i just moved from SoCal to Golden, CO and am having trouble adjusting to the altitude. i had to move a week earlier than planned, so was unable to start taking aspirin daily before i left. i made the mistake of going on a medium ride the second day there, did a heavy conditioning workout with weights the next day, and proceeded to get sick after that. i'm just getting over the sickness now, and went for an "easy" ride today.
my fitness level is half decent, certainly much better than the average person's. today, at 65-75% of my max hr, i was about 1-1.5 mph slower on the flats....no big deal. however, as soon as i would begin any type of climbing (and i mean any type), my hr would shoot up, so much so that i would almost be at my max after a couple of minutes. for those of you who know Golden, there are not many flat routes around. considering i've gone from pretty much sea level to about 6000ft, how should i adjust? i was told it could take up to two weeks to adjust normally, but up to six months when it comes to rigorous exercise...is this true? also should i start taking aspirin daily now anyway? any advice would be greatly appreciated.