FTP over 60 years old?

[TheLastMan]

Sounds like you are reasonably fit on the bike and with 2.2w/kg you should be able to get up pretty much most hills just a fair amount slower than your riding buddy. An FTP of 250 is pretty good and you might find you are tiring yourself our keeping at his pace.
I am 62 as well and 80kg and 5'8" so similar size to you and now have an FTP of about 210W after 3 or 4 years of regular cycling. I use a smart turbo in winter or bad weather and this definitely helps increase power and fitness but not really endurance (I generally don't do more than an hour)
Don't worry about max heart rate as it is only an estimate and your breathing and legs will stop before you can get to a heart rate that will cause harm, unless you have some sort of pre-existing problem.
I cycle with a pal who us stronger than me and find the hills really hard when with him, however when cycling with the OH who is a bit slower than me I find the same hills really easy if I go up at her speed.

Thanks for that, encouraging to hear from somebody the same age who has made it to an FTP of 210 watts. I have given up trying to keep up with my 40yo pal, he just gets frustrated hanging around for me at the top of every incline. I need to find some more patient riding buddies!

I was dumped by my OH at 58, so I don't have that option any longer. Anyway, she refused to go anywhere near a bike,

Unlike you I enjoy longer distances, I rarely do less than an hour. My weekend rides tend to be between 40 and 60 km and take around 2-3 hours, and always with a café stop at some point. I do tend to follow the Thames, so very little elevation and I can keep up a fairly steady pace.

Anyway, your story is very encouraging. I will get on the trainer in the evenings now I have a target to hit!

[TheLastMan]

Ive found Zwift and a smart trainer to be a complete revelation.

Interesting, was wondering whether a Zwift subscription would be worth it (my trainer is compatible). I think I will do that now, thanks for the recommendation.

[Nearholmer]

Hounslow to Canary Wharf

Cycle to Hayes or Southall, Elizabeth Line to Cannery Row?

[VinceLedge]

Sounds like you are reasonably fit on the bike and with 2.2w/kg you should be able to get up pretty much most hills just a fair amount slower than your riding buddy. An FTP of 250 is pretty good and you might find you are tiring yourself our keeping at his pace.
I am 62 as well and 80kg and 5'8" so similar size to you and now have an FTP of about 210W after 3 or 4 years of regular cycling. I use a smart turbo in winter or bad weather and this definitely helps increase power and fitness but not really endurance (I generally don't do more than an hour)
Don't worry about max heart rate as it is only an estimate and your breathing and legs will stop before you can get to a heart rate that will cause harm, unless you have some sort of pre-existing problem.
I cycle with a pal who us stronger than me and find the hills really hard when with him, however when cycling with the OH who is a bit slower than me I find the same hills really easy if I go up at her speed.


Unlike you I enjoy longer distances, I rarely do less than an hour. My weekend rides tend to be between 40 and 60 km and take around 2-3 hours, and always with a café stop at some point. I do tend to follow the Thames, so very little elevation and I can keep up a fairly steady pace.

Anyway, your story is very encouraging. I will get on the trainer in the evenings now I have a target to hit!

Glad you found it helpful, basically the more you ride, the fitter you get! I do longer rides outside, anything from 40 to 90 miles, but an hour on the trainer is enough for me!

[Carlton green]

The stock gearing on the bike is Shimano Tiagra with 50/34 crankset and ten speed 11-32T cassette.

There you have it. The gearing range is too high to allow you to make the best of what strength and fitness you have. My suggestion is that you investigate a different crankset with say 20% less teeth on it. That’s not to say that your current bottom gear is dreadfully high but rather that it could usefully be lower and then allow you to winch yourself up hills more efficiently. To my mind your high (top) gears aren’t useful either, they’re overly tall and will surely be tiring to use. Have a look at the current thread on compact chainsets: viewtopic.php?t=153478 .

Having more power available to you via a stronger body is an excellent aim, but it is very important to have an appropriate transmission as otherwise lots of effort is expended but not so much is usefully translated into forward movement - my main aim is to move forwards in a reasonably efficient way. To put the maximum sustainable power to the rear wheel you need to be able to spin the pedals to your maximum sustainable rate and at the same time press down on the pedals with your maximum sustainable force.

[ed.lazda]

A few thoughts:

The description of your Ditchling Beacon ride suggests to me you had been trying just a bit too hard up until that point, or that you hadn't been keeping up with eating, or both.

