I am now 70. After starting Trainer Road 5 years ago I made some great improvements in FTP and I was racing at the time. I saw better times with racing. About 3 years ago, I had to transition to a recumbent bike because of neck pain from a herniated disc in my neck and arthritis of the neck. Initially I was able to keep up my speed on the recumbent bike as on the my racing bike. Then I fell and broke my kneecap. I was off the bike for about 2 months and gained weight and lost fitness. Two years later I am still trying to regain my previous average speed on the recumbent. I now think that I am close to attaining that previous fitness. It does take longer to recover as we age.
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I have just taken up cycling again after 55 years and have been out on a total of about five 30km rides over the past six weeks. Initially I was hitting 120 watts average.
I have just done a 39 km ride at an average of 140w. I am 73 yrs old and weigh 73 kg so am just under 2w/kg.
How does this fit in with you other much more experienced fitter age related guys?
I keep reading about w/kg of 3 and above and it’s all a bit discouraging so I want to know what is realistic for 70 plus year olds
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David, interesting comment from you about your widow maker. I had to have a stent fitted to my LAD about 8/10 years ago. Because I was fairly fit it did not show up on initial tests but my LAD was 85% blocked and I was rowing, skiing and climbing at up to 2500m altitude just before (1 month) my stent was fitted. When I started exercise I used to get what I now recognise as angina pains but they wore off as the exercise continued and I think I had loads of collaterals due to keeping fit over many years. I am now 73 and have just taken up cycling again. I am interested in seeing where my FTP ends up after a few months cycling ( one month in at present) and only 2w/kg now…
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At six weeks in, I think it’s a bit premature to worry about watts and FTP. Just ride consistently. Don’t take months off the bike in the winter. Lifting weights also helps greatly for us old geezers. You can get progressively faster year after year for years by just riding consistently. The structured training will accelerate that a bit.
I’m 54 this year. I started riding “seriously” again a few years ago (2500-3000 miles per year). I’ve went from maybe 180 watts to 285 watts in a few years. A lot of the gains came in the last 1.5 years when I got really serious (5000-6000 miles per year). I’m holding my own now with guys much younger in my bike club.
I do feel like I’m bumping up against my limits now. I don’t think I’ll ever have a 350 watt FTP.
My biggest challenge has been weight. I’ve lost a lot of weight and I’m at 3 watts/kg. If I have a 30 watt gain in me and can get down to my racing weight from 25 years ago I’d hit 4 watts/kg. I think that would leave me pretty fast for a mid-fifies year old. But that is probably the end of the line for me as I get older and older.
I think that if you can get to 2.5-3 watts/kg you can ride with much younger guys and you’ll feel pretty fit.
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Those are great gains, but it’s very unlikely you are pushing up against your genetic limits on that kind of volume. I agree that 350 would be a lofty goal if you are at 285. More volume might take you over 300 though and will likely come with a lot more endurance as well. I’m not saying it’s worth the extra work, but there are probably significant gains to be had. From what I’ve seen, 12-15 hours a week seems to be where the really fast amateur guys settle with plenty of exceptions doing more or less.
I’ll be 52 this year and have significantly increased volume for the last 18 months or so and it’s made me a completely different cyclist. While it only added ~20-25 watts to my FTP, my ability to go hard for extended periods is completely different. I did a couple races this year where I held NP of almost 90% of FTP for 3+ hours (basically 3+ hours of mid sweet spot without a rest). I could never have dreamed of holding that % of power for that long when I was only training 7-8 hours a week.
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I will be 59 this year, only really got back into cycling a few years ago My latest Zwift race moved my FTP up to 276 and I weigh 76 ish kilos. i did around 4000 miles last year and am on track to do 5000 this year. I have a quite demanding job and poor quality sleep. As others have said it the amount I can recover that seems to be limiting me now as I can train indoors when ever I like, and am missing out the slower rides with friends.
