Well Rodney (52 and slowing) Handsfield as long as you ask, this is my methodical training program. Since many of us are aging (I am 47), this may help build a better connection and respect for the bikes we love (and maybe our bodies). First, I treat every moment on the bike as precious. Being older means slower recovery times, and being a working person, training time is precious. I have reduced my bike training days to three a week, and no more than one hour and a half in any day (not counting stretching, yoga etc). I do no more than five to ten minutes of warm up time on the bike before I start full out. I work out in places where traffic is not a problem and I never need to stop for traffic lights, but if I do need to stop, I take it as an opportunity to do a 30 second maximum effort sprint. All time on the bike is at 80 to 90% of maximum effort. That means about one hour of every workout leaves my lungs a little burning and my legs giving near max or max all the time. Every workout is to better the time of the previous one. I generally pick one gear for flat surface runs and continue to push it at high cadence (no low cadence for me so I never use over a high 80's inch gear unless I am going down hill. On some days I might take a high 90's to low 100's cadence and keep dropping one gear up until I can no longer hold that cadence without dropping into a lower gear. At the end of every workout I do one legged spins (left then right) with one leg hanging, and at least once a week I do weaves by leaning the bike quickly to develop ease and confidence on the bike. During no part of any workout do I ever freewheel, as the pressure is being applied to the pedals all the time and throughout as much of the circular stroke as I can manage. I never sit hard and sink into the seat as the arms and feet are holding up my weight all the time. After every workout I spend time looking at my bike, maybe wiping it down or greasing something, and always I feel like the luckiest son of a bitch for owning one the greatest mechanical works of art that man has ever put on this rich earth. I marvel at the machine and at my continuing ability to honor it with my hard earned sweat. Offered humbly and hoping that this is not off topic for Classic Rendezvous, I am Garth Libre