This is a real Monday Morning Cheer Up…

Ever wonder where your 8+ hours a week of riding actually puts you on the fitness spectrum?

Quick answer – way higher than you probably think.

Your VO₂ max — basically your engine size — is probably sitting somewhere between 50–65+ ml/kg/min. The average person? 30–40. That’s not a small gap, that’s a different physiological category altogether. 

Let’s take a second to consider how important this is for our health.

For every 1 ml/kg/min increase in VO₂ max from your personal baseline, you reduce your risk of all-cause mortality — dying from anything, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia, infections — by around 10%.

The Cooper Institute’s large study, cited in National Geographic, found that cardiorespiratory fitness is one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality — stronger than smoking, diabetes, and hypertension. That’s a remarkable finding.

Your heart runs more efficiently, your metabolism hums along nicely, your cholesterol and insulin sensitivity are almost certainly better than your non-cycling friends, and your ability to sustain effort for hours would seem like magic to most people.

You’re also mentally tougher than you realise. Grinding out long rides builds pain tolerance and pacing instincts that don’t show up on any health chart — but they’re absolutely real.

But aerobic fitness? You’re probably sitting in the top 7–10% of the entire population. If you are doing this at 50, 60, 70, that percentage gets way higher.

Is it all perfect? Nope. If we don’t do all-round strength training, we lack upper body strength, bone density, and explosive power. So, get some pushups done and Bob’s yer Dad’s brother.