I've been biking pretty heavily the last few months as part of a weight loss plan, and found that I really like it. I've been doing about 150 miles per week (average speeds 18 to 20 depending on the ride), and the base endurance is there. I was thinking about trying to do Cat 5 next summer. At age 38 with no previous cardio sports experience, is 9 to 12 months of training sufficient to get into adequate shape to stay with the pack? I live in South Florida, so the weather is conducive for year round training. I've talked to people who came back to racing after long layoffs, but this is all virgin ground for me.

Anybody out there start racing later in life?