As bike riders and racers, we train extensively, we eat right,
we don't smoke and we're not obese. Heart-wise, this should put
us way ahead of the curve. Recently, however, there are
increasing reports of competitive athletes experiencing major
cardiac events. How can a heart that sustains a major aerobic
effort be vulnerable to a heart attack? Sudden, unexpected
cardiac events in athletes are usually caused by "acquired"
heart disease. That is, the same heart disease present in
sedentary overweight truck drivers. Here we'll explore how these
events occur, how one "acquires" the disease and ways you can
safeguard against sudden cardiac failure. The Science of an
Attack The heart is a large muscle that pumps 100,000 times
daily. The muscle requires blood to contract. Blood is delivered
to the beating heart muscle by the coronary arteries, which are
on the surface of the heart. "Acquired" heart disease involves
the build up of cholesterol, fat and scar tissue inside these
blood vessels. Less appreciated, but mo