SATURDAY SPIN

Riding alone is not enough. That is what Dr Andy Galpin offered when I asked what happens to power after 40. He is a professor of kinesiology at Cal State Fullerton and a muscle physiologist who runs the Center for Sport Performance. I sat down with him last May and recorded the podcast.

Most amateurs after 40 still look fit on paper. They can still ride for hours. What goes first is the kick — the jump out of a corner, the surge on a climb — and that is the part riding alone does not protect.

And because that kick is gone, a client who only rides does the only thing that still feels like training. He adds more miles. He keeps every long ride and never goes to the gym, and the power stays missing.

And the actual move is simpler. Keep the bike. Add a little lifting.

And people think that if the long rides are still there, the power will stay. In Andy’s work that is not what showed up. Lifelong endurance athletes sat around ninety to ninety-five percent slow-twitch fibre. On muscle power and strength they looked the same as people who had never trained, or worse. The people who had lifted for decades kept more of the fast-twitch side that gives you that kick.

And that is not a case for dumping the bike. He did not tell anyone to quit the rides. He offered both. The window to get that power back is not closed.

If your week is only riding, the change this week is to put a little lifting back in — not another long ride on top of the ones you already have.

Riding alone will not bring the kick back. More miles on top of more miles is how you stay in the hole.

And if you want the full conversation with Dr Andy Galpin, here is the episode.

P.S. If you want help putting this week on the calendar, you can apply for Not Done Yet coaching.

Anthony