Can You Get Faster After 40? What My 40k Bike PB at 47 Taught Me About Longevity Training

Getting older doesn't mean getting slower. It means getting smarter.

Yesterday I drove to Goodwood Motor Circuit and set a new 40k personal best on the bike.

55 minutes and 24 seconds.

I'm 47 years old.

And I beat a time I last set in September 2020.

So when people tell me that getting older means slowing down, I've got a fairly straightforward answer for them.

It doesn't have to.

What actually happens to endurance athletes as they age?

Yes, there are physiological changes. VO2 max declines. Recovery takes longer. You can't absorb the same training load you could at 25.

But here's what most people get wrong.

The decline is slower than you think. And it's heavily influenced by what you do, not just how old you are.

Athletes who train consistently, strength train regularly and manage their recovery intelligently can keep improving well into their 40s and 50s.

I'm living proof of that.

So what's the secret?

There isn't one. But there are a few things that matter more as you get older.

Strength training is not optional.

If you want to perform well in your 40s and beyond you have to look after the chassis. Two proper strength sessions a week. Not beach muscle. Functional strength that keeps you injury free and powerful.

Recovery is training.

At 25 you could smash it six days a week and bounce back. At 47 your easy days need to actually be easy. Sleep matters. Rest matters. The boring stuff is the important stuff.

Consistency over heroics.

The athletes still improving at 47 are not the ones who trained hardest at 27. They're the ones who never stopped. Steady, consistent, year after year.

Shorter sharper blocks.

Stop trying to train for everything at once. Pick a goal. Build a focused block around it. Peak. Recover. Go again. That's how masters athletes keep getting better.

Train by effort not ego.

Your easy sessions need to be genuinely easy. Your hard sessions need to be genuinely hard. Most people get this backwards.

The mindset shift that changes everything.

Stop thinking about what you've lost compared to your younger self.

Start thinking about what you can build from where you are right now.

I'm faster today than I was five years ago. Not because I found a shortcut. Because I stopped trying to train like a 25 year old and started training like a smart 47 year old.

That's available to you too.

The bottom line.

You can get faster after 40.

It takes consistency, strength work, smart recovery and a willingness to play the long game.

But it's absolutely possible.

Goodwood proved that yesterday.

Andy