Groundbreaking research in Victoria is investigating the impact of recreational cycling on the heart's electrical activity.
A "worrying trend" of Bendigo cyclists presenting to Bendigo Health with heart arrhythmias has prompted the La Trobe University research.
Holdsworth Research Fellow Daniel Wundersitz is conducting the study and says there are a lot of unknowns in the area.
He says there is a lack of data around the fitness and heart function of recreational cyclists.
But just because you wear lycra on the weekends, doesn't mean your heart's working overtime.
"We don't know enough in this area, there's a lot of research in the elite athletes but what about the recreational people," Dr Wundersitz said.
According to well-documented health advice, regular moderate exercise reduces the risk of illnesses like heart and lung disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Dr Wundersitz says it is not about scaring people off the bike but seeing if pushing the heart too far can have negative health outcomes, or if cycling impacts heart function and heart health differently, compared to other types of aerobic exercise.
From Paris to 'lab rat'
From France's Atlantic Coast for the "Olympics" of endurance cycling to the country roads around Mount Macedon, Woodend cyclist Tiffany Winchester has clocked up her fair share of kilometres on a bike.
She also works in academia and "really loves data", so, for her, taking part in the study is a no-brainer.
"I'm super excited to get the numbers back from the study," Dr Winchester said.
She's more comfortable going for a 200km ride on a wide country road than she is on a stationary bike in a an exercise physiology lab.
But more recently she feels like a "lab rat", as she is taking part in seven different types of studies to measure how endurance exercise impacts her body and health.
"Hopefully it's just reassuring that I'm not doing any damage to my heart," Dr Winchester said.
"And actually, [I hope] the kinds of exercise that I'm doing — even though most people think I'm crazy — are actually not damaging."
Racing for research
Dr Wundersitz is looking to put about 60 cyclists through a series of tests for the research.
The first test measures the rider's fitness, the second takes the participant to Bendigo Health to get their heart scanned.
The rider is then sent home with a monitoring device to measure their heart's regular electrical activity over five days.
The next part is six hours of endurance exercise at a moderate to high intensity, which, according to Dr Winchester, is the hardest part.
While being put through their paces on the bike, a face mask that is connected to a metabolic cart measures how the participant breathes.
"The face mask is looking at their oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production," Dr Wundersitz said.
Four or five days after the long ride, the last test measures the impact the exercise hah had on the participant's heart.
Dr Wundersitz is still looking for participants. To sign up contact him at: d.wundersitz@latrobe.edu.au
