Older riders: Has your strength/fitness gradually declined or in noticeable steps?

[esoxlucius]

One thing's for sure though. We are all bemoaning out gradual deterioration in performance levels as we grow older, but compared to the vast majority of the population us cyclists are all still as fit as fiddles, regardless of age.

That fact is something we should all give ourselves a deserved pat on the back!

 

[bulldoze]

One thing's for sure though. We are all bemoaning out gradual deterioration in performance levels as we grow older, but compared to the vast majority of the population us cyclists are all still as fit as fiddles, regardless of age.

That fact is something we should all give ourselves a deserved pat on the back!

Any exercise is better than nothing of course.

Cycling is popular as a activity because it essentially makes something difficult - travelling distance - relatively easy. Sure you can make it difficult if you have the will power to do so but something like running keeps you on task by default - no coasting or easy downhills when you run. Fact is there are many better, more efficient and safer choices for fitness and health than cycling.

If anyone is seriously committed to health, fitness and longevity then cycling should be really be supplementary - not the main course.

 

[Alex321]

One thing's for sure though. We are all bemoaning out gradual deterioration in performance levels as we grow older, but compared to the vast majority of the population us cyclists are all still as fit as fiddles, regardless of age.

That fact is something we should all give ourselves a deserved pat on the back!

Agreed.

I am the oldest employee in the office I work in at 66, only one other in their 60's, and not that many in their 50's.

But when we have corporate events, it is obvious I am among the top few for fitness. And the majority of my exercise comes from cycling and Morris dancing.

 

[PaulSB]

Any exercise is better than nothing of course.

Cycling is popular as a activity because it essentially makes something difficult - travelling distance - relatively easy. Sure you can make it difficult if you have the will power to do so but something like running keeps you on task by default - no coasting or easy downhills when you run. Fact is there are many better, more efficient and safer choices for fitness and health than cycling.

If anyone is seriously committed to health, fitness and longevity then cycling should be really be supplementary - not the main course.

Could you give some examples?

 

[mickle]

Im 63. I was never a particularly high miler, relying on a decent commute to keep my base fitness to a level. But over the last 20 years as my job(s) changed my mileage really dropped. I really noticed the difference in my fitness, my stamina and my speed. How much was aging versus lower mileage I don't know.

And then i got leukaemia and even though i was over the age threshold, I still had enough base fitness that my consultant put me forward for a stem cell transplant.

I cant ride more than a couple of miles now, without knackering myself out, but i have every reason to believe that it'll get better with time. Ive got several bikes out there desperate to be ridden!

 

[esoxlucius]

But when we have corporate events, it is obvious I am among the top few for fitness. And the majority of my exercise comes from cycling and Morris dancing.

The extremely shocking thing is though and it's a sad reflection on modern society, is that it's not just people our own age we are much fitter than, it's the younger generation too!!

My 22 year old son "thinks" he is quite a stud. He does a bit of gym work to build those muscles for the girls of course, but on the rare occasions he joins me for a jog he is totally wasted. Totally out of his depth, it's as if his cardio vascular fitness doesn't even exist!

And that probably applies to hundreds of thousands of young 20-30 year olds out there.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I may stop sandbagging next year. When I do everyone had better watch out!

On second thoughts, next year is getting a bit close. Maybe the year after.

The hour record awaits you

 

[Webbo2]

Any exercise is better than nothing of course.

Cycling is popular as a activity because it essentially makes something difficult - travelling distance - relatively easy. Sure you can make it difficult if you have the will power to do so but something like running keeps you on task by default - no coasting or easy downhills when you run. Fact is there are many better, more efficient and safer choices for fitness and health than cycling.

If anyone is seriously committed to health, fitness and longevity then cycling should be really be supplementary - not the main course.

So Dave from my cycling club who is 75 recently rode from North Yorkshire to Barcelona and you are of the opinion that cycling is not that great for health, fitness and longevity. What you recommend for him to get fit and healthy.

 

[Drago]

but something like running keeps you on task by default - no coasting or easy downhills when you run. Fact is there are many better, more efficient and safer choices for fitness and health than cycling.

Ah, running. That has left me with ligament damage and unable to now even break into a trot. I can still walk just fine, so the NHS are reluctant to operate as it doesnt hinder my daily living, but its still a ballache.

Cycling, approached sensibly, is a superb low impact exercise. Heart, lungs, musculeosketal system all get a damn fine workout.

Balance, cognition, hazard perception and reactions also get used.

And for good measure its been shown to have positive benefits for the mental wellbeing side of things. What's not to like?

Supplement regular cycling with some moderate upper body work and some stretching, say 20 minutes of both three times a week, and you're doing very well indeed. For a normal Joe or Jane who doesnt have a personal trainer or masses of spare time for a gym programme, cycling is easy to incorporate into daily living and one of the most accessible and effective methods achieving and maintaining physical wellbeing. Don't knock it.

 

[Dogtrousers]

something like running keeps you on task by default - no coasting or easy downhills when you run. Fact is there are many better, more efficient and safer choices for fitness and health than cycling.

Fixed gear?

 

[HarryTheDog]

I am 63, when I was around 53 and commuted around 40 miles a day. I bought a power meter for the bike. I joked it was to show my general decline as I got older.My FTP was about 205 watts and I weighed 69 kilos. I retired 6 months ago my tested FTP a month ago was 206 watts but I weigh 73 kilos. According to my garmin I have the Vo2 max of a 20yr old . So in summary I seem to have lost no power at all in 10 years.
I expect to lose some however in the next 10.

