Originally Posted by
Moyene Corniche
I definitely know that today at 57, I cannot expect the same results that I had at 35, as far as recovery / recuperation . It does take a bit longer however I never stopped practicing a sport since I was 15, so that accounts for longevity.. I am not immune to time although if you had asked me that when I was 25, I would have said " irrelevant ". As we are all invincible in our twenties :-/ ( or so we thought ! )
Seriously one of the other factors that drove me away from cycling was that my team was 150%, I knew that in our 40's we were not going to get an invitation to UCI races, yet the team atmosphere was as if we could.... Thus it stopped being fun.... That to me is the primary motivator. Am I enjoying riding in 35F and snow in Feb. and did I enjoy yesterday's cold, windy and wet 2.5 hour hill fest. A resounding " Yes "....
Will I reach my goal of racing as a Cat II and Master 45+ next season ....?? Don't know, I plan to systematically reach each step but at this point in life, it is really more about the journey and doing it correctly and for the right reasons... Time will tell..
Your story is very similar to mine, and we are essentially the same age. I returned to racing in 2011, downgrading to a Cat3, and by August was back as a Cat2. I had my share of success in my 20's but I've had a bit more success now. I race all Masters categories and P/1/2(3). You can do this. We live in the same general area, so if you'd like to get together, just PM me.