So, I hit 62 this Jan and have to admit, was feeling a bit sluggish. Just seemed like hard work on familiar routes (mtb mainly but road as well). I’m ok with getting older but for the first time kind of thought that this is the way it’s going now…
Anyway, got a turbo and Zwift really just to get some extra rides in when the weather is bad/dark nights etc rather than a planned fitness regime. Now I’m getting PR’s here and there and generally feeling fitter and more lively than I have for a while which is nice. Today was a case of chasing some riding buddies on a road ride that was a ‘social’ pace but their social is my balls-out keeping up. Still, got me a load of PR’s so must have done me good.

So, my question is – when will I genuinely slow down because I’m aging or is there still hope for a little while longer?

Look at vet standards for time trials for a guide. Past 40, and especially past 50, you can realistically expect to lose performance compared to what you might have managed as a fit 30 year old, but if you were not particularly fit when younger, there’s no reason why you won’t be fitter at any older age.

I only started running about age 40 and have gradually improved to past 50. I think I’m probably just about to start going downhill, but hope to do so gently. I’d rather be fit for another 10+ years than quick for 3 and then break down. I don’t have a cat in hell’s chance of PBs at age 60+ whatever I do though!

Have you read Joe Friel’s Fast after Fifty, really helped and motivated me

but if you were not particularly fit when younger, there’s no reason why you won’t be fitter at any older age.

This

I’m 64 next month & was thinking the same yesterday on a Swaledale ride. 3 of us out, me, Steve & Stu. Steve is 55, Stu is 40. Stu is pretty fit, does a bit of CX racing etc, maybe a bit fitter than I was at 40 & Steve is skinny & just goes & rides. I was OK just plodding along, Stu was well ahead of Steve who was miles ahead of me & I thought, ‘stuff it, I’m well past my best nowadays’, just enjoy yourself before you need to have an Ebike.
Any hope for a 64 yr old?

+1 for Fast After Fifty

There’s various physiological reasons why you slow down with age that you can’t get away from but if you start fit you stay fitter, i.e. the downward slope is roughly the same but you start at a higher level.

The other thing is rest – you just need more of it. I’m 61 and I can no longer just do day after day after day. Also I used to be able to recover on even a slight easing in gradient, that doesn’t happen any more.

I am 59. I have not ridden with others for ages until recently – went out for a gravel ride with a roadie 20 years my junior and didn’t get my arse handed to me and the same with a group out mtbing all of whom were at least 2 decades younger

I will never be fast and do not have the build for a climber – but I was pleasantly suprised not to have lost a lot of fitness. I’m probably no slower than I was 20 years ago.

Just find younger, but slower people to ride with 🙂

I’m 53 but thanks to taking up a bit of XC racing, smart turbo trainers and Zwift I’m fitter (and faster) than I’ve ever been.

To be fair to myself, the guys I ride with regularly, all younger by a spread of years, have all built a ton of fitness over the last few years (good for them obviously) and I’m not beating myself up about it. Will take a look at the Fast over Fifty though, sounds good.

the main thing is I’m still enjoying riding which is what it’s all about at the end of the day.

Just ordered Fast over Fifty – good timing.

As you age you lose muscle mass and strength and if you don’t train to compensate your performance will suffer. There’s a tendency to stick to low intensity rides which means slowing over time. Putting in some high intensity workouts will help delay the effects or make you stronger and fitter.

My maximum heart rate has reduced from 209 at age 25 to 175 at age 55. If it keeps reducing at approximately 1bpm every year by the time I get to 85 I will me maxed out riding in my current zone 2. So yes top end inevitably reduces year on year.

The trap we all fall into is as we get older is we tend to become less competitive and pootle about more. In fact we should be doing more high end stuff to slow the rate of decline.

improve/maintain/lose

4th option – change? Capacity for endurance develops over the years but muscle mass/strength said to decrease past 45-50 I think and that may be the main drop in potential for pace over a shorter period. Also need for recovery certainly increases with age.

In fact we should be doing more high end stuff to slow the rate of decline.

Strength work type of high-end too, rather than just HIT on the turbo.

…thanks to taking up a bit of XC racing, smart turbo trainers and Zwift I’m fitter (and faster) than I’ve ever been…

Bullet you know this is me.  A pity you couldn’t have been at last years 24/12 when I was sitting in the top 10 despite “having a social” and deliberately stopping for a beer at 8pm.   This year I’m 8kg lighter and power is up 5% – a 9% wkg swing – I’d hoped to be riding a very competitive 12hr.

Yes it gets harder to get fitter, the aches and pains take longer to go away, you need more rest than the young uns and the temptations to sit and relax with a beverage of choice gets stronger.   But if you can commit to a few hours, have a long slower ride or two, and add a couple of Zwift intervals or races over the week – say 4-5 hrs a week in total – you’ll see a bit of weight loss and fitness improvement.   It’s not the fastest process in the world and you have to commit to a few hours.

Id also recommend the Joe Friel books.   You could also embark on a low cost coaching plan (Torq do a £35 a month option for a coach to set a monthly plan for you) for 6 months or a year so you can get a feel of how things work, it’s a good education into training and nutrition.

Importantly, make sure you keep the Fun aspect of things.

So, my question is – when will I genuinely slow down because I’m aging or is there still hope for a little while longer?

You’ve slowed down through lack of training. Can’t recall the number in JF’s books, but the age related decline is tiny, a fraction of a percent per year BUT only if you keep training. If you stop training your fitness will drop off much faster as it would for any age.

The main difference I’ve noticed is that time off the bike, even for a week or so, has a more pronounced effect in terms of loss of fitness. But then, as Whitestone notes, you need more rest between big rides. So there’s a fin(er) line to tread between fatigue and undertraining.

At 50, I would probably benefit from a more structured approach to the effort I put in on and off the bike, with stuff like stretching/yoga, core fitness as important now.