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	Cycling Past 50 by Joe Friel (Human Kinetics, 1998, 252 pp., $17.95) Reviewed by Michael Bauman The battle cry of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation was "Sola Scriptura! " - or "Bible Only! ". Until recently, the battle cry of American cyclists was much the same, except that by such a proclamation we made reference not to the works of Peter or Paul, but to Joe Friel's The Cyclist's Training Bible, a highly readable, well informed, and readily applicable guide to effective year-round training. Unlike Scripture, which was complete with the passing of the last apostle, cycling revelation continues, in this case Friel's latest book, Cycling Past 50. Nearly a third of the nation - and of the UMCA membership - is comprised of baby boomers: those who are just now approaching or else have just passed 50. Increasing age means decreasing aerobic capacity, decreasing strength, decreasing muscle mass, decreasing speed, and decreasing endurance. But while that litany of loss might sound overwhelming, those losses can be slowed down, sometimes quite dramatically, so that personal records in endurance sports like ultra cycling are not merely possible, but realistic -- especially with the training advice Friel offers. Friel's training program is built on Tudor Bompa's widely recognized principles of periodization, coupled with excellent advice on diet, injury avoidance, weight training, and mental maturity. To Friel, the key to staving off the deleterious effects of age is not simply training but intensity. Training is good; training vigorously is better (p. 17), preferably at least four substantial workouts per week. But you must do so sensibly and systematically. You must begin with a physician's examination in order to determine overall health, after which you test both for aerobic efficiency and aerobic capacity, in order to establish the baseline fitness levels that help to measure your genuine training gains. By vigorous training Friel means riding at a level to which your body has already adapted, plus about 10%, whether in terms of distance or intensity. Greater loads are probably excessive and are therefore dangerous. When in doubt about at what level of intensity or distance one ought to train, Friel advises taking the more conservative option. Work hard, but work wisely. By vigorous training Friel means riding at a level to which your body has already adapted, plus about 10%, whether in terms of distance or intensity. Greater loads are probably excessive and are therefore dangerous. When in doubt about at what level of intensity or distance one ought to train, Friel advises taking the more conservative option. Work hard, but work wisely. Friel carefully unfolds the six stages of periodized training: preparation, base, build, peak, race, and transition, and he explains the frequency, intensity and duration of training for each stage -- all in easy-to-follow language that is illumined by a plethora of helpful charts and graphs. He also explains the principles of specificity training and of self-evaluation. The result is insightful and widely adaptable. By far the longest chapter in Friel's book, and the one which is its heart, is the chapter on racing. In it, Friel explains that a successful racing season depends in large part on predictable fitness achieved at the right time. That achievement is the result of well-planned training, which is training distributed wisely and scientifically across the days, weeks and months prior to competition. That distribution is largely the application to one's own needs and goals of the principles of periodization, the implementation of which Friel spells out with careful and impressive precision. But the best part of this chapter, at least for me, was Friel's road map for reasonable goal setting, and precisely how such goals are prudently and systematically realized. Some coaches and competitors might dissent from Friel's belief that older riders should continue at least a modest weight training regimen almost year round, with the only exceptions being during the week of a major race and during the transition phase from one cycling year to the next. But it seems to me that Friel is right, a view endorsed by well-known sports doctors like Robert Arnot, who insists that muscle mass is the so-called fountain of youth for aging baby boomers, and that modest and continued weight training is one of the best and most effective ways to acquire it. The finest, and indeed the most memorable, chapter in Friel's book is the chapter on motivation, which I dare not try to summarize here for fear of distorting it by reducing it. Suffice it to say that this chapter is immensely moving and well worth the purchase price of the book all on its own. Reprinted from www.ultracycling.com
	Copyright © 2006. Michael Bauman. All rights reserved.	date modified: 5 July 2006 Website Hit Counters

Cycling Past 50
by Joe Friel (Human Kinetics, 1998, 252 pp., $17.95)
Reviewed by Michael Bauman

The battle cry of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation was "Sola Scriptura! " - or "Bible Only! ". Until recently, the battle cry of American cyclists was much the same, except that by such a proclamation we made reference not to the works of Peter or Paul, but to Joe Friel's The Cyclist's Training Bible, a highly readable, well informed, and readily applicable guide to effective year-round training. Unlike Scripture, which was complete with the passing of the last apostle, cycling revelation continues, in this case Friel's latest book, Cycling Past 50.

Nearly a third of the nation - and of the UMCA membership - is comprised of baby boomers: those who are just now approaching or else have just passed 50. Increasing age means decreasing aerobic capacity, decreasing strength, decreasing muscle mass, decreasing speed, and decreasing endurance. But while that litany of loss might sound overwhelming, those losses can be slowed down, sometimes quite dramatically, so that personal records in endurance sports like ultra cycling are not merely possible, but realistic -- especially with the training advice Friel offers. Friel's training program is built on Tudor Bompa's widely recognized principles of periodization, coupled with excellent advice on diet, injury avoidance, weight training, and mental maturity.

To Friel, the key to staving off the deleterious effects of age is not simply training but intensity. Training is good; training vigorously is better (p. 17), preferably at least four substantial workouts per week. But you must do so sensibly and systematically. You must begin with a physician's examination in order to determine overall health, after which you test both for aerobic efficiency and aerobic capacity, in order to establish the baseline fitness levels that help to measure your genuine training gains.

By vigorous training Friel means riding at a level to which your body has already adapted, plus about 10%, whether in terms of distance or intensity. Greater loads are probably excessive and are therefore dangerous. When in doubt about at what level of intensity or distance one ought to train, Friel advises taking the more conservative option. Work hard, but work wisely.

Friel carefully unfolds the six stages of periodized training: preparation, base, build, peak, race, and transition, and he explains the frequency, intensity and duration of training for each stage -- all in easy-to-follow language that is illumined by a plethora of helpful charts and graphs. He also explains the principles of specificity training and of self-evaluation. The result is insightful and widely adaptable.

By far the longest chapter in Friel's book, and the one which is its heart, is the chapter on racing. In it, Friel explains that a successful racing season depends in large part on predictable fitness achieved at the right time. That achievement is the result of well-planned training, which is training distributed wisely and scientifically across the days, weeks and months prior to competition. That distribution is largely the application to one's own needs and goals of the principles of periodization, the implementation of which Friel spells out with careful and impressive precision. But the best part of this chapter, at least for me, was Friel's road map for reasonable goal setting, and precisely how such goals are prudently and systematically realized.

Some coaches and competitors might dissent from Friel's belief that older riders should continue at least a modest weight training regimen almost year round, with the only exceptions being during the week of a major race and during the transition phase from one cycling year to the next. But it seems to me that Friel is right, a view endorsed by well-known sports doctors like Robert Arnot, who insists that muscle mass is the so-called fountain of youth for aging baby boomers, and that modest and continued weight training is one of the best and most effective ways to acquire it.

The finest, and indeed the most memorable, chapter in Friel's book is the chapter on motivation, which I dare not try to summarize here for fear of distorting it by reducing it. Suffice it to say that this chapter is immensely moving and well worth the purchase price of the book all on its own.

Reprinted from www.ultracycling.com

date modified:
5 July 2006

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