How Much Does Age Affect Your Cycling Performance and What Can You Do About It? 

I am similar to you, great eh. Kudos. I knocked 30 seconds off a pb off a strava segment the other day... turning 58. I realise I need that protein recovery drink as soon as I get indoors.

That's a huge drop in weight. What did you change to loos the weight?

Al Sayers This is great but I wish I started cycling properly when I was a kid. It’s a massive regret. Now I have to make the most of middle age, & I tell you recovery is slow & painful now :(

@@JoeA111 My fitness/weight loss journey has taken place over five years. The first year I lost about 15 -20 pounds on my own. Running 4 days a week and lifting weights 2 days. But I really didn’t change my diet all that much. After a year of that I started using a cycling coach and in that first year I stayed about where I had been with weight at around 192-196, but my FTP increased dramatically. The next year I went to see a nutritionist and had my RMR, VO2 and PBF measured, 19.5 using an InBody. I also started tracking everything I ate on the “My Fitness” app. I was targeting specific calorie and nutrients values. That took me to 182 average. At that time I had another InBody scan and I was at 13.7 PBF. This past August I changed my lifestyle. I work evenings in the theater in NY, aka stagehand, doing shows. I eat my last bite at around 8:15pm to 8:30pm and go right to bed after getting home at around 10:30pm. No TV, computer or any screens. Nothing to eat. Usually I drink some sparkling water, brush my teeth and off to bed. On average I get another hour per night of sleep. In that time 15 to 20 pounds has just melted off. I am working out an extra day a week. I drink alcohol once or twice a week but not more than one drink with dinner. I eat whole foods. Virtually no red meat. Chicken, fish, brown rice, potatoes, vegetables, beans, oat meal, fruits and a little dark chocolate. I track to make sure I am getting the necessary calories and nutrients. I plan to have my body fat measured again. I have had no loss of power on the bike, as tracked on TP, or lifting in the gym, from the additional weight loss. That is how it has gone for me. Each thing has built on the other. I thought I was at the pinnacle of middle age fitness when I weighed 182. Now I look at that and realize there was weight there that could go. I am enjoying trying to optimize myself. Strange to think that my max fitness is taking place in my 7th decade. Good luck on your journey!

Al Sayers Thanks for the break down.

or till you fall off your bike

jom_ aca That is how I expect to go 💥

Of course you're going to decline. That's a fact of life. But you'll decline a whole lot faster if you just sit on the sofa eating pork rinds all day.

How many years did you run? How many days a week did you run and for how long each run?

Rich get your knees done now. I'm 66 and just had mine done. Still in the recovery stage but I don't have the pain I once did. It's a tough surgery/recovery with plenty of pain but it's going to be worth it. I highly recommend that you go to someone that does knees and or hips only. I also recommend Dr Ryan Molli at the Whole Health Joint Replacement Center in Meadville Pa. Thats all he does is knees and hips. You won't regret it.

Tell me about it! Don't give in, keep going.

My long term goal is to still have the passion to ride in 30 years like you are. 💪

If you knees are bad, all the more reason to do squat. I'm not saying go out and put 4 plates on the rack. But I do mean go through the motions. My knees cracked when I was a teenager. By the time I was 30 they began to hurt all the time, and more and more as time passed. I stopped training figuring that was the end of that and it turned out to be the biggest mistake I ever made. All my life I had seen people get older and stop training because some joint or body part failed. Then they'd get fatter and more frail by the day. I vowed that I would never let that happen to me but fell into depression and did just that. Sure enough, I got fat and ugly, and so weak I could barely walk. Then 5 years ago I read a study on people weight training in their 80s and decided to turn that around. I started doing leg extension beginning with just a single plate and you know what? I got stronger and stronger and my knees got better, not worse. Nobody can stop father time, but you can give him a run for his money. Of course that's just what worked for me, and I felt compelled to share it. Only you can decide what's right for you.

I just turned 60. I agree with all your points. Especially the early in the AM fasting rides. Possibly a zombie thread but your story caught my eye.

LOL

No Doubt!! It’s like it’s an unwritten rule in cycling, good hair = go faster

😂😂😂😂😂😂

So far...🤪

Great point. At 46, I have similar goals but I still want to ride hard. My legs are often sore and some of my riding partners complain of increased soreness as well.

