'I try to hang in with the youngsters as much as possible': 68-year-old ex-Rugby player on racing with a new knee

Cycling is an activity, or sport, you can enjoy at any age . Fitness writer Hannah Reynolds has been speaking to cyclists in their 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond, bringing tips, advice and inspiration from cyclists who are still pedalling as the decades progress.

Ex-Rugby player Chris Dunn has endured a series of knee operations over the last two decades, but at the age of 68, he still continues to race. “I started in the late 1970’s but I’ve only ever been a third-cat rider. My sport was rugby but, in the summer, I’d get on my bike and do a few races and time trials ,” he tells Cycling Weekly.

It was thanks to a knee injury that Chris started to take cycling a bit more seriously. His problems began when he ruptured a ligament playing rugby, this required several operations, and a knee replacement in 2017. “I got an infection after the operation and spent four months in an isolation ward having antibiotics - which did not work - I had to have the knee removed then rebuilt once the infection had cleared. The surgeon said the best thing I could do was cycling,” he says.

Chris started to really focus on his cycling and in November 2023 got himself a new coach , “I started working with James Millard from Thigh’s Club and I am fitter now than I have been in a long while.” Having a coach has really accelerated Chris’s progress, “working with a good coach has been a revelation for me, it is amazing what is happening to me and my body and how it is changing. It has been a very good experience.” Most training weeks follow a similar sort of pattern “Saturday and Sunday I’m out on the road doing zones 1 and 2. In the week I go on the indoor trainer , I have a Wahoo Kickr .”

When Chris looks at his non-cycling peers it reinforces his decision to keep cycling and training, “some of the people I went to school with have walking sticks and carry a few extra pounds. That’s not where I want to be. Three years ago, I stopped drinking and that has definitely helped but also it gives you a lot more money in your pocket! My beer money gets spent on bike bits now. I’m a vegetarian, eating the right foods and managing my weight is important.”

For Chris, training is now one of the highlights of his day and seeing the progress being made helps with his motivation, “When you look at the numbers it starts to make sense, the progress I’ve made in just over four months is incredible. James has changed my outlook on training completely! I even ride in the rain now! I look forward to going home of an evening and getting on the turbo trainer. I get off and I am buzzing!” But for Chris the real test comes in the season, “It’s working but I won’t know how well it's working until I go out on the race track.”

Chris’s main focus is road racing. There is no shortage of age-category based master’s races to pick from in his county of Essex (UK), and the nearby scene is vibrant. He prefers the master’s races but does occasionally mix it with the younger riders, “usually I am the oldest but I try to hang in with the youngsters as much as possible,” he says.

The coach's perspective

We spoke to Chris’ coach James Millard about working with athletes within his age group, “people get to that sort of age and they are able to take their foot of the gas a little, some are retired or at least able to lift their head up from the career, kids have left home and for the first time ever they have time to commit to training. They can get their own life back a bit to focus on what they probably always wanted to do – cycling!”

The principles of coaching are the same regardless of your age, “the fundamentals of managing training load is no different – making sure they are fresh for the right sessions and are recovering enough.  It is important to have a really good mix of intensity and endurance and understand how they are coupled together.”  For Chris this is the biggest change, “ I was a bit old school, I just used to go out and ride my bike as much as I could. In the 1980’s I used to get on the turbo and blow my brains out every night! I was never going to improve as I was always fatigued!” With trust in his coach Chris managed to change his ways, “James said if I wanted to improve I had to do what he told me to – if you do it scientifically and work hard at it, the numbers don’t lie. I look at the graphs now on Training Peaks and I can see what is happening with improvements versus fatigue.”

Master’s racing is no easy ride, not least because of the number of ex-professionals, “The tactical nous of the ex-pros is amazing – they are so switched on about what to do and where to go. They were racing in the teens and twenties but had their families, now they have got back into it. Their legs know what to do – it’s just instinct for them. You see them go up the road and they are gone! This year I am hoping I can hang in there.” For Chris the social aspect also has a large part to play, “the guys I race with are just so much good fun. We are out there really enjoying ourselves. I’m happy because I’m off every weekend racing with really good blokes! It’s absolutely brilliant.”

Coach James Millard comments on the quality of masters racing. “Riders of a similar age group tend to ride safely and as a cohesive unit – everyone would like to go out on their bikes again tomorrow. The younger riders can be the ones more risk taking and desperate for success.” But this sensible approach also means they excel when coached “from my experience the older guys are very calm and will listen to any advice or guidance you give them. Riders can still improve whatever their age, Chris is improving all the time, he has lot to be looking forward to.”

Competitive instinct and knowing how to ride a race is a bit part of success, “of course we all like to win, but I’m doing my best with the training I have done. It is very hard with the class of riders we have in the UK. Some of it is psychological, I come to a hill and think I’m going to struggle but this year I am much more confident about it.” Part of this confidence has come through the coaching he has received, “ I think now I am stronger than I have ever been. Not just physically but mentally. I’m really focused on the coaching aspect. I’ve put a lot of faith and heart into what James has programmed for me. He is a smashing guy, he is very motivational and says the right things to lift me up. James’s Mantra is train hard, race easy so I am really trying to take that on board.”

How much more improvement Chris sees may be beyond his control, “the future depends a lot on my knee. It has been in there since 2017 and I’d like to think I’ve got another two years of racing on it. If I need another knee replacement I will probably have to stop.” But until then he is going to keep working hard and hopeful of the results. “I feel l am going in the right direction – but we won’t know that till we get out there and racing. I hope by summer I will be flying.”