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I agree with the other post that you’re too soon to worry about your FTP. Figure out a training plan and follow it to build up a good base firsts. I"ve been doing a LV plan and backed off some from that due to Covid and wanted not to stress my immunity. My last two FTP tests showed a decrease from 210 to 203 (2.4 W/Kg) but I’ve declined to accept the change and kept it at 210 because I want my training to be harder, not easier. That said, I know that I feel stronger and bear the pain longer due to my TR sessions. I hope to up the training some now and add a 4th session every week.
Yesterday I did 30 miles outside and tried to do an outside workout of Andrews. FWIW, i find the outside workouts good if my course is fairly flat. If hilly, like yesterday, it’s too much trouble to keep watts in the limits or to constantly start and stop the workout based on grade. Plus, it takes away from being present in the joy of outdoor ride. My TSS was much higher than Andrews so I feel I was still compliant with TR training.
I’ve kind of done that training. I’ve been up to 10 hours a week with some 12-13-14 hour weeks. During Covid I’ve been doing more gravel riding with friends. I’m totally comfortable now doing 5+ hour rides. I increased volume and switched to polarized last year and saw a quick 20 point increase and then another 20 points over the year.
Like you have described, my endurance has improved greatly but not so much my actual FTP. I’m also at the point where I really don’t want to ride 15+ hours a week.
Thanks for the comments and much appreciated. I agree that it is way too early to make any judgements. I was just trying to establish a base line of where I am currently sitting fitness wise out in the aged cycling community. I have come from a fairly fit cardio starting point being an on river rower for the past 20 years. But I am finding that it is obviously a different sort of fitness, generally not at max heart rate and max VO2, which rowing often is for shorter work out periods.
I hear you on that. 15+ hours combined with the needed recovery starts to consume a lot of your life. I’m going to give it a try for the next couple months since I’ve got some extra time on my hands with no daily travel and Fridays off. I’m trying to mix 2-3 SS Base trainer sessions with a bunch of outdoor Z2 work and targeting 800-900 tss per week. There is no way I’d want to maintain that kind of volume long term, but so far I’m enjoying my long outdoor rides and hoping it will result in a huge base to prepare for events later this year that probably won’t happen…
Not at 68 yet but closing in at 61. I started TR in Oct at ftp of 205. I’m better at sweet spot and lower vs VO2 work so I know that’s what I need. Just finished build mid volume at ftp of 231. I’m hoping to break 240 on Wednesday when I Ramp Test. At 80k body weight that will get in in the 3 watt per K Club. With my races all postponed until Sep I’m going back to base and grow my fitness until then. My long range goal is to build beyond 3.5 watts per k over the next couple years.
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I hit the big 6-0 this year. I’ve been cycling consistently since early 2016 after getting tired of getting sided from long distance running injuries and having to swim infinite amounts of laps to stay fit. Cycling has been a great experience and have been able to ride the fast club rides at 20+ mph with the occasional go zones, all with riders mostly younger than me. I started using TR as an alternative for outdoor riding during the really cold and windy or rainy days, but I find myself using TR more and more for the last 2 years only during the week because of time management and the need to do productive workouts without the usual stop light interruptions. I’m on a mid-volume plan with the goal of being as fit as possible to ride with the faster groups without getting dropped. I really enjoy being able to push hard and efficiently and not have to worry much about not being able to keep up. I have been talked into joining a racing team, but i don’t have time to drive out of town to do races and i have to manage all risks from being on a bike as my livelihood depends on my hands, and ability to fix the human body. I’m still curious about how much i can improve my overall riding strength. I feel my FTP of 238 is not that impressive compared to some other folks and have made some mistakes during the ramp tests which probably have yielded inaccurate numbers. Reality is that the anaerobic TR workouts are hard, but I can complete them, so I suppose this is good. At 6’2", 197 lbs, I’m curious as to how many folks in my age cat and body type I can meet here trying to do the same thing as me.
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I’m trying to get down to your weight and am about two years younger. About 18 months away from the big 6.
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I’m a similar size and 54 years old. I got up to a 250 watt FTP last year. I could hold my own in the group rides with younger guys. I was always more of a sprinter so I’d do well at the pointy end of things and not do so well on climbs.
