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

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Phil Cavell is co-founder at Cyclefit in London. His book The Midlife Cyclist is published by Bloomsbury In this way, the revolution of midlife cyclists is performance pioneers. A statistically significant subset of the population, and the first of its kind in history, to make a conscious choice to push the envelope of performance and aging without any precedent of the predicted victor. There’s useful stuff about getting comfortable on the bike. People like me don’t adjust their positions to take account of aging, and newbies might be tempted to follow the fashion for slamming their stems or simply need some guidance and the book is pretty good for that. But fitting you to a bike needs to be done in person and no book can substitute for that. Male cyclists are now 20 years past their peak in terms of testosterone, bone mineral and muscle mass. “There is an accelerated decline in your 50s,” warns Cavell. Dr Baker thinks that most amateur riders function at only 60 per cent of their theoretical aerobic (oxidative) capacity due to training incorrectly — mostly from riding too much at too high a level. You need to be a fast tortoise before you can become even a slow hare.

Cyclefit continues to work with male and female pro-tour athletes, helping them control the process of building resilience to training and racing in their bike set-up. I have had more crashes and injuries than I would have liked in my life. One of them very seriously. I really don’t want anymore either. So I totally understand the sentiments and motivations behind the statement. I ride more defensively and take less risks now. I have a young daughter, wife, and dog that need me.

The 60s: how is my body changing?

I should start by saying I really like The Midlife Cyclist. It’s quirky and has a few issues, but is invaluable for anyone, male or female who wants to make the most of bike riding over the age of 40. In stark contrast, data was intrinsically dull when I was growing up. It was stored on mainframe computers in bunkers and sat in abstract to the real, vivid and actual world. ‘Data’ is even drab as a word. Starts well. Good science - especially about potential adverse effects of excessive exercise on the ageing cyclist (and by extension) the older athlete (all a bit scary but the literature cited is slim). Useful stuff on nutrition and the value of cross-training. T he Midlife Cyclist is entertaining, insightful, well researched and vital reading for all youngsters over forty who have a love affair with the bike ― Norman Foster

A Midlife Cyclist is written by Rachel Ann Cullen. The book is about Rachel’s cycling journey to heal a broken mind and find joy. We need to do more work now,” warns Cavell. “In my opinion, that means dropping out cycling sessions and adding in resistance training, running and walking.” I came for a story about cycling, and this was mostly a story about fighting body dysmorphia. Which was all good and interesting but I found it all a bit disjointed. With the help of medical experts, leading coaches, ex-professionals, and pro-team doctors, cycling biomechanics pioneer Phil Cavell produces a practical guide for mature cyclists who want to stay healthy, avoid injury, and maximize their achievement levels.

But really, the author clearly accomplishes an epic cycle, I couldn't even contemplate putting myself through this, and certainly not without making myself fully aware and prepared in advance of what it actually entails, as she purports to have done. And there's the rub. In the first of a series of articles on training through midlife and beyond, Phil Cavell ponders the nature of ageing and data 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.