The Old New Mexican

When I started structured training in July 2023, I wasn’t expecting a transformation. After 40 years of mountain bike riding and racing, I thought I already knew how to train: ride hard, ride often, and race into fitness. It worked well enough for decades. But what I’ve learned over the past two years has completely changed my understanding of how endurance performance develops—especially later in life.

My son, an accomplished racer himself, offered to coach me. He’d experienced firsthand how structured, power-based training could drive sustainable gains. I figured I’d give it a try. Since then, I’ve seen consistent improvements in nearly every performance metric—culminating in three national championship podiums this year, including a win in cross-country. What’s surprised me most is not just that I improved, but how much I improved.

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Why Structure Matters

Most endurance athletes, especially those of us over 50, ride plenty but rarely train with true structure. We accumulate hours and fitness, but often stay in the “gray zone”—too hard for easy days, too easy for hard days. That approach feels productive but rarely produces breakthrough results.

As Joe Friel explains in Fast After 50, structured training leverages three principles essential for older athletes: specificity, intensity, and recovery. Training must be targeted to elicit physiological adaptations, balanced by adequate rest to allow those adaptations to take hold. Without deliberate structure, workouts may build fatigue rather than fitness.

Structured training reintroduces that balance—clear intent behind every ride. It’s not about riding more; it’s about riding smarter.

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The Foundation: Zone 2 Durability

One of the most significant shifts in my training has been the emphasis on long, steady Zone 2 rides. These low-intensity sessions build mitochondrial density, improve fat metabolism, and enhance what physiologists now call durability—the ability to maintain high power output later in long races.

Dr. Stephen Seiler and others have shown that the majority of elite endurance adaptations occur below the lactate threshold, where the body learns to oxidize fat efficiently and resist fatigue over time (Seiler, 2010, Scand J Med Sci Sports). Additional research confirms that sustained Zone 2 training increases capillary density and mitochondrial enzymes, boosting long-term aerobic efficiency (Granata et al., 2018, J Physiol).

On a practical level, these rides teach pacing discipline. I now do 75% of my training on the road, where I can hold steady power for extended periods—something nearly impossible on mountain trails. During long Zone 2 rides, I don’t stop. Those uninterrupted efforts have transformed my fatigue resistance late in races.

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The Ceiling: Threshold and VO₂ Work

If Zone 2 rides build the base, threshold and VO₂ max intervals raise the ceiling. High-intensity sessions target cardiac output, stroke volume, and maximal oxygen uptake—metrics that tend to decline with age but respond remarkably well to targeted training.

For example, my measured VO₂ max rose from 51.7 in early 2024 to 61.6 in late 2025, while my FTP increased from 251 to 278 watts. That might not sound dramatic, but when adjusted for body weight—down from 170 to 152 pounds—it represents a jump from 3.3 to 4.0 watts per kilogram. In my sixties, that’s a transformation I didn’t think was possible.

This improvement didn’t happen from random hard rides. It came from carefully prescribed interval blocks, often alternating threshold (sweet spot) and VO₂ sessions, separated by recovery days or easier aerobic rides. My son structured these blocks to peak for key events—particularly the USA Cycling national championships in cross-country (XCO), marathon (XCM), and gravel racing.

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A Season of Results

In July 2025, I lined up for the U.S. National Championships in both XCM and XCO. I finished third in the marathon distance and won the cross-country title. Two months later, I placed fifth at Gravel Nationals and set all-time power records for nearly every interval longer than six minutes.

What stood out most wasn’t just the results—it was how strong I felt late in those races. My sprinting, climbing, and endurance had all improved, but the biggest difference was durability. In the past, fatigue would cause my power to fade late in long events. Now, I can finish as strong as I start.

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The Science Behind the Surprise

It’s easy to assume that performance inevitably declines with age. But studies in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and Journal of Applied Physiology show that with structured intensity and adequate recovery, masters athletes can maintain—or even increase—aerobic capacity well into their 60s.

A 2019 study found that older cyclists who continued high-intensity training preserved muscle oxidative capacity and capillary density comparable to much younger athletes (Zampieri et al., 2019, J Physiol). The key is balancing stimulus and rest. High-intensity intervals stimulate cardiac and muscular adaptations, while low-intensity rides reinforce endurance and metabolic efficiency. Recovery blocks, like the two week-long breaks I take each season, allow supercompensation and mental reset.

It’s not magic—it’s physiology responding to consistency and structure.

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Lessons Learned

Structured training has taught me that improvement at 60 is not just possible—it’s predictable if you commit to the process. The combination of long Zone 2 rides and carefully dosed high-intensity work has created the rare combination of higher durability and higher peak power.

Just as important, it’s made training more purposeful. Each week has intent, each session a goal. Even with 10–20 hours of training per week, I recover better because the balance is right.

I’ve learned that structure doesn’t limit freedom; it amplifies it. With clear goals and data-driven guidance, I can ride harder, longer, and faster—without burnout.

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Final Thoughts

I’m genuinely surprised by how much I’ve improved in such a short time. After decades of “just riding,” I didn’t expect to see this level of performance gain, especially at 60. But structure, discipline, and trust in the process changed everything.

What excites me now is that it still feels like there’s plenty of progress ahead. The improvements haven’t plateaued—they’ve accelerated. My aerobic base continues to deepen, my fatigue resistance keeps improving, and I’m more motivated than ever to see how far structured training can take me in the years ahead.

The results far exceeded my expectations—and I’m convinced that this type of improvement is available to anyone. It doesn’t require elite genetics or endless time, just a willingness to follow a plan, stay consistent, and let the science work.

I’ve learned that age doesn’t set the limit—lack of structure does.