OLDER YET FASTER

BRITAIN’S MO ST AMAZING VETERANS SHARE THEIR TRAINING SE CRETS... .

- David Bradford

Slowing down as you grow older is a fact of life. Or is it? Chris Sidwells meets the riders who, despite being theoretically well past their best, just keep getting faster

In the past it was generally accepted that we begin to decline physically from the age of about 40. But not anymore. These days over-40s are performing at incredibly high levels across a wide range of sports – including cycling. Scientists, coaches and many riders have come to understand that slowing down past 40 isn’t inevitable, provided you train to target potential age-related limiters of performance. To find out exactly how, we asked some of Britain’s very best performers across the age groups, starting at 40. Most of them are riding faster now, as veterans, than ever before.

AGE GROUP 40 - 45

‘Eat well and maintain your body’

Gemma Sargent, 41, Saint Piran

After her road race debut in 2015, Gemma Sargent quickly became a top performer. She lives in Chorley, Lancashire, and by 2016 was riding UK national races including the Tour Series, and with Team On-Form in 2017 and 2018 she rode UCI international races including the Tour de Yorkshire.

Sargent’s first year competing as an over-40 rider should have been 2020, impeded by Covid restrictions, so her top Masters achievement came this year, a second place in the National Championship road race. She’s also had several top-10 placings in British elite races. All of this achieved despite having had a severe eating disorder earlier in life.