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Masters Performance Hub

Still improving at 40, 45, 50+.
Here's how.

The data on VO2 max decline ranges from 5% to 46% per decade — the difference is the training. The work that got you here at 30 will quietly stall you at 45. The work that keeps masters cyclists getting faster is structured differently, fuelled differently, and recovered differently.

Roadman is built around it. Here's the evidence, the tools, and the route through.

Free, two minutes. Routes you to the right next step.

1,400+
Podcast episodes in the archive
40+
Sources cited in the 2026 Masters Report
$195
/month for Not Done Yet Coaching

WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT

THIS IS NOT MOTIVATIONAL CONTENT.

It's grounded in the access. Anthony has spent four years interviewing the people who actually study and coach masters endurance athletes — Joe Friel, Stephen Seiler, David Lipman, Derek Teel, David Dunne, and dozens more. The hub below pulls that work into one place, organised around the questions masters cyclists actually ask.

01

ACCESS

1,400+ podcast episodes with the coaches and scientists behind World Tour and masters performance — Friel, Seiler, Lipman, Teel, Dunne, Lorang.

02

EVIDENCE

The Masters Cycling Training Report 2026 — 18 sections, 40+ citations, 5 named case studies. Updated as the research updates.

03

APPLICATION

Free browser tools, structured 12-week blocks, the strength roadmap, and Not Done Yet Coaching for cyclists who want it built around them.

THE WRITTEN ARCHIVE

READ THIS FIRST

Twelve essays that cover the spine of masters performance — training, strength, recovery, fuelling, the FTP question, and the cultural context the sport is reckoning with.

THE MASTERS CYCLING TRAINING REPORT 2026

FLAGSHIP · Coaching

The flagship 2026 guide to training as a masters cyclist. What changes after 40, what doesn't, and a 12-week block you can run on Monday. 18 sections, 40+ citations, 5 named case studies.

THE MASTERS CYCLING DECISION FRAMEWORK

Coaching

The three mistakes that stall riders over 40 — and what to do instead. The training that worked at 30 will break you now. Here's what changes.

JOE FRIEL: THE FAST AFTER 50 METHOD

Coaching

Joe Friel is approaching 80 and still rides 12–13 hours a week. The exact training method he has built over four decades of coaching masters endurance athletes — and why it isn't what most riders over 40 are doing.

HEAVY STRENGTH TRAINING BEATS MORE MILES AFTER 40

Strength

A 2025 meta-analysis reviewed 17 studies covering 262 trained cyclists and found heavy strength training significantly improves cycling performance with zero negative effect on VO2 max. If you're over 40 and only training on the bike, here's what you're missing.

VO2 MAX WORKOUTS FOR CYCLISTS OVER 40

Coaching

VO2 max work is the highest-leverage training for cyclists over 40 — and the most often misprescribed. Three sessions that work, and the spacing that lets your body actually adapt.

STRENGTH TRAINING FOR CYCLISTS OVER 50

Strength

After 50, the riders who keep getting faster are the ones lifting heavy. Not bands. Not circuits. Real load, six reps, twice a week. The protocol that actually preserves power.

BEST CYCLING TRAINING PLAN FOR MASTERS RIDERS OVER 40

Coaching

The weekly structure serious masters riders use — built around longer recovery windows, two hard sessions, and non-negotiable strength work.

CYCLING OVER 50: TRAINING SMARTER WHEN RECOVERY TAKES LONGER

Coaching

At 50, your recovery takes longer but your potential hasn't disappeared. How to adapt your training without accepting decline.

WHAT COACHES SAY ABOUT GETTING FASTER AFTER 40

Coaching

The consensus from the experts who have studied and coached masters riders. The over-40 question comes up in every coaching conversation — here's what they actually agree on.

AGE-GROUP FTP BENCHMARKS 2026

Coaching

What your watts really mean. The W/kg bands, category ranges, and realistic year-on-year progression for masters cyclists in 2026.

THE MASTERS DOPING PROBLEM

Community

Over 180 riders started a recent local race. Drug testers showed up at the finish. Only 52 crossed the line. The uncomfortable cultural reckoning amateur cycling is having right now.

CYCLING AFTER 40 RECOVERY REPORT (Q3 2026)

Recovery

The companion to the Masters Training Report — sleep architecture, HRV interpretation, deload cadence, and the recovery patterns that hold up across the coaching roster.

PODCAST PLAYLIST

THE SIX EPISODES THAT MATTER MOST

Start with Friel. Then Lipman for the structure, Seiler for the intensity distribution, Teel for the strength piece, and the solo science recap to tie it all together.

