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

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I took a leap and assumed his query was more than rhetorical and replied. This was my answer to Mr. Cavell’s questions. First up: don’t think that you have to hang up your cycling shoes. A sensible cycling routine will protect your heart health and mental health, and even help with knee issues, arthritis and joint health.

But when an injury stopped her running activities, and her constant battle with her inner self progressed, Rachel realized what she is really going through. As body dysmorphia began to grip her fast, she knew she had to find a solution to fight her mental health demons for the sake of her own sanity. The Midlife Cyclist is my attempt to square the holy triumvate of age, speed and good-health, using the very latest clinical and academic research.

Age-related muscle loss affects Type 2 ‘fast-twitch’ muscles more than Type 1 ‘slow-twitch’ muscles, which means you are now better suited to endurance rides than harder sessions. But aim for a blend of the two. Renowned cycling biomechanics pioneer, Phil Cavell, explores the growing trend of middle-aged and older cyclists seeking to achieve high-level performance. Using contributions from leading coaches, ex-professionals and pro-team doctors, he produces the ultimate manifesto for mature riders who want to stay healthy, avoid injury – and maximise their achievement levels. Get lots of rest too. “Sleep is when you produce HGH, which will keep you performing well in your 40s,” says Cavell. Make sure your room is not only well ventilated but temperature controlled. You do not want to overheat or dehydrate. For me, there was a lot of good news in the book. I’m not just a cyclist. I do resistance training. I run regularly. And I couldn’t help but feel this didn’t need to be a book just for cyclists. Yes, there was a lot of bike-related content, but there is a running book here too, and a book for anyone who is trying to maximize their remaining time above ground. Are you middle-aged? Are you slower than you used to be, more tired? Read this book. It will help you.

The book’s premise is simple, but the thought it provokes, the questions it answers, and the ones left to ponder are far from it. Mr. Cavell describes the forty-plus cyclist as genetically irrelevant, an aberration for which evolution did not prepare. As a parent, I look at my 11-year old daughter and encourage her to revel in her youth and energy. To run and jump and cycle with glee whenever she can. The road to older age is full of potholes, however, from declining muscle mass to slowing metabolism. The positive change in my view on racing, and the sport-related anxiety I once suffered, has made me a better person and athlete. You don’t want to become one of those skinny bird-like cyclists who could function well on the bike but can’t function anywhere else.”In the middle of the journey of my life, I am--as always--a woman on a bike. Although I do not know where this road will lead, the way is not lost, for I have arrived here. And I am on my bicycle, again.

I am blown away by the level of detail Phil Cavell brings to his work.' – Elinor Barker MBE, multiple world champion and Olympic gold medallist That’s not to say I’m anti-data – my job as a thoroughly modern bikefitter requires fluency in its language and application – but technology is something that we at Cyclefit have adapted and bent to our will, rather than something that we inherently venerate or rely upon. For me, technology is a case of ‘wouldn’t this be nice?’ rather than one of ‘I just can’t cope without it’. A camera that fires at 60 frames per second (fps) versus the human eye, which routinely works at 10-12fps, can be mighty handy when looking at a client’s complicated and confused ankling patterns. But arguably more important is a deep knowledge of their personal injury history, rehab and plausible motor-patterning compensations. Actually, to tell the truth I am a little bit anti-data. Or at least I’m anti data for data’s sake. Numbers are meaningless unless we pipe in There are breaks in virtual cycling. I’ve been in many. The chess game is still there. To take it a step further, I am able to discuss my next move with my mates in real-time as it is unfolding. FTP became the unabashed god. And we had become the crash-test dummies for future generations who wanted to explore elite physical fitness into middle-age and beyond. In 2012 Cavell and Wall started the International Cyclefit Symposium ICS) – an annual and then bi-annual conference that hosted speakers from all over the world.Exercise is an antidote to some of that,” says Roberts. Riding your bike is arguably now more important than ever. “We need to keep going, but just be more intelligent in the way we do it,” advises Cavell.

Persuasively, Cavell argues for the abolition of “medium” intensity training which is (I think) what I’ve come to know as threshold training. All you need is: Reading this book, you sometimes feel that Cavell doesn’t really buy into his recipe of sensibly balanced training for the midlifer. “I’m the last person you should listen to when it comes to structured training”, he says. Another subtitle says “Lord save us from moderation.” A must-read... this brilliant book shows you that getting older doesn't mean getting slower! ― Alan Murchison, The Cycling chef and masters cycling champion As David Rebellin had a doping ban from the 2008 Olympics I have never taken him as a role model. I am not sure he is a 'fine example'. My concern when my clients ride too much indoors is that they are going too hard too much of the time. If the client can afford a temperature-controlled workout space with a huge fan then that is much better.No. Cycling will probably help you to push out that date. I think cycling and exercise is the best drug that the pharmaceutical industry has never invented, and it will preserve your lifespan almost certainly, yes. But it can't make you immortal, or me, sadly. Phil is eminently qualified to write The Midlife Cyclist. Well, he is certainly old enough.' – Fabian Cancellara, Tour de France rider and two-time Olympic champion The first assumption for us to test is on the subject of ageing, and more specifically: are we young people who occasioned to get old or are we fundamentally altered on a cellular level by the maturing process? A recent study by BioMed Central found that just over a third of UK adults in their forties had two or more underlying and chronic health issues, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and so on. In their forties! These people are so young they barely make it into the ‘midlife’ group. 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. They opened Cyclefit bike-fitting classes in 2009 and went on to work with Trek Bicycles a little while later to help create their worldwide bike-fitting educational program. Cyclefit’s educational DNA is in almost every fitting studio in the UK and many around the world. They worked with Trek’s professional racing teams for many years.