Lifelong veteran male endurance athletes, including competitive masters category gran fondo cyclists, are more likely to have heart scarring and suffer sudden cardiac death (SCD), according to a just published medical study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging.

With SCD a “leading cause of mortality” in older endurance athletes, the years-long research project studied 106 former competitive cyclists and triathletes who trained 10+ hours a week for more than 15 years, including former Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) President Brian Cookson OBE.

The study found 47% had scarring on their heart, specifically the primary left ventricle. It is believed that among longtime endurance athletes the scarring could be caused by years of frequent, long and repeated exercising where the heart works harder to pump blood.

The study also estimates that the athletes with heart scarring were over 4.5 times more likely to have an abnormal heart rhythm episode – which is linked to an increased risk of SCD – compared to those without scarring.

That is what happened to Brian Cookson OBE.

The 74 year-old life-long competitive cyclist experienced an abnormal heart rhythm when his heart rate soared to 238bpm during a training session and stayed there for minutes. Luckily, Cookson was one of the cyclists participating in the study and after reviewing heart data from the training session he was fitted with an ICD – a tiny implant that administers an electric shock if the heart rate rhythm is abnormal.

“I’m so grateful to have been part of this study. It might well have saved my life,” Cookson told the British Heart Foundation. “Without it, I might have carried on pushing myself until something more serious happened. 

Dr. Peter Swoboda, Associate Professor in cardiology at the University of Leeds in England, who led the study, offered aging endurance athletes this sage advice: “In our study, the athletes who experienced dangerous heart rhythms often had symptoms first. I’d encourage anyone who experiences blackouts, dizziness, chest pain or breathlessness, whether during sport or at rest, to speak to their doctor and get it checked out.”

Photo Credit: briancookson.com

© 2019-2025 All Rights Reserved Gran Fondo Daily