In January 2012, I thought I was in pretty good shape for a 62-year-old guy following a training regimen of rigorous cycling once or twice a week and personal training or Pilates twice a week. So, as a Tour de France devotee, I signed up for a challenging cycling trip following Le Tour for six days that summer. Since I was only biking on the flatlands of Illinois and Florida, I figured I needed to step up my training. That winter, I landed on Robbie’s VQHP doorstep and started indoor intensity rides twice a week; once a week when riding outdoors.

By the time I left for France in July, my VO threshold had increased from 187 to 207 and my weight dropped from 185 to 172.

The trip was fantastic! Over the six days, we rode 287 miles and climbed in excess of 25,000 feet, including climbs up two Tour routes: the Col du Granier and the Col du Glandon to the Col de la Croix de Fer. I couldn’t have survived those climbs without my VQ training.

Fast-forward to May 2016, with my weight around 177 and my threshold at 240, I signed up for another European bike trip. This time I would be going from Spain to France over the Pyrenees in Basque Country. I added an extra indoor endurance ride to my regular weekly program of one indoor intensity ride and one outdoor ride of 40 to 50 miles, in addition to twice-a-week personal training. After consulting with VQ nutritionist, Linda Samuels, I upped my protein intake and cut out most pasta, bread and desserts. According to my DexaFit tests in May and September, I lost 7 pounds (net) while gaining 3.5 pounds of muscle, and my body fat dropped from 26% to 21%. I was certainly ready for the trip.

Over five days, we rode 210 miles and climbed over 18,600 feet. It was another awesome cycling adventure.

VQ has definitely provided the facilities and coaching to enable me to achieve my cycling/fitness goals.