Originally Posted by
bikebikebike
I am nearing 70, active, now doing an average of 120 miles a month, and am plateauing at a cadence of 70 and about an hour.
My back has gotten a lot better so I can ride a Trek 1500 with a 3x8, and just use the trikes as trainers
I can go longer, up to about 30 miles in a day. If I push faster than what has been an avg 12-13mph over the ride, I will exhaust.
Certainly not triathlete territory . I want to see what folks might be doing.
I want to try something more structured, so that if I push ,it is with a plan.
Again most of what I am seeing is for folks that are jumping to a high intensity for a hour, and just reading their session protocols says they ain't talking about me.
I am looking to build cadence and endurance.
Appreciate any suggestions.
Excellent!! Do you have the ability to see your metrics.....speed, cadence, heart rate and distance for example?
Also what is the typical terrain and environment that you ride in. Hills, wind etc.
If you have the ability to monitor it, I’d suggest to first focus on your cadence and HR. Ideally, on flattish to rolling terrain I’d recommend doing a ride in a gear where your cadence is 85-90 and at a pace where you can easily have a conversation with someone. This might mean being in an easier gear or two than what you’ve been riding in. Go a distance that you feel like you’ve used a good bit of energy but not wasted.
Riding with a higher cadence is a learned activity but will allow you to go longer and further over time.
Recovery from riding is critical. You can ride back to back days but the second day or even next ride should be at an even easier effort, but still at a higher cadence.
Over time you simply start adding duration to the rides, but each person is different and what they can do varies.
I’d suggest focusing on cadence and HR with alternating efforts for a month and then see where things stand.