I’m 62 and just hit my best FTP test ever: 159W. Not a lot, I’ll grant you but the graph is up and to the right and I’m a happy bunny.
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So, one year plus on and I have been doing a cycle ride every Thursday each week. Typically 80 to 150KM with a nice lunch to break up the ride.
I have not checked my FTP but I do now at last notice that I have much more endurance on a typical rowing race of normally 2KM/8 mins.
Used to get completely out of breath and unable to keep a steady high output pressure up on the oar.
Now I don’t know if I am just not pushing as hard but I do appear to be able to set a work level output at the start of a race and keep the pressure going for the full eight minutes without running out of puff.
Something must be getting better because last week I was in a local Cam rowing race as part of a Vet G crew (average age 65 plus) and we beat Vet D,E and F crews on raw time and were fastest on the river on the day against really good young college crews once our handicap was taken into consideration. I don’t think I could have done that before I took up cycling again.
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I’m 60 and 90kg. I started using a turbo trainer in March 2021 after some downtime/forced indoors for medical reasons. I’ve moved through Fulgaz, Zwift, Sufferfest and Bkool to TrainerRoad. I’ve just completed Sweetspot Low Base 1 & Base 2 and am now starting Build.
My FTP has risen steadily from 167 in March to 202 today. I’m not worrying about others’ scores - my goal is being able to enjoy getting outdoors.
TR is working well for me - tracking Progression Levels between ramp tests is surprisingly motivating. Plus, it’s excellent that with TR I don’t need “workout fear” after an FTP rise.
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I’m 67. I did a cross country trip this summer, mostly zone 1 and zone 2 riding. After, the ramp test dropped my FTP 4 watts. Just completed SSB LV 1. Ramp test dropped my FTP another 5 watts. I thought TR was supposed to make you faster.
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Base training may not always make you faster. The volume of this plan may not be enough to maintain your summer fitness. 5 watts is nothing. It could be just the natural day to day variation of FTP/fitness/freshness/fatigue.
What I seem to have lost is my top end, possibly due to age and a prolonged period of low intensity riding. When I got back to town, I found myself unable to keep up with a local group ride that I had no problem with last spring. No top end means on the ramp test, my legs packed up and went home early, long before my CV system achieved maximum stress.
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I am 61 and over the last 9 years have logged about 50,000 miles on Strava. My current FTP is about 260W. 5 years ago it was about 285W. And 10 years ago it was about 320W. 10 years before that there weren’t any power meters (that I could afford at least) and I was stronger that when my FTP was 320W but not amazingly so. I just consider this the inevitable decline with age. Just like my max heart rate which is 173bpm now and was about 195 20 years ago.
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Recently turned 62 in August. Was a runner for years until just felt too much wear and tear on my joints. Started on a peleton bike in 2018, don’t race but have done my own structured training, did 4-5 hours a week in endurance zone below LT I and one VO2 max session a week. Just got a new bike and a wahoo kickr and thought I would try TrainerRoad. No plan but do TrainNow learn new ways to do VO2 max along with trying some tempo/sweet spot. My ramp test gave me an FTP of 282 which is about what I thought. I’m 163 pounds so that is around 3.8 watts per kilo. Goal is to get to 300W. What plan would work best for me if I decide to use one of the plans? Thanks
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Use Plan Builder and select “Masters Plans”.
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Just stumbled across this thread and saw that I’d posted 5 years ago before the madness. I’m now 67 and still riding. I have managed to get better every year since then but this year I’ve noticed a distinct change for the worse in my ability to recover and sustain both the volume and intensity I am able to tolerate. On the other hand my friend I referred to in my previous post has got better & better and now at 72 came 5th in the UCI TT Masters World Championships in Scotland with a time that a lot of people half his age would be happy with. He however thought he’d left a bit on the table. He’s decided this year to concentrate on 100mile TT’s. He’s barking mad of course 
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Age 65, 68kg, 8,000 miles per year, very active gravel and MTB racer, FTP 265…Power is not my strength.
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I’m 67 and at a ftp of 216 at 71kg (157lb) whilst doing cx racing, mid pack. So you guys above 250 and similar weight are doing great.
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At 57, I cannot get over 250 ftp. I’m pretty fast for my age. I can hang with a B group of youngsters and mostly hold the wheels of the A group. (I modeled my FTP from 30 years ago when I was racing and came up with 325.)
I rode regularly for a while with 70 year old Olympian Kent Bostick and I could barely hold his wheel when he was taking a pull at the front of the group. 
At 45, I wish I’ll still be as fit as everyone who has posted in this thread. Regardless of your FTP, anyone who has posted here is awesome. Still training, still being ambitious all the way into retirement - this is what I want to do, too. Hats off to all of you!
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They would have had some stiff competition in the Gran Fondo. My phone doesn’t do them any justice but this was the overs 70s podium IIRC, none of them looked a day over 60 
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You might find this helpful , this data from Intervals ICU site , a graph of 3326 users in the 60 to 70 age category, It would be safe to assume that these data tables are comprised of cycling enthusiasts and these Watts/kg are well above average fitness level of your “average” cyclist
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The OP posted in 2018. He’s 74 now!
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And hopefully still alive and riding.
63, and I had a 270-ish FTP 4 or 5 years ago or so, but a series of health related issues has resulted in some years with a lot less miles and slower speeds. I mean, if I could have avoided the liver surgery, the hip replacement, and now prostate cancer, I’d probably still be rocking a high 200-ish FTP (currently 212). Life has a way of kicking one in the (whatever) from time to time. But keep moving the meat! The couch is not your friend!! Even slow easy rides are beneficial.
Just Keep Riding!
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The fact you are here at 68 probably puts you in the top 1% of the planet! So the first question is;
Is it realistic for me to be in the top 1% of humanity? Most people would say NO
So Now we have done the Impossible once keep doing it.
As mentioned the best metric is ftp/kg, However I f you are not actually racing i personally like “can i walk out the door and ride a 100 yards, km, miles , (wherever you are at) and do it comfortably. I know several 65+ riders thar go randonerig and do 200 ,300, 400k rides comfortably. not the speed of a 30 years old but middle of the pack !
Best of luck to you. Don’t hold your self back by measuring your self against the wrong scale! Measure your self by time enjoyed.
i was recently at a traffic light listening to two young guys; Got my ftp up to 350 , and i am doing long rides now. yea how far today ? 60k. I smiled privately i cant hit 300 fyp, but I was just finishing a double century (miles) Hand grenades make a lot of noise but are bloody useless when it comes to light for reading a book
J
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Not sure why you think it’s amazing at 68. It’s not like endurance falls off a cliff in your 60s.
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