproduce the problem. I then had a heart echography.
At the end the doctor said that I was in perfect condition, and that my heart was 1.5 times as big as the average. He said that it happens often to 50+ year old people (I’m 55). It is not dangerous, it’s just uncomfortable. He said that it happens often when you have a big heart and just after you change your usual exercise load. Cold or heat can also have an influence.
In my case I was starting Home Training, so the trainings I was doing were harder than what I was used to (I did hard training in the past when I was running, but that was at least 10 years ago. I started riding 10 years ago, but I never really “trained”. I went riding, most of the time uphill as I live in the Alps, but I never did interval training until covid). So training on a home trainer was a real change in the difficulty of my rides. That could explain it. But since then it seems my body got used to it, as I never had it again since a year, except once when I started a ride and it was cold outside.
So the good news for you is that it’s probably not dangerous, but the bad news is that it will probably come back from time to time. But I’m not a doctor, so could be good to do a check with your doctor.
Hello,
Edit after a few years : the issue with my heart going over 200 came back more regularly. I did 3 effort tests with my cardio doctor, who did not detect anything (every time I did it, the heart was back to normal). Since November 2023, , it became permanent : any effort would make my heart go over 200. The doctor made me wear me a ‘holter’, a portable ECG for a week, saw my heart go to 231, and diagnosed an ‘attrial flutter’. Good news is that it’s not dangerous, and with a light surgery it can be fixed easily. This is what I did and now my heart is working as normal again. After less than one month I could do a 160km / 3000m D+ race without issue.
I’m writing this update to encourage people with similar symptoms to see a doctor, as it can also be a more dangerous issue.
Besides the heart going too high (at peak value, but also at average value), another symptom can be a very irregular heart beat. See the screenshot attached for the same training with and without the issue
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Thanks for the update. Glad you got it figured out and fixed.
I had a similar high HR reading a couple times, except I was doing zone 2 and it suddenly shot up to over 200, while using hand grip HR sensors on a stationary bike. I subsequently had a panic attack, with dizziness, and my left arm and hand were cold for a few hours. That resulted in a number of tests, and the electrophysiologist & I both believed it was a panic attack, but during the testing, we also found a blockage (got a stent) and a Brugada syndrome diagnosis (neither determined to be related to the initial high HR episode).
As others have said, make sure your HR monitor strap sensors are moistened (water works fine for me). Sometimes, when I initially start my workout, I’ll get an abnormally high reading, and putting a little water at those 2 locations brings the reading down to where it should be. Also, if you have a pulse-oximeter, (clamps on the end of the forefinger) that you maybe bought during covid, you can use that to check any possibly errant readings, and it fits nicely in a pocket for road rides.