Climbing technique for the ageing cyclist

keithc440

I turned 49 a month ago and for a while now I have noticed that when the road really ramps up steeply and the surface is poor that I can't power up in a big gear like I use to. I'm not saying I was ever any good but now I just have to get it into a gear two or three sprockets lower than I used to use on the really steep inclines. In some ways I'm riding generally better now. Never put on any weight and with experience you do learn to work at keeping a good cadence.
But on the really steep sections I've lost the power. Think I'm just going to have to accept it and get it in a smaller gear and try and keep the cadence up. Or would I benefit from some low cadence hill climb intervals ? Thoughts from any other riders who have felt the effects of aging on climbing welcome .

imposter2.0

Sounds like your fitness has dropped. But there's no reason why, at 49, you should not be riding every bit as quick as you were 10 years previously (assuming you were riding 10 years ago). Don't be blaming your age now....

keithc440

Could be right there. End of the winter and probably lacking climbing miles. I must admit when the weathers bad I tend to avoid the higher hills. Need to get back out there.

SME

I'm 53. I keep records on Strava and I just go for it and see if I can get a personal best somewhere during the ride. Even some of the hills I climb around here, my times are improving.

I guess there's a peak we all reach when you just can't go any quicker (and remember, there is no easier, just quicker!), but I wouldn't have thought that 49 is an age to see performance start dropping off.

Just keep at it. Set your self a target and do your best to achieve it. Don't make it sky high and dis-hearten yourself if you don't make it. Make it realistically achievable, and when you reach it, set another.

The other thing I try and do is concentrate on my pedaling style so that my feet are utilising more of the stroke, pulling back on the pedal when the stroke reaches the bottom, which seems to give me a bit more power, and make the hill climb easier (hope I'm not 'teaching you to suck eggs!'). I can't do this at high cadence though, but one day muscle memory will kick in!

Good luck,
Steve

slowmart

I did a serious amount of zone two rides over the winter and I lost 9 watts on my power output simply because I wast doing threshold sessions or even spending time in the higher zones.

Ok threshold sessions are now part of the weekly sessions but you need to use the entire range of your fitness if you want to increase the outputs across speed, endurance and lower.

Nothing to worry about that a change of focus shouldn't remedy.

giropaul

Imposter wrote:

Sounds like your fitness has dropped. But there's no reason why, at 49, you should not be riding every bit as quick as you were 10 years previously (assuming you were riding 10 years ago). Don't be blaming your age now....

As can, of course, be proved by the number of 49 year old pros in teams.
Research shows that, from peak in, typically, mid to late 30s, a cyclist loses 3 watts/ year. Changing training to more emphasis on intense, shorter efforts may minimise the loss, but it is still there.
That's why Time Trials have vets standards, and vets road racing is in age groups.

ugo.santalucia

I know lots of folks in their 50s who outclimb me by a mile. You will never reach the potantial you might have had in your 20s, but you can be reasonably close.

For the record, 9 years ago I have been passed on the climb to Oropa by an ageing Moser (56 at the time), more annoyingly the same small group of riders even included Gianni Motta (65 at the time)

t4tomo

I imagine Moser and Motta would have been going even quicker 20, 30, 40 years earlier though.

imposter2.0

giropaul wrote:

That's why Time Trials have vets standards, and vets road racing is in age groups.

Don't be quoting what the pros do - it's not relevant on here. I have seen 50+ riders take the win in open regional road races and I have seen 50+ testers win outright in many TTs - regardless of the vet standards. Vets might need to train a bit differently and might take a bit longer to recover, but overall performance should not be dropping at that age.

djhermer

Local legend (not that I know him personally):

http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Res ... rry%20Icke

http://newforestcc.co.uk/icke-fastest-o ... -yeovil-10

ugo.santalucia

t4tomo wrote:

I imagine Moser and Motta would have been going even quicker 20, 30, 40 years earlier though.

