45-Year-Old Cyclist Who Rode 100 Kilometers Daily for Over 1,000 Days Died of Cardiac Arrest

Only hours into American Heart Month, cyclist Anil Kadsur, who completed a metric century every day for 42 months in a row, suffered from a cardiac arrest and died.

"Om Shanti, Anil Kadsur! Anil epitomized fitness in Bengaluru, cycling 100km daily for the past 1500+ days. His sudden departure, attributed to a massive cardiac arrest, reminds us of the unpredictability of such events," posted Citizens Movement, East Bengaluru, on X, formerly Twitter.

Kadsur, 45, of Bengaluru, India, who 'Loves fixie for the simplicity,' was affectionately known as the 'century cyclist' or 'cycle guru.' He began riding metric centuries in August 2020 when he joined a ten-day 100-kilometer cycling challenge, according to The NEWS Minute. After the challenge ended, the strength and conditioning coach made 100-kilometer rides a part of his daily routine.

Taking on such a grand feat landed him a GCN feature in 2022 when he completed his 600th metric and last May, the Bangalore Randonneurs celebrated his 1,000th 100-kilometer ride.

Only weeks into the new year, Kadsur had already logged 377.9 miles in 40 hours and 10 minutes every week for the past four weeks for a total of 1,953.6 miles over 57,818 feet of elevation.

In his last Strava post, shared only two days before his passing, Kadsur posted on his feed celebrating riding "42 months in a row daily 100 kms." According to The NEWS Minute, after completing his last 62.81-mile ride, Kadsur "complained of discomfort and was admitted to the hospital, where he later passed away on February 2."

His final post has garnered over 470 kudos and 200 comments, most from fans who expressed disbelief in the cycling legend's untimely death.

Notable members of the Indian cycling community expressed their condolences. Medical professionals have also weighed in on Kadsur's unfathomable feat.

According to Dr Sudhir Kumar, MD, a neurologist at Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad, Kadsur's exercise dose was excessive. As a result, "the benefits of exercise plateau and then become detrimental after a certain level."

"He was cycling for about 7 hours daily to cover a distance of 100 km. As per research, the effect of exercise on mortality is U-shaped: initially there is benefit, but beyond a certain exercise dose, there is detrimental effect on health and there is increased mortality risk," posted Dr. Kumar on X.

Additionally, Kadsur rode 100 kilometers with no days off.

"Studies have shown that those who exercise on [a] daily basis without at least one recovery (rest) day in a week have a higher mortality risk," said Dr. Kumar.

Kumar recommended, "Keep the exercise dose within a reasonable limit and take at least [one] day per week off from vigorous exercise."