Riding in smoke, AQI limits

Seems dumb to do it today, especially since I just cut the grass during my lunch.

thanks for the feedback!

image

1 Like

How do we deal with it? - we HTFU that’s how! :grinning: :grinning: :grinning: But seriously, I would think your best option is to train indoors w/ a bunch of fans. Wear an ice vest (store bought or homemade). Wear a heart rate monitor - may give you clues you’re about to over-heat. And just wait it out.

1 Like

The best way to beat the smoke is to ride indoors and use a HEPA filter in your house. I have 3 of these throughout the house. They are very effective and quite.

Coway Airmega 200M True HEPA and Activated-Carbon Air Purifier, AP-1518R - White https://a.co/d/2XWmyHD

1 Like

Seconded. I have the previous model from the same brand, and an indoor air quality monitor in the room where I work out, and it makes a significant difference in AQI, even with the windows open.

1 Like

Same here. If it’s Smokey outside, I turn on the purifier about 20 minutes before I head out to the garage. Can bring the AQI numbers (per my indoor monitor) down well into the green zone.

1 Like

Same here.

To the OP: The question you need to ask yourself is why you’re training in the first place? If it’s required to make a living because you are a professional cyclist, then you have to take more risks. But if it’s to maybe grab a podium spot in your local cat 3 road race, well… you get where I’m going with this. Indoor with an air purifier is about as good as it can get if you must train when the air outside is crap.

This is sad. I live in Chicago and this is a screenshot of my last two weeks of training … the first week visually looks how a summer week should. The second week looks how a typical week in January should. Most of it (except 1 day) due to AQI issues.

I had a few other issues mixed in … a tire blowout and an on/off janky calf, but you get the point.

There are no forest fires anywhere within ~1000 miles of Chicago … yet the fires elsewhere are so bad this is what is happening.

I’ve never done a full week on a trainer in July :disappointed:

1 Like

Close to 100, I skip outside. Would feel funny about 75 but prob still go for endurance.

So obviously everyone is comfortable with different levels of risk, but do you stick to your AQI “hard deck” even on race day? Here in New England we have had multiple >100 days (I found myself out in one after a misreported sensor and didn’t have a great time) and with my year’s A-race coming up I’d be conflicted if race day was above my limit. Hopefully this won’t be a decision I have to make, but just gets me thinking.

So to follow up I did go ahead and ride with an AQI of ~130 and when I was 3 minutes into my first VO2 interval I started noticing some soreness in my throat. Finished the workout fine but I did notice the throat a lot. Had a bit of a sore throat/dry cough this morning but it passed in a couple of hours. Our AQI is back down to much more normal levels today (PM2.5 is now 62).

I think I would be more concerned about it if we spent more time over 100 but it’s thankfully pretty rare. I’ll hopefully be doing an endurance ride outside tonight.

1 Like

This is a pretty interesting real-world study: Impact of air pollution on running performance | Scientific Reports
Suggests even “lower” limits have a quantifiable effect on performance

Methods are reasonable, good discussion of limitations, and results generally consistent with more controlled studies.

1 Like

Payback for what? Like, did the rest of the country hope Seattle had bad air?

What an oddly dumb, misguided comment.

3 Likes

People will call you mad but from my experience living in chiang mai Thailand I know the effects of it.

1 Like