QUESTION: I’m 70 and take a spinning class two days a week and train on the road two other days. Then I ride with a group of 40-somethings on Sundays.
On climbs, I can stay with the group nearly to the top before I reach my max heart rate and have to back off. I’ve tried slowing my cadence and standing as well as increasing cadence and sitting, but I reach my max at about the same place on the hill. Is there specific training that could help me hang with these youngsters? — Stan S.
RBR REPLIES: You’re blowing up on the hill at the same point because you don’t have the strength or fitness to do the early parts of the climb below your lactate threshold.
By the time you get partway up, you’re over your limit. But your riding partners haven’t accumulated enough lactate to slow them down. No wonder — they’re nearly 30 years younger!
You can improve by increasing your power at lactate threshold.
Very briefly, you need to climb in training at an intensity slightly below what would cause you to blow up. Use a gear, cadence and effort that allow you to make the climb in question at a hard but sustainable pace. Then repeat several times. Do this once or twice a week and you should see improvement in 4-6 weeks.
The problem is you’re 70 and the others are 40 something. Face it you’re never going to get fit enough to stay with them. You can only increase your LT so much. I too had the same problem especially in the summer heat my heart rate would get maxed out and couldn’t get it back down unless I slowed way down. You can only train so much. It’s a catch 22 scenario. The more you train the more rest and recovery you need and the older you are to more R&R you have to have. I tried more training but eventually trying to stay up with the younger guys and my determination to hang on was causing me health problems to where it became evident I could not continue at that pace. I didn’t want to slow down and ride with slower groups so researched ebikes and ended up buying a 2020 Trek Domane+ HP7. Now I can ride with any group at whatever pace and climb any hill at whatever the pace is. I don’t try to show anybody up, I just stay within the group and they all welcome me into the group. I’ve learned how to use the assist to get maximum mileage out it. I normally ride with minimum asset and when riding in groups I can turn assist off until I need it such as up front or climbing hills. I regularly ride 60-70 miles and several times ridden 90-100 miles. I can not tell you how much fun it is riding this bike. Now I can adjust the assist and regulate my heart rate up or down. I enjoy it so much I bought a Trek Rail emtb. For me the ebikes are a God send that have allowed me to ride at the pace I used too and is so much fun. So much fun it’s hard to keep the smile off my face.