Fast After 50-Some Comments

"You aren't old until age becomes your excuse."  -Joe Friel

When I started reading Joe Friel's book Fast After 50, I promised to comment on it upon completion. The book is for the most part well written, interesting, informative, and motivational. I would give it a solid endorsement as recommended reading for cyclists generally, in particular those over the age of fifty.

You need to be prepared for one hard truth when you read any training guide:  Disciplined training which includes testing, power measurement, and intervals produces quality results. Haphazard training produces random results. As someone who has been resistant to the expense and hassle of power meters and the commitment of truly disciplined training, I may be living proof of that sad fact.

If there is one overriding theme in Mr. Friel's book it is this: The single most important factor to maintain speed and fitness in an aging athlete is high intensity training. If you have to make a decision between volume and intensity, choose intensity. Another hard truth in the book is that you are no longer 25 years old and never will be again. Older athletes need to plan for some additional recovery and watch your diet a little more closely than you did when you were younger. It is not possible to prevent every negative consequence of aging, but a smart, motivated cyclist can minimalize most of them for decades.

At age 68, Joe Friel is a top age group cyclist and triathlete with experience in coaching generations of endurance athletes at all levels. No one is more qualified to write this book.