I'm 67 and 75 kg. My FTP is 200, and according to intervals.icu that puts me somewhere around the 20th or 30th centile for age 60+. I ride with a group once a week, mostly around the same age, and I'm one of the slowest going up the hills. When I think back to my 30s, I was once of the slowest up the hills then as well.

The various formulas for max heart rate give you a vague idea of averages for your age, but as an estimate for your personal max HR, they are virtually useless. If you want to monitor your rides using HR, you need to do a maximum or threshold heart rate test.

I've recently returned to regular cycling after a fair break, and have read a lot about how best to get fit again. I'm not a coach or physiologist. The advice (including from Pogacar's coach) seems to be to spend most of your time at low intensity, doing long rides in zone 2, building up aerobic endurance. This is a slow process, it can take months or years. Once or twice a week, some short, high intensity rides help build up your higher zone power.

[Jdsk]

Lots of good advice above.

Do you think that having some lower gears would make a difference? (There are some very helpful experts in this forum who could suggest modifications for your specific bike.)

How would you feel about riding for a while without measuring your heart rate? You haven't suggested any medical reason for measuring it and it might help with enjoying the ride.

Would it be worth finding a better riding buddy?

Jonathan

[TheLastMan]

The stock gearing on the bike is Shimano Tiagra with 50/34 crankset and ten speed 11-32T cassette.

There you have it. The gearing range is too high to allow you to make the best of what strength and fitness you have.

Er, no it isn't!

If you read the thread you will see I swapped out the cassette for a 11-34T set, which is is just about as low as you can get on a road bike. The small cog on the crankset combined with the biggest cog on the cassette gives me a 1:1 ratio (1 turn of the pedals = 1 turn of the wheels). I think some mountain bikes have lower gears, but not road bikes.

[axel_knutt]

The stock gearing on the bike is Shimano Tiagra with 50/34 crankset and ten speed 11-32T cassette.

There you have it. The gearing range is too high to allow you to make the best of what strength and fitness you have.

Er, no it isn't!

If you read the thread you will see I swapped out the cassette for a 11-34T set, which is is just about as low as you can get on a road bike. The small cog on the crankset combined with the biggest cog on the cassette gives me a 1:1 ratio (1 turn of the pedals = 1 turn of the wheels). I think some mountain bikes have lower gears, but not road bikes.

Proof that road bike groupsets don't come in a lower ratio doesn't constitute proof that your own gear ratios are compatible with your level of health or fitness.

I have a road bike (Dawes Horizon) with Shimano Deore transmission, the sprocket is 11-34 like yours, but the chainset is 22-32-44, which gives me a 17.5" bottom gear, less than 65% of yours. My Deore front derailleur comes on two versions, one with a chainstay angle to suit mountain bike frames, and another for road bike geometry.

[Nearholmer]

One of the virtues of “gravel” gear sets is that you can go below 1:1. I certainly find that having c1:0.9 makes a difference given a slightly heavier bike and sometimes carrying panniers.

[TheLastMan]

A few thoughts:

The description of your Ditchling Beacon ride suggests to me you had been trying just a bit too hard up until that point, or that you hadn't been keeping up with eating, or both.

I think you have a point. I usually manage my rides with just a small snack halfway. Also, on my diet I am generally pretty low carb and I find that works well for me from a weight loss point of view. I think for these longer rides with hills I need to carb load the night before and in the morning. One of the guys who rode up the Beacon said they had eaten a high glucose bar about 10 minutes before. The problem was not my heart or breathing, it was my legs. They totally cramped up solid when faced with any intense pressure on the pedals, although they were fine on the flat.

I'm 67 and 75 kg. My FTP is 200, and according to intervals.icu that puts me somewhere around the 20th or 30th centile for age 60+. I ride with a group once a week, mostly around the same age, and I'm one of the slowest going up the hills. When I think back to my 30s, I was once of the slowest up the hills then as well.

Well done for your perseverence! I rode everywhere on a bicycle between the ages of 10 and 18 - practically nailed to it. However, I then got a motorcycle, then 10 years later a car, and did not buy a bike again until the age of 57 and then didn't ride it regularly until I was 59 - during lockdown. I need to find some regular bike buddies. I tried a local club, but they were all far too hardcore.