Of course... nobody expect the OP to get a professional contract, but there is no reason why at 49 he should be slow at climbing, it's just lack of form... the actual decline is very small... it takes the edge off a performance, it doesn't delete it altogether. That is especially true for endurance activity, like climbing... being a top sprinter in your 50s is a different matter

Alex99

keithc440 wrote:

I turned 49 a month ago and for a while now I have noticed that when the road really ramps up steeply and the surface is poor that I can't power up in a big gear like I use to. I'm not saying I was ever any good but now I just have to get it into a gear two or three sprockets lower than I used to use on the really steep inclines. In some ways I'm riding generally better now. Never put on any weight and with experience you do learn to work at keeping a good cadence.
But on the really steep sections I've lost the power. Think I'm just going to have to accept it and get it in a smaller gear and try and keep the cadence up. Or would I benefit from some low cadence hill climb intervals ? Thoughts from any other riders who have felt the effects of aging on climbing welcome .

The theory goes that you tend to lose fast twitch muscle fibres as you get older. You can remain very fit, but need to pay more attention to short efforts and strength. That's my guess.

andcp

djhermer wrote:

Local legend (not that I know him personally):

http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Res ... rry%20Icke

http://newforestcc.co.uk/icke-fastest-o ... -yeovil-10

Hells bells!

I'm not surprised he's legendary, they're epic rides!

lesfirth

djhermer wrote:

Local legend (not that I know him personally):

http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Res ... rry%20Icke

http://newforestcc.co.uk/icke-fastest-o ... -yeovil-10

That has really depressed me. I am his age and I do most of my biking on my own. From my Strava times I thought I was doing OK but I now know I am really sh1t.

DeVlaeminck

I agree with the above that your top end does decline a bit faster than your endurance, maybe it's just that acceleration when you get out of the saddle, either way I agree with the advice that is more reason to keep training it than bow to the slow decline.

andcp

lesfirth wrote:

That has really depressed me. I am his age and I do most of my biking on my own. From my Strava times I thought I was doing OK but I now know I am really sh1t.

Don't worry Les, I'm a piece younger than him and my rides are now really, really sh*t!

Ste_S

Just to echo every one else. It's training, not an age thing. Go and do some hill reps where the gradient ramps up towards the end. Sit and spin on the initial part and then out of the saddle and power up to the end.
Repeat until your legs fall off

keef66

Well I'm 58 now, and I've never been anything more than a leisure cyclist. I've never been a particularly fast or powerful climber, but I haven't noticed things getting any worse as I age. When I got a Garmin a couple of years ago I saw my average speed was just over 14mph in summer, and 12-13 in the winter. If I can maintain those speeds as I age I'll be more than happy

davidof

djhermer wrote:

Local legend (not that I know him personally):

http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Res ... rry%20Icke

http://newforestcc.co.uk/icke-fastest-o ... -yeovil-10

ahhh Terry, glad to see he's still on his bike. He used to be a good racer when he was a callow youth then he decided to get back into cycling in his late 30s, that must have been in, oh in the early 1980s I guess. I was secretary of Poole Wheelers in his comeback year and we were very lucky to have him as a rider.

Now there's another guy I know who is in his 50s and climbed alpe d'Huez last year in 46 minutes.

Rigga

djhermer wrote:

Local legend (not that I know him personally):

http://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/Res ... rry%20Icke

http://newforestcc.co.uk/icke-fastest-o ... -yeovil-10

Jesus! 68! That's actually quite inspiring, doesn't look like he's on strava can't find him anyway. What a beast!

Rigga

davidof wrote:

Now there's another guy I know who is in his 50s and climbed alpe d'Huez last year in 46 minutes.

Wow!

briantrumpet

I do a fair few Alpine climbs with younger and fitter riders than me (I'm 52), and what I seem to find is that I have an inbuilt speed limiter lower down the climbs: the young' uns go off with their youthful enthusiasm, but very often while I'm accelerating towards the 45- or 60-minute mark they are going backwards.... there's simply no way I could keep up with them at the start though.... I'd explode. Even at the end of a long stay there with plenty of cycling, the speed limiter is still there. Not sure if that's an age thing or not... more diesel than turbo GTi...

jgsi

Just read 'Fast after 50' by Joe Friel and take his lessons in... listen less to pseudo advice off forums.

