Road Cycling - how old is to old to start racing?

well i am a new addict to the sport of cycling. i am 18 years old and i am really interested in getting involved in some serious competition in the next few years. i am however a bit worried that i have started a bit to late to have any real shot at being competitive since i always see all these youth programs and such for cycling and i feel that people my age have an incredible headstart on me. i ahve been involved with endurance sports such as soccer so as far as athleticism and i think i am alright in that department but i dunno about cycling. so whatever your thoughts may be they would be most appreciated.

One of our customers, a world champion, did not start riding until his mid twenties.

Aything over 30 is too late, work hard, and train like a mother F'er at any reasonable age and you can rac, most of the guys i see racing or 30's ish.

sweeeeeet!! you guys have given me a new hope ( i find star wars analogies are always appropriate). so thanx.

May the Force be with you, young padawan. You've made your first step into a larger world... But remember, when you're racing, "Let the Wookie win."

Hey...give it a shot :) You're never too old...I know guys in their 40s and 50s getting into it.

I'm started off when I was 18 (I'm 19 now)...and it's been a steep learning experience...it still is...but it's always been fun.

Tyler Hamilton and Lance Armstrong were in other sports competitively before they took up cycling seriously. Hamilton was a skier and Armstrong a triathelete. So I guess they did not get involved in cycling in a big way any younger then you are now. Sure it would not hurt to have started earlier but I think you still have time.

That having been said, making it professionally in any prosport is a very long shot. How many people are involved in competitive sports? Well, it is a big number and they put in a lot of time. But I was reading Sports Illustrated a few years back and they estimated that the total number of people who make it monetarily as pro sport atheletes in the USA is about 1500 in ALL SPORTS COMBINED! How many people in the USA make it as pro road cyclists? 10? 5? Anyrate, you can probably count them on your digets. Also remember that an athelete's career is shot. Lance Armstrong is looking a bit long in the tooth in this tour. Does he have another one in him? I dunno. But in any other career, he would still be a "kid".

So follow the dream, but I would suggest have other option. You will almost certainly need them.

Originally posted by djbowen1
Aything over 30 is too late, work hard, and train like a mother F'er at any reasonable age and you can rac, most of the guys i see racing or 30's ish.

Infinite wisdom :rolleyes:

Originally posted by Rev.Chuck
One of our customers, a world champion, did not start riding until his mid twenties.

Would you mind telling me who this is? Perhaps a good inspirational figure for me.

Dave LeDuc(I may have spelled it wrong), won the world championship as a master in 2001 (I think), he is around 50 and can school anybody local

I started serious cycling on my 56th birthday about 14 months ago. I am slowly building up my endurance and plan, by the time I am 60, to be doing some serious racing in the senior divisions locally. My doctor, who is over 65, is a serious senior racer and has been for several years.

I will never be in the TDF, but I can pretend!

geez.... when i saw the title of this thread i was expecting to see a 40 or 50 year old....

that said i'm 24 and i'm just beginning competitive cycling now

yeah, i also was expecting some guy at 40 or 50 to be asking...

most cyclists peak in their late 20s and early 30s... there are few VERY successful riders under 25... and most riders got started around 17-23, so you're just about perfect...

basically it takes 2-3 years to get the base fitness and then another 2-3 years to get into the race scene and "learn" how to race... so i'd say anyone with the right talent has as good a chance as any if starting to seriously race before age 25.

of course, if you're not looking to make a living at it, you can start racing at any age (i'm 32 and raced 2 years in college, and then the last 4 years i do 4-10 races per year -- i'm good, but i'll never be pro and wouldn't have been even if i had gotten started at 16 and stuck with it)

I started racing when I was 25.

There ya go.

thanx guys. this helps alot

That said, how would somebody actually GET into racing? Like, what organizations govern racing, etc.

where do you live?
norba (national off roab bike ass) is a good place to start imba

oops sorry forgot which board i was on. uscf is what your looking for

I'm 19 and I'll be racing in the ncca season next spring. I mean there is racing for fun and sport and there is Racing for wins and profession. I'm trying to locate races around myself, but cant seem to find any. I would love to start racing to get the feel for it, and get my a$$ kicked a few times :)

-Ross

Exto: When it comes down to it, what'll really determine your future in pro cycling is not age but mental commitment. If you want it, I'm sure we'll see you one day in the TdF. If not, don't worry. We'll still ride with you on the weekends :)

Age isn't as important as mental toughness and physical ability - that said you can race at any level you want to apply yourself but realise there are thousands at there who want to be the next LA. How hard are you prepared to work?
A good education and solid alternative carreer prospects should be seriously considered as a complement to any professional sporting career IMHO.

Originally posted by spazegun2213
I'm 19 and I'll be racing in the ncca season next spring. I mean there is racing for fun and sport and there is Racing for wins and profession. I'm trying to locate races around myself, but cant seem to find any. I would love to start racing to get the feel for it, and get my a$$ kicked a few times :)

-Ross


I'm the same age as you :)

Have you ridden with any clubs? Originally I was all gung ho to get into the racing scene since I figured I was pretty good on the bike (cockyness comes from my other sports :P) but then I started cycling with some racers and was schooled badly...on the club rides!

they just kept on hammering up hills and whatnot...really showed me how much I have to learn and build up in terms of ability and endurance. So I'll be pushing the racing back for a year maybe...make use of the summer and lots of time on the trainer/rollers during the winter. (I swear the other people in my dorm are going to think I'm a nut) Good luck!

A few years back, like in late '99 maybe, I read an article in Bicycling magazine about a woman who was a professional mountain bike racer and one of the top racers in the USA. She was in her early 30s at the time the article was written, and she said she got started riding mountain bikes quite late in her life- when she was 28. Reading her story really gave me some inspiration.

Koffee

I started racing on the road last summer and XC the summer before that. I'm 42 years old now.

When you race you always see guys that have more money and better equipment, have more time and train harder and, generally, cycling is their life.

I accepted that I'll never be one of them. Real life says I, simply, cannot train 15 hours/week, hire a coach and ride a Litespeed.

HOWEVER, I love racing. I'm competitive in my class and sneak an occaisional podium. I keep my expectations in line, always try to ride my hardest and enjoy myself.

Kenneth,
one of my biggest debates is joing a club,and because I'm away at school most of the year i decided not to. However at school I'm trying to start a team and i know people from other schools that i can ride with. as of now there are four of us from surronding colleges that are new to the sport. we ride together and push eachother really hard so we can do well in the up comming races.

I think that i got into the sport late, but i realize that this is most likly the BEST time. We have stoped growing, mature enought to train and not just ride, as well as other things. I'm glad i got into biking, I'm loving every minute of it!!

I would start looking for races, i would not know where to look since your in canada, but I'm sure fellow canadians can help you out on that.

-Ross