#116 | Grow old--Get fast--Don’t die | Phil Cavell: The Midlife Cyclist

...it's a fool's errand to try and make older people young. But it's enormously fun to try and make older people fast. That's fun. And it's very good for you, almost certainly. And, do the work; shortcuts tend not to turn out very well or for very long in older athletes.

The better cyclist you want to be past 50, the more you probably have to drop cycling sessions out and put something else in to compensate. So you probably need to drop a cycling session now and put in a gym session, or a running session, or some other sport to work on bone density and muscle fibre loss. So it's a counterintuitive thing. The more you cycle and the more you seek cycling performance, the more you probably need to cast your net a bit wider. Sometimes you need to slow down to go fast.

Phil Cavell is the author of The Midlife Cyclist', a book for the 40+-year-old cyclists who want to train hard, ride fast and stay healthy. It's less of a how-to and more of a philosophy of the older athlete...a collection thoughts and ramblings. It's what you’d talk about with a doctor friend who knew everything about the body and cycling the bike. 

Phil says to stop by Cycle Fit to say hello if you are ever in London. I know I will.

Links:

• Cycle Fit website: https://www.cyclefit.co.uk/
• Episode 88 - Strong Heart w/Dr Ben Levine: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/88-how-to-get-a-strong-heart-for-performance-and-health-much-more-w-dr-ben-levine/
• Episode 63 - Boosting Testosterone: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/63-boosting-testosterone-right-with-rick-cohen-md/
• Episode 32 - Metabolic Flexibility: https://www.wiseathletes.com/podcast/32-helping-older-athletes-feel-young-again-via-metabolic-and-physiologic-flexibility-with-dr-mike-t-nelson/

Phil Cavell Bio:

Phil Cavell is the CEO of the London-based bike fitting studio, Cycle Fit. As well as being an expert on the biomechanics of cycling, Phil has recently written 'The Midlife Cyclist', a book for the 40+-year-old cyclists who want to train hard, ride fast and stay healthy.

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Detailed Show Notes

• Go slow to go fast
• Do less cycling to get better at cycling
• Do the work; don’t resort to shortcuts which always backfire in the end
• Sleep is the key to health and performance; work it out and never give up (or resort to drugs)
• Video yourself in action; see your disfunction
• Be careful of alcohol and hard exercise for the older athlete heart