You may agree more or less with his stance on the weight training aspect... but all in all .. it is the best manual for those who would be deemed over the hill.

It is not about hills .. it is about you re gaining the fitness and it is certainly not too late .
I am a lot older than you and still race competitively and hope for a better season as I now have a team colleague in my own age group.

davidof

briantrumpet wrote:

I do a fair few Alpine climbs with younger and fitter riders than me (I'm 52), and what I seem to find is that I have an inbuilt speed limiter lower down the climbs: the young' uns go off with their youthful enthusiasm, but very often while I'm accelerating towards the 45- or 60-minute mark they are going backwards.... there's simply no way I could keep up with them at the start though.... I'd explode. Even at the end of a long stay there with plenty of cycling, the speed limiter is still there. Not sure if that's an age thing or not... more diesel than turbo GTi...

Better Endurance and / or more intelligent riding (pacing). I guess.

CRAIGO5000

Pacing it key to good climbing. Using a power meter and correct compact gearing which allows proper cadence does absolute wonders.

If you're using a 53T crank set-up, consider changing it.

briantrumpet

davidof wrote:

briantrumpet wrote:

I do a fair few Alpine climbs with younger and fitter riders than me (I'm 52), and what I seem to find is that I have an inbuilt speed limiter lower down the climbs: the young' uns go off with their youthful enthusiasm, but very often while I'm accelerating towards the 45- or 60-minute mark they are going backwards.... there's simply no way I could keep up with them at the start though.... I'd explode. Even at the end of a long stay there with plenty of cycling, the speed limiter is still there. Not sure if that's an age thing or not... more diesel than turbo GTi...

Better Endurance and / or more intelligent riding (pacing). I guess.

I'd say rather that if I want to keep up with the younger ones I'd need to do more intervals - as I say, it's not endurance that's a particular problem (I'll catch up very often), it's just that I can't go deep into the red early in climbs, so have learnt not to chase every dig. But I'm not training for anything in particular, just keeping fit enough to enjoy big climbs.

diy

It sounds like the affect of winter clothing. I notice a bit of a difference between my winter warmers and my racing bibs.

Also in theory you are losing a beat a year off your top end, so unless you compensate elsewhere eventually it will show up on your performance.

keef66

diy wrote:

Also in theory you are losing a beat a year off your top end, so unless you compensate elsewhere eventually it will show up on your performance.

I'm 1-2 mph slower in the winter. Denser air, a lot more clothing, maybe slower descending / cornering on wet roads, it all adds up.

And my MHR is definitely declining; used to be over 200, last time I measured it I got 165. Which is spookily close to the 220 minus age thing oft quoted. So I must be distinctly average!

SME

briantrumpet wrote:

I do a fair few Alpine climbs with younger and fitter riders than me (I'm 52), and what I seem to find is that I have an inbuilt speed limiter lower down the climbs: the young' uns go off with their youthful enthusiasm, but very often while I'm accelerating towards the 45- or 60-minute mark they are going backwards.... there's simply no way I could keep up with them at the start though.... I'd explode. Even at the end of a long stay there with plenty of cycling, the speed limiter is still there. Not sure if that's an age thing or not... more diesel than turbo GTi...

What's said in this vid... 1:34 into the vid...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=20&v=dp1uihuQuPE

... and here after 4:46...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpLXlyan5_8

CRAIGO5000

Pacing is key. It's obvious to anyone who owns a power meter. If you know your threshold figure, you'll know that when you blissfully unaware start a climb, you go way over your threshold for several minutes but feel fine. With power, you actively hold back. The youth will power on and be way into Vo2 max and beyond but then they pop. It's simple physics.

The best way to climb is with power. Know your critical power curve. Know your optimal cadance and know the approximate duration of the climb. All you then need to do is hold the power for that duration through all undulating terrain and you're instantly climbing to the best of your ability.

relk

The logic is that the older you get the more you need to work on muscle strength in the gym and less speedwork. Squats with weight