And this is why bike racing rocks even if you're slow like me....
12-16-06, 01:16 AM
#26
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Originally Posted by patentcad
there is also plenty of camraderie and cool people, even on the road racer scene. In fact the people you get to be friends with may be the best part of all.
12-16-06, 02:02 AM
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Originally Posted by patentcad
Yeah, it gets under your skin, particularly the camraderie. And my kid is older now (13), but many of the friends I started racing with @ age 33 are still at it - at age 45-50++. Which shows you how much fun it can be. And even many of those guys who don't race much any longer still come out on weekends to mix it up with the guys who do - some of whom are literally half our age.
It doesn't suck to be 50 or SIXTY (we have one amazing dude in our local peloton who is 62 yrs old and can still hang most of the time) and still be riding 30mph - instead of lying around complaining about your aches and pains or your hangover on Sunday morning. You can continue to try your hand on the race course into your 60's - the aforementioned 62 yr old wins the small (but somewhat active) 60+ category at the popular TT's. The largest group @ those races is the 45+ cateogry - my group : ).
Is that denying advancing old age or just trying to 'use it or lose it'? Who cares? We all ENJOY it and it adds value and immense quality to our lives. What anyone else thinks - that is their affair, isn't it? A few years ago I was 40 lbs heavier (back injury induced 5 year layoff/circle jerk) - and every now and then I run into somebody who hasn't seem me in years. They'll say WOW you look GREAT!! - and compared to how I looked 2 years back, I'm a different person. And it's more than just physical. Very happy now.
Thank God for cycling. Am I obsessed with this? Yeah, OK. I rode over 12K miles this year. And it didn't seem like that much because I absolutely loved it. And why wouldn't I like something that's fun, gets me outdoors every day, keeps me amazingly fit (particuarly for a middle aged man) and adds all this quality to my life? It has gotten to the point where I can enjoy riding in the freezing cold, the rain, and I hate to admit it, the occasional snow squall.
Do I care how fast I ride? Yes and no. You get philosophical about that when you realize that whether you're a slowpoke fred or a Cat II there is ALWAYS somebody faster than you - and of course, slower than you. So if you start getting your chamois in a twist over that stuff just forget about it and RIDE, and try to remember why you love doing it. I'll bet that it's not tied up in your last race result, no matter how cool racing can sometimes be. It can suck too. But it has served its purpose in my riding experience, and it has been overwhelmingly positive.
It doesn't suck to be 50 or SIXTY (we have one amazing dude in our local peloton who is 62 yrs old and can still hang most of the time) and still be riding 30mph - instead of lying around complaining about your aches and pains or your hangover on Sunday morning. You can continue to try your hand on the race course into your 60's - the aforementioned 62 yr old wins the small (but somewhat active) 60+ category at the popular TT's. The largest group @ those races is the 45+ cateogry - my group : ).
Is that denying advancing old age or just trying to 'use it or lose it'? Who cares? We all ENJOY it and it adds value and immense quality to our lives. What anyone else thinks - that is their affair, isn't it? A few years ago I was 40 lbs heavier (back injury induced 5 year layoff/circle jerk) - and every now and then I run into somebody who hasn't seem me in years. They'll say WOW you look GREAT!! - and compared to how I looked 2 years back, I'm a different person. And it's more than just physical. Very happy now.
Thank God for cycling. Am I obsessed with this? Yeah, OK. I rode over 12K miles this year. And it didn't seem like that much because I absolutely loved it. And why wouldn't I like something that's fun, gets me outdoors every day, keeps me amazingly fit (particuarly for a middle aged man) and adds all this quality to my life? It has gotten to the point where I can enjoy riding in the freezing cold, the rain, and I hate to admit it, the occasional snow squall.
Do I care how fast I ride? Yes and no. You get philosophical about that when you realize that whether you're a slowpoke fred or a Cat II there is ALWAYS somebody faster than you - and of course, slower than you. So if you start getting your chamois in a twist over that stuff just forget about it and RIDE, and try to remember why you love doing it. I'll bet that it's not tied up in your last race result, no matter how cool racing can sometimes be. It can suck too. But it has served its purpose in my riding experience, and it has been overwhelmingly positive.
Give me two more years and we'll see about that, though...
12-16-06, 06:44 AM
#28
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These are the guys that are my personal heroes:
• My old training partner Jack. Pound for pound and age adjusted, maybe the toughest guy I ever rode with. When I started training daily with Jack it was before my daughter was born. I was about 34-35, and he was about 50 or so. He was the #2 man in the 45+ category in NJ for many years. Amazing rider (he ran track @ Villanova in his youth on a full track scholarship), great guy. Now he's 63 and he doesn't race these days, but he still rides daily and comes out on the fast rides on occasion.
• Dr. Bob, a 62 year old physician who mixes it up on the local fast rides and still RACES. The guy just came back from some friggin big amateur cycling thing in SOUTH AMERICA. You gotta love that.
• The 82 year old guy that I pulled up to on the bike path near me. He's on a full bore Litespeed racing bike. The guy rides 20-30 miles a day. I told him that's how I want to be @ his age.
