AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM!
Older cyclists don’t only extend their healthy years, they keep alive the passion to strive. Rob Kemp meets eight indomitable over-50s
Cycling offers a multitude of benefits for older adults, including bolstering the immune system, maintaining muscle mass and strength, and regulating body fat and cholesterol levels, as revealed by multiple studies. The low-impact nature of the sport makes it ideal for those with joint issues – unlike high-impact exercises such as running. Because it’s so accessible and kind on the body, cycling is easy to take up later in life and to continue for decades. In a society of increasing isolation, the social interaction and camaraderie cycling offers can help combat mental health issues and loneliness too.
For many of those who’ve cycled since childhood – progressing to club and elite levels – the positive impact upon their health and wellbeing means they’re still smashing PBS and picking up medals in their 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and beyond.
Cycling Weekly decided it was time to tap into their secrets and discover how you and I can keep riding strongly, if not forever, then at least for many more years to come.
ANDY BRUCE 53, DUNFERMLINE
• Scottish Hour record holder –
47.523km (March 2023)
• Masters world champion M50-54 –
Points Race (2019)
• British Masters 3,000m individual
pursuit champion (2019) Andy Bruce took up cycling at the age of 39 with a bike bought through the cycle to work scheme. In the 14 years since, he has become one of the most successful age-group track riders in the world – claiming a masters track cycling World Championship title in 2019.
“In October 2023 I saw a post on the History of Scottish Cycling Facebook group, saying how the Scottish Hour record had stood unbroken for almost 30 years. After a back-of-a-fagpacket calculation, I worked out that the record of 46.65km [set by Jim Gladwell] was an average of 19.2-second laps.
‘Can I do that?
I probably can’.”
Bruce did an initial test at his local track. “I only did 10 minutes, aiming for about 18.7 seconds per lap. I looked at my data and at what power I was needing to manage that lap time – and it was well below my threshold. So that’s when it became achievable.”
In the build-up to the record attempt, Bruce focused his training on the TT bike, the turbo or the pursuit bike on the track. “I’d do endurance rides on the turbo to get as aero as possible – but comfortable enough to hold that for an hour.”
After seeing a picture of Dan Bigham, Bruce adapted his position slightly. “His elbows were pretty much touching each other. But mine were too far out – so I reset myself and managed to improve my aero position to a degree,” he says.
“On the day itself I felt pretty rubbish with a head cold and found I was struggling to hit my lap time. By the halfhour mark, I wanted to stop and get off. But I told myself that if I could keep my >>
MARTIN WHYARD 85, MIDDLEWICH, CHESHIRE • 170-180 miles every week
Whyard returned to cycling in 1987. “Prior to that I’d ridden during my teens and was the third man in a 30-mile competition record-breaking team back in 1963,” he explains. Work and family commitments then took priority, but the physical benefits, sociality and being out in the countryside lured him back into the saddle. “One of the things you’re fighting against as you get older is that your heart rate diminishes with age. Twenty years ago my maximum was 190bpm, now it’s around 149bpm – and that’s on a good day!”
Whyard has plenty of good days when it comes to clocking up a decent mileage. “I prefer to cycle outdoors and I try to get out at least three days a week. I’ll do rides up to about 85 miles and ride with my local club Weaver Valley CC. Over a week I cover 170-180 miles. When the weather’s poor, I’ll use my indoor trainer, doing anything from 30 to 90 minutes at a time.”
It’s no longer about getting faster. “I’ve noticed the impact of ageing on club rides. When I first retired, I was riding with the faster guys at 16-17mph. Now, with the slow group, we’re lucky if we manage 13mph,” he smiles. “But I’m still doing 170-180 miles every week.”