Exercise, Athletes and Aging

In this interview, an elite cyclist and PhD-trained researcher shares the story of discovering severe coronary artery disease despite appearing exceptionally healthy. What began as a small drop in cycling power led to an invasive angiogram, a stent, and the discovery of multiple arterial blockages.

Peter Megdal, PhD, was a man who lived and breathed health. He was not just a regular guy who went to the gym. He was a world-record-holding cyclist. His legs were like steel. His lungs could breathe in huge amounts of air. He looked like the picture of perfect health. If you saw him riding his bike, you would think he would live to be one hundred years old.

The heat inside the velodrome rose like a living thing, swelling from seventy-five to eighty degrees Fahrenheit as the desert afternoon pressed against the curved walls. From beneath the wooden track came the faint, steady breathing of the air-handling system—a mechanical sigh under the foundation that vibrated faintly through the frame of my bicycle. Six thousand feet above sea level, in the thin air of Aguascalientes, Mexico, I began to ride.

Health transformations often begin with a wake-up call — and for Peter Megdal, that call came from his own heart. After receiving a diagnosis that forced him to confront the state of his health, Peter began questioning everything he thought he knew about food, science, and wellness. What started as a personal effort to heal his heart evolved into a deeper mission to help others make informed, sustainable choices for lifelong vitality.

Peter Megdal sets cycling world record Survivor of heart disease excels in shattering limits others may set for him. [Editor's note: The following article concludes coverage in The Dedham Times of the world record Peter Megdal of Dedham holds in men's cycling. He set the new mark for ages 60-64 of 47.43 kilometers (29.47 miles) traversed in one hour on Sept. 12 at the Bicentario Velodromo in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Peter Megdal sets new world record in cycling by Scott Heald | The Dedham Times The Guinness Book of World Records contains some zany entries indeed. One of those, achieved four-plus decades ago by a well-regarded Dedhamite, Mike Weir, who would go on to become the town’s police chief, involved throwing a grape the longest distance into the mouth of another person.

Tuesday, September 12th, Peter Megdal broke the Mens age 60 – 64 world record for the hour. At the Bicentario Velodromo in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Peter completed 47.430 kilometers (29.47 miles) in an hour, old record was 47.360 kilometers set in 2021 by Jim McMnurray of New Zealand.

Three-time national record holder explains his approach to improving health by Scott Heald / The Dedham Times / January 13, 2023 A traditional Romanian proverb states, “A great ship asks for deep waters.” Perhaps anyone who attempts something objectively daunting, unafraid to pursue opportunities that may not be readily apparent, is the sort of person to whom the proverb alludes.

Everyone has goals; for some, it's just to get out of bed in the morning, and others may want to become astronauts and rocket to the moon or Mars. I have spent years trying to break a world record in cycling. The last four years have thrown curveballs at me- such as recovering from heart disease, a broken hip last year, and this year COVID! On September 27, 2022, I competed at the world cycling track championships in Carson, CA, to attempt a 2-kilometer world championship race. Unfortunately, I had a terrible race and, in the process, contracted COVID. I was probably infected at the time that I was racing, which could account for my poor performance. To make matters worse, I was also planning to attempt a world record in the hour time trial in Aguascalientes, Mexico on October 17th, just three weeks away. How could I do this after such a poor performance only three weeks earlier?!

After setting the para C5 national record in 2018, I set my goal to best the current world record for the 60+-year-old when I turned 60.