The Midlife Cyclist: The Road Map for the +40 Rider Who Wants to Train Hard, Ride Fast and Stay Healthy

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We need to scale back and realize that in our dotage, bicycling is supposed to be fun, not flogging. On a Borg Scale this would still be quite low — maybe 12 or 13, where 6 is lying on a bed reading a book and 20 is full effort. If we are to strive for emotional equilibrium, then reducing the outside stress to focus only upon the ultimate goal, to win, may in fact be the absolute goal. We need platforms like Pedal and Tring Tring to encourage citizens in developing countries to use bicycles as a primary mode of transportation without any stigma".

Studies in the UK have shown that people’s mental health was positively affected by interacting with nature during the Covid lockdown. Riding indoors will almost certainly not positively contribute to maintaining your fluid intelligence. It is also a very safe activity - once you get the technique down, you have more points of contact with the groundless likely to turn your ankle or fall. He is not impressed with our pursuit of high cadences, or even smooth pedalling, noting that the people who stomp on the pedals tend to be the ones winning the races. The reason pros can train for longer at a lower effort is because they aren't trying to fit in some training around their job.Cavell speaks to us in an empathetic voice, a voice that has shared our mistakes and bad habits, a very human voice. Neither are central to the book, but are mentioned a lot – Phil, if you’re reading this, just leave them out of the second edition! I also believe that if you are an ageing athlete (I am 63) then it is important to have more recovery weeks once the intensity gets into muscular endurance. The road to older age is full of potholes, however, from declining muscle mass to slowing metabolism.

Because the truth is, we amateurs do feel that hard work is the way forward, and I have trouble understanding why. If the answer is ‘yes’, and I should push the performance envelope without regard to age, then am I risking injury or even death? We collaborated on hundreds of custom bikes for Cyclefit clients, and during that time he shared volumes of experience with me. Lifestyle obviously plays a big role in such statistics but we also cannot escape the destiny contained in our genes and their unbroken links to our ancestors. In this chapter, the author, who is widely known as a foremost bike fitter in most cycling circles, and co-founder of Cyclefit, gives an extensive breakdown of every point of contact between athlete and machine.The bicycle is an ever-present instrument of human mobility and transportation besides recreation and sport. But his suggestion of getting off the bike from time to time to do other things, such as weight training or alternative sports, is seen more and more as beneficial, particular as athletes age and muscle mass declines even as endurance is maintained.