That's quick. I've never been able to do 30km/h for more than a couple of minutes and I cycle every day too. I'm 52 now and cycle at more like 20km/h rather than 24km/h. It's the last 5 years or so when I've noticeably slowed and get overtaken a lot more than I used to.

I had to get blood tests done to ensure my vitamin and mineral levels were adequate for strenuous cycling. Vit B, magnesium, potassium and iron levels are very important for fast cycling. I regularly take supplements for the above. Hope this helps.

ONe word.......WOW..

So funny, I just posted that I had a very similar life. So I don't miss all the "I was so much stronger and fit in my 20's" that most people miss.

Dude, hat backwards grandpa, MY NEW HERO!!!!!!

Dylan Johnson nice video. I had to look up KOM. Lol Ok ok I’ll start using Strava

Grandpa doesn't cotton to those computers and such

Backwards hat grandpa figures he can smash it hard every day and just take a Centrum Silver for recovery.

Gramps looks terrifying. The makeup was very well done.

Wonderful if it finally works out that way; with one of my grandmothers it didn´t and it was quite painful and sad to see her fading away this awful way

Rob K lose....

@@ChopperCindy Thank you.. i'm visually impaired and sometimes my dictation program makes errors.

So, bicycling every day eventually killed him? I can relate . . . once went out for a quick 20-miler and woke up in an ambulance. At 67, hadn't ridden in 16 years . . . got sick while riding 50-milers 3X a week . . . stress + over-exercise = raised Cortisol. Now, just riding slow 10-milers to improve my health, lose weight.

Sean, Inherent knowledge is a the magic of getting older! enjoy.

When I was your age, I read a book on masters running and I thought the same thing. Well here I am and I found out. Everything we knew back then was wrong. But we had some great masters runners and it was worth getting to know them.

Vegan FTW!

@@savonaaaron Forever Two Wheels!

Hear, hear. Always looked up to those guys with the "no quit" attitude, and knew early on I wanted to one be one of them. I hope I can be the inspiration for the next generation.

what is your vo2

You speld aging rong.

I'm not a fan of fasted exercise. I tried it and it didn't work for me. But what works for you is all that's important. Good luck.

67 here. The perception seems different than academic wisdom. When you ride within your age-group it feels just as being younger. Plus better training (enthousiasm) and more quality miles compensate in real life to the lesser trained younger buddies.

I wonder sometimes when I will hit my peak. Starting as an untrained cyclist three years ago, I've enjoyed seeing gains and even the occasional KOM along the way. I'm not sure if coaching and better quality training may take me further (I'm 50), but my question is how does the age at start impact one's fitness? Is there still more room to improve potentially? Thanks for the great video!

I am 75 and I ride better now than when I was in my 50

It's just a motorcycle.

Steve K at 20 mph it’s a minibike 😂😂😂

@John Ratican you still need to pedal, idiot...

Paul Evans ditto for me at 68.

Is there a downside to testo supplements?? i hear alot of ads on media but thought it was strong hormone

@@billbrandon5936, I take MuscleTech AlphaTest ATP & Testosterone Booster. It doesn't actually contain hormones, but helps your body produce them naturally. It's worked well for me by helping me maintain muscle mass. If you want to get the actual male hormone, you'd have to see your physician to get a shot.

Thanks ____interesting

The key here is to underperform relative to your potential in your youth and then rock the socks off your younger untrained self. And a single 65 year old's performance is a single data point in a normal distribution. There will always be people for whom the decline in performance associated with aging will be less pronounced.

Samson9740 same here.

Plant powered and going strong 💪

Imagine what carnivore would do!

spinz7 a carnivore would ride like a 70 year old.

I was at my weakest while vegan. I’ve been carnivore for 18 months now. Im 45, my body composition looks like it did when I was 18 and I’m stronger now than I’ve ever been.

I've had the same experience. I did real well this year racing as a 55-year-old, but I'm at the point where the intensity required is no longer possible. I just can't recover. I do pretty well still against others that are 55 years old or older though :-)

My goal is to be the best 40, 50, 60...etc. year old in the group. As long as I'm can be that I'm satisfied.

One study showed higher calcium score in marathon runners. Not great evidence since vessel wall could have calcium due to “trauma” or fibroblast apoptosis rather than atherosclerosis and more research is needed.