 

[Drago]

My breakfast weighed 69kg!

 

[Big T]

I’m 66 and I’m fitter and doing more miles than I have done for years. I’m coming up on 7000 miles for the year, double what I was doing a few years ago. I can easily keep up on club rides where the average speed is 16/17/18mph. I’ve lost about 3st and I’m climbing better too.

I sometimes ride with people in their 70’s and early 80’s and whilst they are still fit, they can’t do back to back days like I still can. I’m averaging about 150 miles a week currently, but was doing up to 30” miles a week in the summer. Being retired and having more free time means I can get out more and can pick and choose when I go out, so I don’t have to ride when the weather is bad.

I was riding back from the cafe on Tuesday with a guy who is 75, and both of us were saying that we don’t feel our age. I think the secret is to keep riding for as long as you can, even if you are a bit slower than you used to be.

 

[Shearwater Missile]

There are some good reads here.
I am 67, just like Jon. I noticed quite a sudden drop in speed 3 years ago. Until then I easily managed over 17mph for a say 20mile ride. This dropped to way under 17 and I tried to find all reasons under the sun. Was it the weather ? Too cold, too windy or was it just age ? I also developed a pain in my left calf which sometimes I had to ease up whilst out so of course that made me slower. Some days were better than others. Through 2023 the cycling did not get any faster again or 2024. I just put up with it. I did have a bout of Covid in summer 2024 but that did not make matters worse. I went on to blood pressure pills because my BP was deemed too high and indeed it was. It never had been. In context, I was a runner from aged 20 to 50, that`s when I gave up because of my knees. I`d always been a cyclist. I thought perhaps the BP tablets would help. No, they did not, although the BP came down. It suddenly occurred to me when my speed dropped. It was about 4 weeks after having a Covid vaccine in the autumn of 2022. Coincidence ? Strangely enough, about the same time I was getting slower on the bike my wife started developing spots all over her body. The doctors or private hospital could not find the cause, I mean we went through everything, diet, bed bugs, washing power etc etc etc. In the end after about 6 months they went. Is that too much of a coincidence, as we both had that Covid shot at the same time ? It was the Moderna one. Would anybody believe me ?
Fast forward to this autumn. After feeling lethargic most times on the bike throughout the spring and summer months and almost on the verge of chucking it in after a terrible ride, I felt wasted, on a 19 mile ride with about 9 miles to go. I checked my BP and it had dropped way too low. I stopped taking the BP tablets and after about 3 days I started to feel `better`. I have been off them now for 2 months, my BP is normal and my legs feel the old me. I was always one to go as fast and as safe as I could. The only time I had an easy ride was after an off ! Anyway, my average time is slowly creeping up but not back to where it was, so perhaps a bit of aging as come in too it as well. Just one more thing. I have not said a word to the doctor about the tablets.
Jon speaks about Bishop`s Hill in Ipswich, I know it well. I have ridden up it, run up it. Ipswich has some lovely hills ? Valley Road, Constitutional Hill, Devonshire Road.
Sorry if I have rambled on a bit

 

[Shearwater Missile]

There are some good reads here.
I am 67, just like Jon. I noticed quite a sudden drop in speed 3 years ago. Until then I easily managed over 17mph for a say 20mile ride. This dropped to way under 17 and I tried to find all reasons under the sun. Was it the weather ? Too cold, too windy or was it just age ? I also developed a pain in my left calf which sometimes I had to ease up whilst out so of course that made me slower. Some days were better than others. Through 2023 the cycling did not get any faster again or 2024. I just put up with it. I did have a bout of Covid in summer 2024 but that did not make matters worse. I went on to blood pressure pills because my BP was deemed too high and indeed it was. It never had been. In context, I was a runner from aged 20 to 50, that`s when I gave up because of my knees. I`d always been a cyclist. I thought perhaps the BP tablets would help. No, they did not, although the BP came down. It suddenly occurred to me when my speed dropped. It was about 4 weeks after having a Covid vaccine in the autumn of 2022. Coincidence ? Strangely enough, about the same time I was getting slower on the bike my wife started developing spots all over her body. The doctors or private hospital could not find the cause, I mean we went through everything, diet, bed bugs, washing power etc etc etc. In the end after about 6 months they went. Is that too much of a coincidence, as we both had that Covid shot at the same time ? It was the Moderna one. Would anybody believe me ?
Fast forward to this autumn. After feeling lethargic most times on the bike throughout the spring and summer months and almost on the verge of chucking it in after a terrible ride, I felt wasted, on a 19 mile ride with about 9 miles to go. I checked my BP and it had dropped way too low. I stopped taking the BP tablets and after about 3 days I started to feel `better`. I have been off them now for 2 months, my BP is normal and my legs feel the old me. I was always one to go as fast and as safe as I could. The only time I had an easy ride was after an off ! Anyway, my average time is slowly creeping up but not back to where it was, so perhaps a bit of aging as come in too it as well. Just one more thing. I have not said a word to the doctor about the tablets.
Jon speaks about Bishop`s Hill in Ipswich, I know it well. I have ridden up it, run up it. Ipswich has some lovely hills ? Valley Road, Constitutional Hill, Devonshire Road.
Sorry if I have rambled on a bit

I still maintain the Covid shot in 2022 was the trigger in all of this. I`d be interested if anyone has had a similar experience or is it just in my head ?