Originally Posted by terrymorse

Is the gradual slowing and power loss as we age inevitable?

Can we still ride at a high level into our 60s and beyond? Can we get faster?

My tentative answer, with a data set of size one, is "maybe?".

I'm just shy of 63, and yesterday I set a personal best time up a local steep road (Tunitas Creek, 1.2 miles, 9.4%). 11% faster than two months ago, and better than my previous best time in 2019. On each attempt, I rode with almost the same heart rate (141bpm) and effort (tempo), but yesterday I just had more power.

I can't explain the reason for the improvement, but it sure feels good to know that I'm getting even a little bit stronger.

Has anyone else seen improvements in their performance over time?