You must don't know the history of Mike Tyson....wrong fighter for this analogy. He was the best at the age 18 (youngest champ @ 20) in the history of Heavyweight Boxing for sure! (washed up @ 32)

All Tyson history aside...

Any 18 year old athlete has more stamina and endurance than any 32+ athlete!

He may have less skill for certain, but most certainly not less stamina. The type of natural, non-chemical-assisted-stamina, and cardio-endurance, necessary for all dem dadblasted ascents in cycling. :thumb:

actually, really long distance endurance events are mostly dominated by older people. look at marathon runners for instance, most marathoners are in their late 30s and 40s. Or Randoneurs who participate in Brevets. Mostly riders in their 40s and 50s. The ultimate Brevet is a 1200km (750 miles) ride, you have 90 hours (3 days 18 hours) to finish. before you enter one of these, you have to complete a 200km, 300km, 400km, & 600km brevet in the same year. I think you'll find VERY few riders UNDER about 35 who could even begin to complete a big brevet.

http://dbcgoldrush.org/
http://boston-montreal-boston.com/
http://www.rmccrides.com/lastchance.htm

for some US brevets

Yeah tyson was a bad example :D

But just looking at the last few TDF winners...

2012, Bradley Wiggins, born in '82, so he must be 31 or 32.
2011, Cadel Evans born in '77... so *at least* 34
2010, Andy schleck, '85, at least 24
2009, Alberto Contador, '82, at least 26
2008, Carlos Satre, '75, at least 33
2007, Contador again, at least 26
2006, Óscar Pereiro Sío, '77, at least 31

And...well... I won't get into who might not have won the last 7 tours before that :D

Still, of the last 7 tour de france winners, only 3 have been in their 20s, and only 1 of those in their early 20s

The age window established was between 18 and 32. Therefore, your 33 and 34 yr. olders are the only qualifying outliers.

Besides, after Lance...How do we know for certain who the real athletes in cycling really are?

PS.

Also, there is acquired skill and strategy involved in pro-cycling that can accrue with time, age, and experience...

The average cyclist would be outside this professional circle, that would be privy to such training.

Fill your tires with Helium and his with cement. And make his brakes rub and one of his pedals fall off. :roflmao2:

Well I'm no statistician, or physiologist - all I know is that I see a lot of guys in their 30s competing at a top level at almost all the sports I have a vague interest in, and almost noone in their teens. Maybe 18 is many peoples physical peak because in many cultures that's where people start driving, drinking, and abandoning sports.

Yes! Their early thirties for sports where acquisition of skill is involved, but sheer stamina is greatest when men are in their teens and twenties.

If you consider sexual stamina, it's the same thing...

I'll say it again, I see /very/ few 20s riders on longer events like double centuries, brevets. I think the median age for Brevet riders is mid 40s.

Now that's funny, but quite true.

I started enjoying cycling much more when I realized that striving to go ever faster, or thinking that you have to go fast, is counter productive after a certain point. It's not all about that. It is about fun ... lose that stress over speed, etc ... it doesn't matter...

Just to put things into perspective, there is a 72 year old rider in my club that enjoys pulling next to twenty and thirty year olds on hills, putting his hand on their back and asking if they need help. He then leaves them in the dust. I don't ever go on rides that he leads.