Six Months of Chasing Longevity

We’re halfway through the year, which makes this a good time to step back and evaluate progress: what’s working, what isn’t, and what might need adjusting.

Tour de Bike is not a training blog. It’s a blog about using cycling as a vehicle to pursue health, longevity, and independence. But if you’re trying to improve your health, it’s hard to avoid setting goals and creating a plan to reach them. This isn’t about becoming a professional cyclist—or even a competitive one. It’s about building a longer, healthier, more independent life.

Looking Back at the Goals

At the beginning of the year, my coach and I set several goals:

Increase FTP by 5% each quarter
Improve VO2 Max
Complete longer rides with confidence
Continue my weight-loss journey
Build strength, stability, and mobility
Train for my Centenarian Decathlon

So where do things stand six months into the year?

FTP Progress

At the beginning of the year, my FTP was 144 watts. On April 29, I completed another FTP test and increased it to 149 watts. Technically, I missed my 5% quarterly goal by about one watt. I’ll take that.

As a reminder, FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the power you can generate for 1 hour. It’s a measure of fitness. So, considering I lost a couple of weeks of training due to illness earlier in the year, I’m pleased with the progress. More importantly, the trend continues to move in the right direction. I should be taking another FTP test sometime in July.

Longer Rides and Growing Confidence

One of my biggest accomplishments so far this year was completing the Gran Fondo San Diego. I did the Metric Century version (100K or 62 miles).
This was especially meaningful because I entered the same event last year and had to withdraw around mile 40. This year, my goal was simple: finish and finish strong.
I did both.
Even better, I felt strong throughout much of the ride. That result also revealed the next area for improvement. Finishing confidently is one thing; increasing my average speed over longer distances is another. That’s one of the areas Coach Chi and I are focusing on now.

The Weight-Loss Journey

My highest weight was 398 pounds in 2019.

Since then, progress has been anything but linear. There have been successes, setbacks, plateaus, and more than a few frustrations along the way.

I started 2026 at approximately 325 pounds. As I write this, I’m at 314.

While I haven’t lost weight as quickly as I hoped, I’m also at the lowest weight I’ve been in over a decade. That’s not nothing. I’ll take consistent progress over perfection every time. I’m making some adjustments to my nutrition plan and will share more about that in a future post.

Strength, Stability, and the Centenarian Decathlon

This year I’ve consistently added two strength-training sessions per week.

Early in the year, the focus was balance and stability. Later, we shifted toward building strength, and during my current base-building phase the goal is maintaining those gains while supporting cycling performance.

The objective isn’t to bulk up. The objective is to stay capable.

Strength training also supports many of the goals in my Centenarian Decathlon—the list of things I want to be physically capable of doing well into my later years. When I think about longevity, I don’t just think about living longer. I think about being able to carry groceries, climb stairs, lift a suitcase into an overhead compartment, get up off the floor, and keep riding a bike.

That’s the real goal.

Being Honest About the Obstacles

One thing I’ve learned in my 60s is the importance of being honest about the obstacles that get in the way of progress.

Illness happens. When it does, recovery needs to come first. Pushing through sickness often just prolongs the setback.

Life happens too. I’m not a professional athlete. Training fits into my life—not the other way around. There will be travel. There will be family obligations. There will be work commitments. There will be unexpected disruptions.

The key is not to let those interruptions become excuses to quit. Give yourself some grace, make adjustments when necessary, and then get back to the plan.

Lessons Learned So Far

Recovery Matters

I’ve come to appreciate recovery far more than I used to. The body doesn’t get stronger during the workout. It gets stronger afterward, when it repairs and adapts to the stress you’ve placed on it.

Training breaks the body down. Recovery builds it back up.

Strength Training Isn’t Optional

As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass and strength. That means strength training isn’t an optional add-on. It’s an essential part of maintaining health, mobility, balance, and independence. And remember, as we get older, we lose muscle faster, so it’s important to train in a way that counteracts that accelerated loss.

If longevity is the goal, strength has to be part of the equation.

Motivation Is Unreliable

There are plenty of days when I don’t feel like getting on the bike. I’ve learned that motivation comes and goes. Discipline is what keeps you moving forward.

Sometimes it’s fine to swap a workout day and a rest day. Sometimes your body needs that adjustment.

But that leads to perhaps the most important lesson of all:

Have a Plan

Whether you’re working with a coach, following an online training plan, or creating your own, having a plan matters.

A plan removes guesswork.

A plan provides direction.

A plan keeps you moving forward when motivation disappears.

And once you have a plan?

Stick to the plan.

It makes all the difference.

Looking Ahead

Training continues as I prepare for the remaining events on my calendar this year:

The Civilized Century (San Francisco Bay Area)
Bike the Bay (Ride around San Diego Bay and over the Coronado Bridge)
Bike the Coast (Down the beautiful North County Coastline)
El Tour de Tucson (My favorite ride of the year)

There is still plenty of work to do.

Six months into the year, I’m not where I ultimately want to be—and that’s okay. What matters is that I’m further along than I was on January 1. The goal is never perfection. The goal is progress.

So I’ll keep showing up, keep doing the work, and keep chasing longevity one ride, one workout, and one day at a time.

Enjoy the ride.

Mid-Year Training Check-In