Ep. 27: indieVelo’s Dr. George Gilbert on the Innovation That Could Change the Future of Cycling Esports The Midlife Cyclist has, in truth, been in gestation for many years, but was substantially written during the Covid-19 pandemic, which will hopefully seem less devastating and frightening at the time of reading than it was at the time of writing. There will be many dire consequences of this destructive disease, but one of the positive outcomes may well be that more people are choosing bikes for both fitness and transport. Covid-19 has also bought into focus two potential fault lines that fall within the scope of this book. The first is that the potentially more deleterious outcomes of the disease appear to fall disproportionally on older age groups, which seems to suggest that middle-aged people and older aren’t just young people who grew up and got old, but are fundamentally changed because of the ageing process. Which isn’t at all how living with advancing age feels, since when we look in the mirror every morning, we feel largely the same as we did yesterday, last week or even last year. Covid-19 has shown us that this is a misguided and simplistic supposition, and that we’re actually profoundly and structurally different at 55 than we were at 25, and as a consequence, the risk from Covid-19 seems to increase exponentially as we age. Secondly, the incidence of Covid-19 appears to have demonstrated that higher levels of aerobic fitness can protect against the damaging effects of the disease in older age groups, possibly by strengthening the immune system and mediating its response to the disease. For me, there was a lot of good news in the book. I’m not just a cyclist. I do resistance training. I run regularly. And I couldn’t help but feel this didn’t need to be a book just for cyclists. Yes, there was a lot of bike-related content, but there is a running book here too, and a book for anyone who is trying to maximize their remaining time above ground. Are you middle-aged? Are you slower than you used to be, more tired? Read this book. It will help you. Phil and Julian co-founded Cyclefit in Central London over twenty years ago. It was the first company dedicated to dynamic bike-fitting in Europe.

The Midlife Cyclist has been in gestation for a long time. The book examines first principles about the challenges of exercising and even competing as we move into middle-age and beyond. Phil's book can help you be as good today as you always said you were ― Carlton Kirby, Eurosport commentatorAs veteran athletes, we’re completely unique in evolutionary terms– around 6.3 million adults are using cycling for sport and leisure in the UK – with a particularly steep increase in the number of female cyclists. Nevertheless, relatively little is known about what happens when you race-tune the engine of a 50- or 60-year-old to as close to Olympic levels as is currently humanly and scientifically possible. As the clinicians and sports scientists scrabble to catch up with newly commissioned research and data, this exponentially expanding group of women and men relentlessly push themselves further away from the shadow of generations before them, and towards the performance levels associated with professional athletes. I have clients in their late 50s (and even early 60s) who can ride at an average of 50km/h for 16km or more. This requires sustained power outputs significantly north of 300 watts (depending on the individual’s aero efficiency), which is over double the level produced by an average untrained 20-year-old. We also consider the big questions surrounding cycling as a fitness tool – is it fundamentally different to other forms of exercise? And, just as importantly, is cycling all you should do to stay fit and healthy or should you be supplementing cycling with doses of other exercise? (Another spoiler – you should.) boomers are perhaps the first generation to be physically active so late in life with as yet unknown outcomes;

An amazing accomplishment... a simple-to-understand précis of your midlife as a cyclist - you won't want to put it down. ― Phil Liggett, TV cycling commentator As a parent, I look at my 11-year old daughter and encourage her to revel in her youth and energy. To run and jump and cycle with glee whenever she can.It’s an interesting read by an author who really, really likes the word “ameliorate” and who might have spent a bit more time off his bike proof-reading the text – there are a few too many sloppy errors throughout. There are breaks in virtual cycling. I’ve been in many. The chess game is still there. To take it a step further, I am able to discuss my next move with my mates in real-time as it is unfolding. The book then takes you on a magical biological tour of your ageing body, to understand what’s happening at a cellular level as we all get older. It looks at how exercise (especially cycling) can be used as a panacea for solving the worst physical and cognitive effects of ageing as an athlete. It’s something I’ve heard time and again from the medical community (people not normally given to hyperbole) – no drug or medical intervention has ever been devised that has the efficacy and power of simple movement, at any age. Renowned cycling biomechanics pioneer, Phil Cavell, explores the growing trend of middle-aged and older cyclists seeking to achieve high-level performance. Using contributions from leading coaches, ex-professionals and pro-team doctors, he produces the ultimate manifesto for mature riders who want to stay healthy, avoid injury – and maximise their achievement levels.

Dr Baker thinks that most amateur riders function at only 60 per cent of their theoretical aerobic (oxidative) capacity due to training incorrectly — mostly from riding too much at too high a level. You need to be a fast tortoise before you can become even a slow hare. Phil is eminently qualified to write The Midlife Cyclist. Well, he is certainly old enough.' – Fabian Cancellara, Tour de France rider and two-time Olympic champion Writing the book has made me a more grateful and humble athlete/person. Understand my body more. Forgive it and myself more when it lets me down and doesn’t want to do what I want.As an example, the revelation that serious amateurs (like me) typically do more high-intensity workouts than the pros is a brain breaker. And that whole ethos around working hard, all the time, no matter what, just sort of crumbles under the simple evidence that it doesn’t work, that what it produces is deeply embedded fatigue, injury, and demotivation. I didn’t fall victim to coming to the defense of virtual cycling when thoroughly enjoying Mr. Cavell’s book, either. As I enter my 6th decade of ‘Midlife’ I have evolved, finding greater merit in the virtues of education over instigation. If you’ve read this far, let me tell you, before I get into the weeds, this is a brilliant book. I am a skeptical person, a cynic, but I can tell you honestly that The MidLife Cyclist changed my behavior on the bike (and off), and even improved my relationship with cycling (read: less burn out efforts, more fun). What I want after all is fun. I want health too, and I want longevity. I want to be able to do the things I enjoy doing as long as I possibly can. The MidLife Cyclist taught me how to get those things with less pain, fewer injuries and most importantly, with a better attitude.