Individualizing cycling training: why age, experience and context change the plan

A general method does not produce the same routine for all people. Chapter 14 explores this difference by discussing women, older cyclists, young and beginners.

The value lies in recognizing needs that a generic spreadsheet can ignore. At the same time, the language and some justifications of editing 2009 should not be transformed into universal truths about sex, aging or individual capacity.

Women: the demand for competition remains decisive

Friel relates training to the available competitive format and capabilities required by him. In his description, shorter and faster competitions may require attention to muscular endurance, power and response to accelerations.

This does not mean that all women should train less resistance or present the same weaknesses. The argument needs to be applied to the actual event and to the profile of the athlete, without replacing an evaluation with an average between groups.

The author also pays attention to the strength and record of the menstrual cycle. A diary can help recognize individual patterns; it does not allow automatically assigning every change in yield to a phase of the cycle or prescribe an identical calendar for all.

Masters: preserve stimulus and increase space to absorb it

The book proposes to continue developing and maintaining strength and intensity, rather than turning aging into an indication of just doing light cycling trainings. The important change is also in the spacing between demanding sessions.

Friel exemplifies blocks with two weeks of work before a recovery, instead of three. In the case of Ralph, from the previous chapter, this decision appears in a three-week cycle. The number is an option of the method, not an automatic obligation when reaching a certain age.

An athlete may need a different recovery at different times of the season itself. Age informs context, but does not alone measure his current response.

Young people: building a path

The author reports the sports training of his son to defend long-term follow-up and development. The goal was not only to increase victories in adolescence, but to maintain enthusiasm and possibility of evolution in adulthood.

This logic changes the evaluation of the program. Fun, ability, learning the dynamics of competition and relationship with the sport also matter. The routine of an experienced adult does not become suitable for a young person just because the volume has been reduced.

Beginners: learn the task before multiplying the requirement

A new cyclist needs to develop regularity, driving, knowledge of his own effort and recovery experience. The novelty already offers a relevant demand.

There are also different types of beginners: someone can have years of recreational cycling and little experience with resistance training or squad competitions. Progression needs to recognize the task in which the person is starting.

An important limit of historical food explanation

Friel associates part of muscle loss in aging with an explanation of food acidity and alkalinity. This formulation is reported here as a proposal for editing, not adopted as an established clinical mechanism or justification for supplementation of bicarbonate or potassium.

A relevant later contextualization is the IOC consensus on REDs: Inadequate energy availability can compromise health and performance in both women and men. This reinforces the need to evaluate diet and training demand without reducing the issue to a food label. 2023 IOC Consensus.

Editorial example: same age, different needs

Two bikers from 55 years want the same competition. One has been in regular training for decades; the other has resumed six months ago. Their backgrounds, skills and responses do not justify an identical schedule.

The first may need to adjust density to continue developing a specific capacity. The second may need to prioritize regularity and learning. The similarity of age does not eliminate these differences.

The teaching of the chapter is individualizing by the concrete person. Categories help to remember important questions, but do not replace historical, objective, current capacity and follow-up of the answer.

Reference: FRIEL, Joe. The Cyclist’s Training Bible. 4th ed. VeloPress, 2009. Chapter 14, “Unique Needs”. Pages in the PDF file: 314–339. A selective synthesis written in our own words. Examples labeled as editorial are Enduran-se’s own examples; they are not additional cases reported by the author.

Cada um no seu ritmo. Juntos no caminho.