Another rider here, with exercise-induced asthma and I sympathize with you all who have asthma.

I got re-educated by the Intermountain Asthma and Allergy Specialists here in Salt Lake City recently after having my meds and asthma for about ten years and coming to their office for the first time since we moved here....

Here is what I learned:

A lot of patients are inhaling NOT the medicine but the propellant in their inhalers, after the meds run out. The inhaler can feel like it has plenty of stuff left in it, but IT DOESN'T!

My new doctor taught me how to put the inhaler, tank and the plastic holder all, in a wide glass of deep water.

(1) if it's FULL, it will sink to the bottom and float horizontally..... (make sure the little plastic holder around the little metal tank gets water in it too, tip it over until water gets in it.)

(2) if it floats at a 45 degree angle, it's still usable but getting LOW.

(3) if it floats on TOP or at less (shallower) than a 45 degree angle, it's ALL propellant and should be tossed!

The other two things I learned from this great, older, experienced and very much "I'm on your clock, not mine during the appointment" type of doctor, was:

Are you using a spacer chamber with your inhaler AND are you taking the medicines in the inhaler correctly?

Without a spacer (and if you can, get one that whistles if you INHALE TOO FAST OR TOO HARD), because your meds go on the back of your tongue or mouth but NOT down your lungs if that's happening!

Taking a spacer with an inhaler on a bike ride might sound bulky but they make some that also hold the inhaler inside it so you can take it out and plug the inhaler into one end. Also some collapse into smaller sized and can be pulled out to full expansion size when you use them AND they hold the inhaler inside when not in use.

Next, take JUST one puff using the spacer, and WAIT five minutes....DON'T RUSH THAT SECOND OR THIRD PUFF!! Too many patients I learned, put two puffs in the spacer chamber and inhale it all at once....WRONG!! It needs at least five minutes between puffs for the full correct effect to be seen.

Also, do you have a peak flow meter? This is a little plastic flat device that opens up and you blow in it three times with the arrow pulled to the bottom and it shows what your breathing ability is for that day, in or out of your "good" range or in the "yellow" caution range or "red" for the "Go to your doctor" range.

The amount of inhaler you take depends on that reading. Bad days, more puffs, and good days maybe NO puffs.

Also, I take Singulair (before bedtime is best he said) and a decongestant at night, too with the Dr's suggestion. Advair gave me fits and Serevent alone gave me problems also. But Flovent was great for me along with the Albuterol.

Flovent treats the inflammation of asthma and the albuterol is a vasoconstrictor/bronchodilator that opens up the bronchioles (lung spaces) larger to let more air in.

I learned that NOT all asthma meds work for everybody, and I found also that the Asthma therapists or Inhalation therapists at the local clinic in Wisconsin, didn't know squat about what they were doing -- they had set my "good" level on the PF meter way too high!!! Consequently I was overdosing daily! It was 150 points lower in reality, not as high as they had set it for me.

I agree with all the others about warming up and getting your lungs used to going up hills, and also that you do need a yearly or twice yearly check in with a pulmonologist or a good asthma/allergy doctor. I use both because I also have pulmonary hypertension caused by untreated sleep apnea.

My doctor also told me that keeping my environment as carpet-free, pet hair-free, smoke and dust-free was the best way to assure less lung problems. In our Rv, problem solved!!!

Asthma can be managed but not cured. Weight has a lot to do with it also. When I lost 90 lbs, all my asthma symptoms disappeared!

Good management includes regular checkups, taking and using your inhalers and meds correctly, checking your breathing with a peak flow meter and charting your monthly breathing with a daily chart, to see patterns of ups and downs in your asthma, that may be related to stress, climate, activity and/or environment.

Best of luck to you and we're all with you, you can ride with asthma, but you have to manage it first.