Ask Lance - he would tell you that peak performance drops fast after the mid-30's .

I am 52 and I found that no matter how many miles I log, I have to really watch my diet closely to stay at my ideal weight. I think the"25 lbs over ideal weight" is somewhat of an anchor for your speed.

That being said, to be riding 4500 miles per year at age 61 is excellent. I am a Physician and I frequently send patients to Nursing Homes in their 60's because they have never exercised or cared for their bodies. You should be proud of yourself.

A few. Definitely. But in terms of actual sports performance, experience and skill are just as important as physical prowess. That is why most players will be between 24 and 32 or so. Most players in any pro team sport aren't good enough to go pro until they've had a few years in college.

In the case of tennis, playing in college is generally reserved for players who will probably never make in in the pros, because most can
t afford to sacrifice the critical years between 18 and 22. By 30, most have already dropped in the ratings or switched to playing doubles, even if their skills are better.

Cycling by comparison is about as high impact as skipping rope on the moon, which is why racers have longer careers.

:wincing: It would be a slaughter.

Maybe if you're talking about the ability to have multiple ejaculations, but I think the average male is significantly stronger at 28 than 18 (not sure if this holds true for females).

"Weaker" isn't the right term.

18 is where most males reach peak height and build and improvement happens the fastest. Talented cyclists go pro at the this age. By the time they reach mid 20s, their level of fitness is so far beyond that of the best n00bs that there's no way a n00b could ever catch up.

That is due to training.

All else equal, a guy who starts hard training at 18 vs. a guy who starts at 25, the younger guy will be further ahead 5 years down the road.

Oh and I believe you meant "unintentional" rather than "multiple" in that first sentence.

Incorrect.

18% at age 100.

And 0% at age 118.

Makes sense to me. I believe 100% of 118 year olds have zero VO2max.

I like to think I have a little longer before my peak, I was 18 when I started riding last year and I am definitely stronger now. Training is all someone needs. Maybe the training has a lesser effect when you age but training can more often than not get someone where they want to be if they want it bad enough.

That's what this thread is about: actual sports performance.

Actually I think rotting corpses put off a little oxygen...although probably in the form of CO2.

Its all in your mind, I know someone who did an iron man and came something like 550th out of over 1500 - he was 67 years old at the time.

A ridiculous over generalization. Too many other variables; this is outright rubbish.

incorrect. We are all different and age differently.

No, I think it's due to maturity. I think even average guys who don't train or participate in sports are generally stronger at 28 than 18. Obviously, it depends on circumstances also. If someone lifts weights all thru high school and the becomes totally inactive in their 20s, they may not be stronger at 28. But I do believe the male body continues to mature and become stronger into the 20s naturally. Resilience and ability to recover may be better at 18, but that is only 1 aspect of one's "physical peak ."

people do tend to bulk up more past the age of 18, and build more strength. but not the "explosive" kind.

This is utter BS, I'm afraid. In the first place, not every human is the same. I hadn't even stopped growing when I was eighteen, let alone built all the muscle I subsequently acquired. Cycling is an aerobic sport. The cardiovascular system, and especially the capillaries supplying oxygen to the muscles, grows with training. Cyclists in their late twenties are better than they were at eighteen precisely because they don't maintain the same level of fitness, they get fitter and better adapted for cycling as they get older and stronger, and it is simply impossible to acquire that level of fitness and adaptation while still in your teens.

OP, I'm 55, nearly 56. I am certainly not as quick as I was when I was younger, and not just because I'm about a stone heavier. But if you are 25lbs overweight, blame the weight before you worry about your age.

Two things get more difficult as you get older - losing any extra weight you happen to acquire, and maintaining the same level of muscle mass. The latter takes more work than before, and ultimately becomes impossible, because testosterone levels drop with age. Hence the expression - someone in here has it as their signature - "I'm not as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was." The good news is that the engine stays in pretty good shape, and stamina is retained much better than speed. If you want to maintain your current level of performance as long as possible, don't increase your saddle time - if anything, you can probably afford to reduce it. Get into the gym and do some weight training: it'll help maintain the muscle mass that cycling needs, but isn't great at developing.

This is BS too. Explosive power depends on the make-up of muscles and whether it is dominated by fast-twitch or slow-twitch fibres, It has nothing to do with how old you are. Eighteen year-olds may be able to maintain a permanent hard-on, (in fact they can't help it, bless 'em) but in every other respect they are nowhere near reaching their physical peak.

I have solved the problem completely. At age 67 I don't mess with the young guns I just smile and wave as they blow by me. i suffer from no delusions LOL.

Weight would really be an issue getting dropped on a hill, but he specifically said he got dropped at 21 mph, which is most likely in the flats.

Next idea?

There are guys in my club that are 68 years of age that can ride 24 mph and pull a group all day.......

i started cycling when i was 32 (2006). each year i have gotten better and recovery has gotten quicker. eventually i will reach my max and the balance will likely shift. my experience is that of a late comer and not someone who has been doing this since he was 18. later.

Sure they can.

Downhill behind a bread truck and as long as the group they are pulling is 60 years younger riding BMX bikes...

For me, it was at 38 years of age. Around that time, I found that my ability to handle high running mileage began to diminish and that my finish times in races (5k to marathon) began to slow. Although I cycle a bit, my first love is running. After 35 years running, racing and coaching high school and college runners, I disagree with the assertion stated above that a person is at her/his physical peak at 18 years. Perhaps it is a question of semantics and what one means by "fitness" or "strength". For serious distance runners, it takes years and years of gradually increasing work loads for one to achieve maximum aerobic capacity/fitness. The apex of that conditioning process occurs for most in their middle to late 20s while others only arrive at that point in their early 30s.

"moderate pace of 18-20 MPH in past years"
"had trouble hanging onto a couple of 30 somethings at 21 MPH"

I'm 49. I've done one ride where I averaged over 18 mph. It's not uncommon to ride that fast if there's no wind or hills or heat, but not as a day-in day-out practice, and I'm generally not going to hang with anyone going 21 mph unless I have a stiff tailwind.

That being said, I just went over 4,000 miles for the year, and will probably hit 7,000 by New Years. So based on my experience, your training is not in line with your expectations. (Unless you're also doing lots of non-riding exercise).

Shouldnt that read
incorrect ?