Pursuiter's Cough

[Hillandale]

I had similar problems with a hard cough which would start immediately after a hard hill climb, and continue indefinitely, for several days or longer. I had wheezing with it. I tried treating with a couple of different inhalers with partial relief.
Then one day I was talking to a pulmonologist who heard me cough and told me it was from reflux. She explained that when I was pumping up a hill, I was generating increased abdominal pressure, and forcing stomach acid high enough to spill into my bronchial tube. This was then irritated, so I would cough. The coughing in turn caused spasms of increased abdominal pressure and resultant acid reflux, which kept the cycle going. She recommended a course of OTC acid blocker, (eg., Prilosec). This relieved the coughing.
It has also helped to learn how to climb hills better, keeping my breathing relaxed and even, so I don't have the initial relux. I can still get a bit irritated, but nothing like before.