I got back into cycling maybe 6 years ago but wasn’t training seriously. My goal 2 years ago was to get as fit as possible. I did ok. I’d do things differently if I could do the last 2 years over but we all learn along the way.
Personally, I don’t want to race again. My strength would be crits and they are too risky to me (IMO). I did it for 10 years when I was younger so I know my genetic limits relative to others.
Lately I’ve been rethinking what I want to accomplish on the bike. Mostly I just want to stay pretty fit and be able to hold my own on group rides and do ok on the occasional fondo. It would be cool to turn that 250 watts into 300 but I’m not sure I could get there or have the time to put in the work required.
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I was up to 230 lbs back in 2013. The heaviest I’d ever been. That was after 8 years of bad marriage. I changed that overnight. Cut back on sugars, started paying attention to my diet and, most importantly, started running again. I must’ve shed 20 lbs in one month and kept losing weight after that. I try to stay under 200 lbs, but I’m not as strict with my diet as I was when I started to lose weight. Probably because I’m also cranking 160-180 miles/wk on the bike? I’m not eating crap, but I’m not watching intake like I used to. My cloth still fits the same. It would be interesting to see what would happen to my FTP and relative speed on the road if I lost another 7 lbs at least.
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I got down to 193 while walking and doing HIIT spin classes (2014?), but was skinny fat and got tired of people asking if I had cancer. After doing more research on age related declines, this past 1+ years I’ve focused on regaining lost muscle mass while still cycling. Pretty happy now with muscle/strength and consistently doing both lifting heavy things and cycling. So now its the long journey to lose 20-25 pounds by targeting a conservative 1-3 pound loss per month. Like you I started road cycling in 2016 and hit 275-280W ftp in 2017 at 203 lbs. Then doing TR plans + outside my FTP bounced around 230s and 240s, but last year doesn’t really count (injuries, remediating muscle imbalances, trip of a lifetime). This year ftp up to 260W by focusing on a (non-TR) plan that had more zone2 work and longer weekend rides. Fresh if faster. I’m thinking it is possible to get back to 280 and a stretch goal of hitting 300. For what its worth I think working on base is important for newer cyclists unless you are naturally gifted with high aerobic capacity. My new primary care physician is a runner and does some cycling, we were talking about guys in the club that are mid 60s and total beasts 
both on the flats (raw power) and climbing (power-to-weight). That sounds like a good goal 
That’s the point! V02 Max intervals are challenging, but I feel that I definitely get stronger and faster as a result. Re: your FTP, as I explain elsewhere (Kolie Moore's FTP test protocol - #535 by DavidWms), I recently compared the TR 20 minute ramp test with a longer 43 minute (Kolie Moore) assessment. The KM test yielded an FT 20 points higher than TR Ramp test. Your mileage may vary, but for some of us 60-somethings, the VO2 max focus of the Ramp Test may not be the most effective way to measure FTP.
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I just hit 2,77. 257 FTP and 203 Weiight.
Dropped coach ad started TR programs.
Goal of 3.00 by Spring.
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Hi, pretty much similar here: 60 years and also 3,5 - 3,7 Watt/kg, same TSS load and a fan of 25 minute Gym session every morning (Gym Direct C8, they have also Youtube uploads). Feel great and better that 20 years ago when I wasn’t cycling that much. Actually, not so much looking for improvements but a bit anxious for the inevitable decline some day . Best and keep it up.
I am a 73 yo male who has ridden 4800 - 6500 miles a year for the last 20+ years. I have to admit that I have paid little attention to FTP. I do 6-8 targeted races (Iceman Cometh, Ore2Shore, Barry Roubaix, Island Lake Challenge, Yankee Springs, Michigan State Mtn Bike Championship, etc.) a year and podium in my age group while still finishing top 10-30 % overall. I use to run 25-30 races a year when I was younger. We would do a lot of interval training and ladders. Currently, I do the same with biking while most of my training is with younger riders.
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