How to get fast on your bike at 40+ (part 2)

If you’re being told, like me at 52, that it’s inevitable you’ll get slower on your bike then this is for you.

It is true that as we age muscle strength, function, quality, and size decline especially your short twitch muscles that are used for fast power efforts.

It is also true that our Lactate Threshold (LT) declines and your Vo2 max drops And to make matters worse your muscle strength drops by 3%- 5% every decade

But it is also true you can train to dramatically slow this process down so you can keep riding your bike faster well into your 60s

Let’s talk about training Lactate Threshold training and 3 ways you can train to increase it

You might be surprised that having a solid aerobic foundation is essential. Why because when riding at higher intensities, lactate is used as fuel by your aerobic muscle machinery. The larger aerobic pool you have the more you can raise your LT.

Tempo training (yeah the grey zone) can be used to stimulate your intermediate muscle fibers. This type of training stimulates similar aerobic adaptions as endurance training and can help raise your Lactate threshold. It’s more fatiguing than aerobic training so has to be planned well in training but it’s a great way to increase LT.

Sweet Spot Training at 88% - 94% of your FTP sits you just below your Lactate Thershold. It’s less stressful than higher-intensity sessions which means you can recover from them quicker and perform them more frequently.

The key to all this is to stay disciplined. This is why it’s important to know your zones, and respect the blend of intensity with recovery.

At 52 I’m still cycling strong and fast. Just this year I PB’s up sa calobra in 31.33. What I’m trying to get across here is with the right training you can stay strong and fast on your bike.

Thanks for reading, Simon

Performance & Nutrition Director
2 X Winner of Gym Based PT, and founder of VPCC