Is cycling a fountain of youth? I don't know. Beats sucking down beers watching the Giants lose : ).
• My old training partner Jack. Pound for pound and age adjusted, maybe the toughest guy I ever rode with. When I started training daily with Jack it was before my daughter was born. I was about 34-35, and he was about 50 or so. He was the #2 man in the 45+ category in NJ for many years. Amazing rider (he ran track @ Villanova in his youth on a full track scholarship), great guy. Now he's 63 and he doesn't race these days, but he still rides daily and comes out on the fast rides on occasion.
• Dr. Bob, a 62 year old physician who mixes it up on the local fast rides and still RACES. The guy just came back from some friggin big amateur cycling thing in SOUTH AMERICA. You gotta love that.
• The 82 year old guy that I pulled up to on the bike path near me. He's on a full bore Litespeed racing bike. The guy rides 20-30 miles a day. I told him that's how I want to be @ his age.
Is cycling a fountain of youth? I don't know. Beats sucking down beers watching the Giants lose : ).
12-16-06, 06:47 AM
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Originally Posted by patentcad
I don't know. Beats sucking down beers watching the Giants lose : ).
I dunno, I imagine there are some out there that enjoy watching the Giants lose
Personally I have never had time for watching sports. If I actually had a couple hours free on a sunday to watch a game I would be out RIDING.
-D
12-16-06, 06:55 AM
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Originally Posted by derath
I If I actually had a couple hours free on a sunday to watch a game I would be out RIDING.
-D
-D
12-16-06, 07:02 AM
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Originally Posted by patentcad
If you're a truly Crafty American Male, you figure out a way to do your 50 mile Sunday AM ride AND watch both football games (Jets AND Giants) in the afternoon and keep your marriage intact. It's often a challenge, but cycling and High Def football on TV can be worth it, even though wedded bliss can impede those more lofty pursuits.
I haven't even made the move to High Def yet. The only thing I watch with and regularity these days is Dora the Explorer.
But that's ok. Come spring my little guy is gonna become my hill climb training ballast
12-16-06, 10:26 AM
#32
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What I love about bike racing is to be great you need genetics but even the most untalented schmoe(like myself) can get good at racing(and get results) with just diligent effort, patience and lots of miles.
12-16-06, 06:37 PM
#33
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Originally Posted by derath
Or in my case a 3.8yo and 8month old (and a wife).
I haven't even made the move to High Def yet. The only thing I watch with and regularity these days is Dora the Explorer.
But that's ok. Come spring my little guy is gonna become my hill climb training ballast
I haven't even made the move to High Def yet. The only thing I watch with and regularity these days is Dora the Explorer.
But that's ok. Come spring my little guy is gonna become my hill climb training ballast
My daughter turns 13 this week. And I'm still riding that Ibis every other day.
Don't sweat it moms & dads. Enjoy your kiddies while they ARE kiddies. When they're 13 they'll drive you crazy. But you'll have more time to ride to get away from them on your bicycle to find your sanity : ). Those kids grow up faster than a Pro 1-2 Crit.
12-17-06, 10:27 AM
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Thanks a lot for posting this thread. I am currently at a cross-roads, questioning whether I have the time / commitment to start racing in 2007. It's been my dream for many, many years, but I am so busy with university, band, work, hosting a radio show, etc. that I just don't know whether I can do it.
I will copy and paste what you said here and look at it every day. Seriosuly.
I will copy and paste what you said here and look at it every day. Seriosuly.
12-17-06, 11:46 AM
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Originally Posted by Prodigy4299
Thanks a lot for posting this thread. I am currently at a cross-roads, questioning whether I have the time / commitment to start racing in 2007. It's been my dream for many, many years, but I am so busy with university, band, work, hosting a radio show, etc. that I just don't know whether I can do it.
I will copy and paste what you said here and look at it every day. Seriosuly.
I will copy and paste what you said here and look at it every day. Seriosuly.
-D
12-17-06, 12:03 PM
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Originally Posted by derath
Do it now. If you think your life is busy now (I was busy in my school days as well), it doesn't even compare to life with a full time job and kids.
-D
-D
12-17-06, 02:26 PM
#38
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Originally Posted by Prodigy4299
Why I plan to remain a bachelor and have no kids.
Besides, if I had $5 for every 'confirmed' bachelor I know who is now a family man, I'd be rich. But they're pretty much all happier that way.
12-18-06, 02:43 PM
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[QUOTE=patentcad]These are the guys that are my personal heroes:
• Dr. Bob, a 62 year old physician who mixes it up on the local fast rides and still RACES. The guy just came back from some friggin big amateur cycling thing in SOUTH AMERICA. You gotta love that.
QUOTE]
I rode a few times with Dr. Bob when I was in NJ. He can definitely ride the legs off most people.
• Dr. Bob, a 62 year old physician who mixes it up on the local fast rides and still RACES. The guy just came back from some friggin big amateur cycling thing in SOUTH AMERICA. You gotta love that.
QUOTE]
I rode a few times with Dr. Bob when I was in NJ. He can definitely ride the legs off most people.