IN THEIR WORDS

MASTERS RIDERS WHO DIDN'T ACCEPT THE PLATEAU

+15%
FTP at 52

I'm training less, at lower intensities, not getting sick. FTP up 15%, hit 4 w/kg at age 52.

BRIAN MORRISSEY

52yo shift worker · FTP 230w → 265w in 10 weeks

40+ yrs
On the bike

Riding for four decades and never realised how much I was leaving on the table. More powerful, more stable, recovering faster.

KEVIN L

Age 67 · 40+ years on the bike

S&C
That transfers

Targeted to cycling — not general gym stuff. Core's stronger, legs feel more connected, position feels better.

MARY K

Age 56 · Strength that transfers

THE OFFER LADDER

FIND THE RIGHT NEXT STEP

Three routes, depending on where you are. If you're not sure, the Find Your Fit quiz takes five questions and gives you one specific recommendation.

ENTRY · FREE

PLATEAU DIAGNOSTIC

A five-minute diagnostic that pinpoints which of four common patterns has stalled your training — and the one thing to do about it next. Built for masters cyclists.

Take the Diagnostic
MOST POPULAR

COACHING · $195/MO

NOT DONE YET COACHING

Personalised TrainingPeaks plans, weekly coaching calls with Anthony, the cycling-specific strength roadmap, and race-weight and fuelling guidance — built for masters cyclists training 6 to 12 hours a week.

Join Not Done Yet

7-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

PREMIUM · BY APPLICATION

INNER CIRCLE

Bespoke 1:1 programming with direct access to Anthony. Quarterly strategy calls, priority event support, and a single line of accountability. Limited spots, application only.

Learn More

Not sure which fits?

Find Your Fit — 5 Questions

COMMON QUESTIONS

MASTERS QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

CAN YOU ACTUALLY GET FASTER AFTER 40, OR IS EVERYONE JUST CHASING MAINTENANCE?

+

You can get faster. The data on VO2 max decline ranges from 5% to 46% per decade depending on training consistency — the trained masters cyclists who keep getting faster are the ones at the top end of that range. The work that gets them there isn't more volume or harder intervals; it's polarised intensity distribution, heavy strength work twice a week, longer recovery between hard sessions, and protein timed across the day. The Roadman archive — Friel, Seiler, Lipman — backs this up with research and with named case studies. The training that worked at 30 doesn't work the same after 40, but the right training still produces gains.

WHAT'S DIFFERENT ABOUT MASTERS TRAINING VERSUS GENERAL CYCLING TRAINING?

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Three things change. One: recovery windows are longer, so two genuinely hard sessions a week beats three almost-hard ones. Two: strength work shifts from optional to non-negotiable — a 2025 meta-analysis of 17 studies showed heavy strength training improves cycling performance after 40 with no cost to VO2 max. Three: fuelling and protein become load-bearing — 1.6 to 2.0 g/kg/day, spread across meals, not skipped at breakfast. Most masters cyclists fall behind because they keep doing what worked at 30 with less recovery and worse fuel. The fix is rarely 'train harder.'

DO I NEED A COACH, OR CAN I FIGURE THIS OUT FROM THE PODCAST AND THE BLOG?

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It depends on where you're stuck. If you're early in the work, the podcast, the Saturday Spin newsletter, and the written guides will take you a long way — they're free for a reason. If you've been at it for years and your FTP has stalled, the Plateau Diagnostic is the right next step: it's a five-minute tool that pinpoints which of four common patterns you're caught in. If you want the full system — personalised TrainingPeaks plans, weekly coaching calls, the strength roadmap — Not Done Yet Coaching is the structured paid programme. If you're not sure which fits, take the Find Your Fit quiz: five questions, one specific recommendation.

IS NOT DONE YET COACHING BUILT FOR MASTERS CYCLISTS, OR IS IT GENERAL?

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It's built around the serious amateur and masters cyclist who refuses to accept their best days are behind them — that's literally the brand identity. The personalised TrainingPeaks plans, the weekly coaching calls with Anthony, the cycling-specific strength roadmap, and the recovery and fuelling guidance all assume an athlete training 6 to 12 hours a week with a job, a family, and the recovery profile of an adult, not a 22-year-old U23. It's $195 a month with a 7-day free trial. If you want the bespoke version with direct 1:1 access to Anthony, that's the Inner Circle — application only.

YOU'RE NOT DONE YET.

The training that keeps masters cyclists getting faster is fixable, structured, and well-mapped. Pick the route that fits where you are.