Foo - age? anyone here 15 or under?

I'm 14 (M) and I am starting to think that I am the only 14 year old in the world who is in to Road Cycling. I have to ride with a bunch of old guys who I can't even begin to keep up with. Not to mention that Road Cycling isn't a very common hobbie of many girls my age. Am I alone ¿?

You may be alone now, but when the chics realize cycling produces hot guys with 6 packs and good quads; you'll be lonely now more.

LOL, sm266, I like your thought process. But where is my 6-packed, good-quaded, hot guy? I should start faking flat tires on the bike path : P

Try the following link for road (and mountain) cyclists in your area. I think there should be a few close to your age.

http://www.lostrivercycling.org

hey im a 15 year old cyclist, and i started when i was 12. In New Zealand theres heaps of young cyclists because we do it in schools (and it not just the body we care about)

Well Jess got me into cycling 2 or 3 years ago. And im 15 so there are a few of us younger hipper people out there!!

Im 15.. You have to remember the younger you are the more energy you naturally have.

What type of bikes do you all ride? I ride 2003 Jamis Quest 59cm (im tall) pretty much stock except look pedals, and soon i wanna upgrade to Aerospoke, or Rev-x wheels...

Im 15 as well. Not going to buy a road bike yet but I do ride an old Nishiki International(my dads old bike) and my uncles Bianchi Piaggio. Dont know the size but the International has old cruddy suntour parts(shifts horribly) and the Bianchi has more recent campy.

Alot of other riders stare at me when I ride around since everyone around here uses indexed shifters while im still screwing around with the downtube shifters. :D

sm266: I don't have a 6-pack yet... maybe I should ride more :)

FYI: I got alot of my younger cousins into riding as well. So if your in San Diego and you see a group of two teenagers(one M one F) an adult and about 8 kids from 6-10 years old thats probably us :p

I'm 21 now but started out when I was about 17. Still working on that 6 pack. Anyways what I have found is for some reason girls are really intrigued by a guy who is comfortable enough to parade around in spandex with shaved legs. I'm still searching for that incredibly elusive cute coed that can stomp all over me on a bike. ;-)

yea ok, so I might be 17 and not 15, but I can tell you a few good things.....

When you start off and find you are much slower than everyone else, there are a few things you can try, and few things you must do.

If there is a local club, join it and find out if there are any other riders at the same level as you. Also ask about possbily getting a coach.

Also, no matter what, if you want to succeed, you must be determined, and stay focused all the time. If you enter a race, and get your a$$ kicked, don't pack it in. Let the experience make you stronger mentally more than anything, let it make you even more determined..... The first time I ever raced, I was only just 16, and I was racing in the open grade (everything from like 16 to old men) and it was a 5 lap race. I was lapped on lap 3, but I just kept going. By the time I finished, all the finish line and marshalling gear was packed up, but I was so proud that I had done it.

Before that, ever since I was about 14 till I was 16, I would haul out my old rigind frame 10 speed kids 26" bike, and zoom around on that. I would go for miles with no drink or repai gear or anything. I had a marvelous time exploring the area. Pick rides that you find fun and will keep you wanting to go back for more. Don't do completely flat rides either. Do some with at least one reasonable hill, as when you have succesfully ridden up it, you will have a sense of achievement. Also, then follows what I love most - downhill!! But please do take it easy on the descents until you are more familiar with high speeds.

Also I think so far the best thing that has happened as far as my cycling is concerned, is meeting with a local school (not my own as we didn't have enough people for a team) for training and racing (also where I met Jess and Zub Zub). I learnt so much from that, that I have no idea what I would be like without it. Probably doing all sorts of stupid things that would harm me......

Anyway, ride safe, always wear a helmet and gloves, and take water and a repair kit with you (unlike I did when I was your age).

Sam.

I wish i was into bikes at 15 but in the mid to late 60's,so much mind food floating around that i was doing alot of floating as well,big mistake. Brain cells dont all come back.

I guess times have changed in 25 years. When I was in high school, back in the late 70's, our school had a bike club. At that time, there were only road bikes, as I recall. We did LAW (now LAB) certified centuries and would get maybe 25 to 30 students (both male and female) to ride on either 1/2 centuries, or the full ride. If you completed the ride, you received an LAW patch. Road support consisted of one of the teachers following along in a vehicle to pick up break downs. You packed your own lunch and water, maybe stopping at a small store for a soda along the way.

Looking my alma mater's web pages now, I do not even see a bike club listed. Sigh.