The various formulas for max heart rate give you a vague idea of averages for your age, but as an estimate for your personal max HR, they are virtually useless. If you want to monitor your rides using HR, you need to do a maximum or threshold heart rate test.

I am not that fussed about max heart rate, now I have a power meter. I sort of know now what my heart rate is telling me. I try and ride holding the rate between 120 and 130 for as long as possible, although it usually drifts up gradually over the ride to 140ish.

When I started I did not have either a heart rate monitor or power meter. I would go out and do 60-90 minutes flat out, which would finish me off and I would have to go and lie down for the rest of the day! So I bought a heart monitor and found that my average rate on those rides was 155 with peaks over 170. Reading round the subject I realised that if I wanted to get fitter I needed to go slower for longer.

I've recently returned to regular cycling after a fair break, and have read a lot about how best to get fit again. I'm not a coach or physiologist. The advice (including from Pogacar's coach) seems to be to spend most of your time at low intensity, doing long rides in zone 2, building up aerobic endurance. This is a slow process, it can take months or years. Once or twice a week, some short, high intensity rides help build up your higher zone power.

I have read that in various places too. I have the time to do 3+ hour rides at the weekend, but I don't feel once a week is enough to build up that endurance.

I am never going to be a racer, and I enjoy long days in the saddle, so that is where I want to get to - as long as I can do the hills as well as the flat bits! I have done an Audax ride of 107km with 836m of hills. It took me 5 hours 28 mins and my average heart rate was 149bpm, rarely below 140 and hitting over 170 on a few occasions - again cramping up at the end (but luckily no Ditchling Beacon). Amazed I survived!

I think I am a bit fitter now. The London to Brighton was 92km with 1,147km of hills. It took me 5 hours 10 minutes. I was a bit slower (of course that included some at walking pace), but my average heart rate was 141.

[ANTONISH]

Lots of good advice above.

Do you think that having some lower gears would make a difference? (There are some very helpful experts in this forum who could suggest modifications for your specific bike.)

How would you feel about riding for a while without measuring your heart rate? You haven't suggested any medical reason for measuring it and it might help with enjoying the ride.

Would it be worth finding a better riding buddy?

Jonathan

That's more good advice - 62 isn't paricularly old - I've never been a particularly fast or strong rider but I've done rides in the pyrenees and alps into my mid seventies - I'm sure lower gearing would help - I did get interested in heart rate at one time but IMO it's better to just enjoy your cycling.

[Audax67]

I've recently returned to regular cycling after a fair break, and have read a lot about how best to get fit again. I'm not a coach or physiologist. The advice (including from Pogacar's coach) seems to be to spend most of your time at low intensity, doing long rides in zone 2, building up aerobic endurance. This is a slow process, it can take months or years. Once or twice a week, some short, high intensity rides help build up your higher zone power.

I like this, since it agrees with my experience and predilections. When I started cycling seriously I got very discouraged on hills because I tried tackling them the way I'd seen pro cyclists doing on the box, and blew up regularly on relatively modest climbs. Sitting down and grinding works wonders: a year after joining a club and seeing how they did it, we all did Mont Ventoux; my average speed was 8 kph on the way up but I got there, and more than a few were still behind. I would have been 57 at the time. My lowest gear ratio was 1:1.

Our modus operandi was a 100k ride with around 1300 metres of climbing every weekend, and once a week I would put in a 50k blast via a chum's café for coffee and apple tart.

T'other thing, of course, if you really want to enjoy climbing, is to learn how to descend fast in safety. The prospect of a good fast descent is a great incentive to reach the top.

[Slowroad]

In case anyone else reading this, like me, has no idea what FTP is - apparently it's Functional Threshold Power and is explained here: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/f ... ing-363865

[TrevA]

If you decide to use Zwift, then there are training plans on there, included in the subscription price. There are specific FTP builder plans. I use Zwift and find it very motivating, though I mainly do group rides.

I agree that you shouldn’t need a lower gear than 34x34 unless you live somewhere really hilly. I ride in the Peak District and manage on such a gear on the big climbs there. I’m no lightweight, although my FTP is 220, I’m over 100kg, so my W/kg is only just over 2. If you did want to lower then you could fit a Shimano GRX (gravel) chainset, which has 46-30 chainrings.

Another way of building your fitness, if you are able, is to commute on your bike. I did this for most of my working life and it’s great at maintaining your fitness and you can use the weekends to further build fitness.