I'm glad to see there's a growing following of teenage cyclists who hopefully will continue their interests through the rest of their lives. I keep seeing posts in the advocacy forum about trying to get people interested in cycling. The fact of the matter is that it's just as important to keep the people who have already been cycling... cycling. It seems that people forget that most of us started our lives riding bikes. For some reason, usually around our teenage years, we gave it up and some of us rediscover it later in life. Although I never gave up the bike, I do meet so many "new cyclists" who say things like, "I had forgotten how much fun this can be."

So true. It's nice to see the young ones up and about on bikes.

I'm actually thinking about starting up a cycling club for the under 18 crowd. Something for the kids where they can develop an appreciation for cycling and find others who have a love for the bike that they wouldn't be able to find at their own schools. I'm not sure when I'd run them or where, but I guess that's the beauty of it- figuring out how to get something like that going that the kids will be able to commit to and will be able to attend without worrying about how to get there or having it interrupt their school work or anything. I'll get my coaches license first from the USA Cycling, then move on from there.

Koffee

Good luck. Kids under 18 can be a handfull even when they are doing something they want to.

hehe thats what my mom says :D

Just be careful out there...no need to take risks when you are young. I was 15 and into aggressive in-line skating doing 8-10 foot drops to flat, and my knees, at age 20, feel very old. Cycling is much less impacting to knees than that, but there still are risks. Don't stop cycling, but definately stay in a comfort zone, occasionally pushing it. When my brother was around 15, he was a dedicated wrestler. He lifted weights everyday, and ate very little to stay in his weight zone. He stopped growing, he never had his adolescent growth spurt, he has had problems with his joints aching, and he is only 23. This age is a key time in development, and not the best time for high physical exertion. Like I said, do not stop cycling, just play it smart.

You mean like high school sports?

Just be careful out there...no need to take risks when you are young. I was 15 and into aggressive in-line skating doing 8-10 foot drops to flat, and my knees, at age 20, feel very old. Cycling is much less impacting to knees than that, but there still are risks. Don't stop cycling, but definately stay in a comfort zone, occasionally pushing it. When my brother was around 15, he was a dedicated wrestler. He lifted weights everyday, and ate very little to stay in his weight zone. He stopped growing, he never had his adolescent growth spurt, he has had problems with his joints aching, and he is only 23. This age is a key time in development, and not the best time for high physical exertion. Like I said, do not stop cycling, just play it smart.

There are guidelines to training children so that what you describe does not happen- you simply do not push children the way you push adults because you can really mess them up physically and stunt their growth- at the age when children are ready to hit puberty, coaches should recognize this is one of the most important times for children physically and design training programs around this. It's just too bad that so many coaches that are overseeing children's physical education have no idea how to work with them, and they end up doing more harm than good to the child. :(

Most definitely, if you are under the age of 17 for females and 19 for males, and you're looking towards training, you should definitely put yourself under the care and watchful guidance of a pediatrician, and your coach (if you have one) should be in constant contact with your pediatrician.

Koffee

When I was 12 through 28 I rode a BMX bike after I moved to Boston I got into the whole fixed gear riding. So if I may suggest that if the 700c size wheel is something you like to ride then you should convert an old hand me down bike into a nice single speed or fixed gear bike. Just be very mindful of the fixed, they can sneak up behind you and give you a beat down if you are not careful.

Im 15.. You have to remember the younger you are the more energy you naturally have.

What type of bikes do you all ride? I ride 2003 Jamis Quest 59cm (im tall) pretty much stock except look pedals, and soon i wanna upgrade to Aerospoke, or Rev-x wheels...

hey,..thank for replying..i guess im not alone after all. I ride a 2004 Specialized Allez 54cm(im short) and ya my bike is basicly stock sence its brand new., but im going to get frog pedals soon

The good ole days of being 15. I had been road racing, BMX racing, and quad skating for over 5 years by then. Hey! now that I am 26...were are the single ladies my age around here?!?

I'm 14 (M) and I am starting to think that I am the only 14 year old in the world who is in to Road Cycling. I have to ride with a bunch of old guys who I can't even begin to keep up with. Not to mention that Road Cycling isn't a very common hobbie of many girls my age. Am I alone ¿?

no, it isn't that common. i'm 16 and fell in love with cycling two years ago. and have been in the same problem as you. :)

Stick with it, you'll probably find more kids getting involved. I've enjoyed being one of the few.
even though my friends are sure that i'm insane for (gasp!) wanting to race a bike!
though, i've found it seems a lot of kids are doing triathlons, not cycling.