HillMut

A short background; I'm 23, working full-time, living w/ my parents , and currently not going to school.

I'm seriously considering taking a year or two off from working to train, race, and travel(with the bike). I have enough money saved up from mooching off my parents for the last year to fund this excursion.
My question for you older 'masters' is: Is this something you wish you had done when you were younger and had less responsibility or is it wiser to finish up school, get a real job and take 'vacations' and not waste two years taking time off.

daytonian

they'll be crushed you left

55/Rad

Those of us who didn't "take the year" to do whatever probably wish we had...

Nobody I know who did has said they regretted it.

I DO know several people who "took the year" and never came back. Some to good results, some not.

55/Rad

CastIron

^^ True.

The odds you'll have another opportunity like this anytime soon are slim. You want to be carefree, do it before you're married, kids, mortgage, 'real' job, retirement concerns, health concerns, and everything else 'adult' piles up.

You can enlist and get uncle sam to pay the tab for your excursion, but the locales you visit may not be all you wish and the people you meet might need killing. It's not a bad plan, but the caveats are a bit steep.

schnee

Go do it now. It's the perfect time, and it only gets harder to do later on.

I went on a 'year off' adventure and I'll always be glad I did.

Namenda

Wisdom from a master? Wow, you've come to the wrong place.

ericm979

I pretty much ate, slept and breathed cycling and racing from age 26-31. I kept a full-time job the whole time and just shorted myself on sleep and social life. I discovered that what was limiting my progression as a racer wasn't training time, it was lack of talent. Taking a year off to train would have just been a waste for me. If you had a lot of talent, then that'd be different. But you'd have to be pretty exceptional to justify spending a year or two on what's never going to be more than a hobby. Ok, a fun and healthy one, but still a hobby.

OTOH, what I do wish I did when I was younger was put aside more money for retirement. I didn't start until I was 30. If I'd started earlier then maybe I could have enough to be retired now.

Also, if you delay finishing school, chances are you won't ever do it. I sure didn't want to go back after I'd been out for a couple years.

Keep in mind that I am the sort of person who takes on the hard or unpleasant stuff first. If you have always eaten dessert first, then having your fun now and paying later might seem like a good idea. Having the "pay later" part hanging over my head would make enjoying the play now part difficult for me.

JohnKScott

As long as you've already been mooching, go for it. But you're an adult now. Figure out a way to come back from your fling and stop mooching from your parents. Time to learn how to fend for yourself...

Homebrew01

Do you already have racing experience ? If not, I think you should race locally first to see if you really like it. Otherwise, maybe there's a better way for you to spend your free time. If you're already at cat 3 or so and want to go to the next level, then sure, go for it ! But as stated above, having all that time to train doesn't mean you'll get much better, in fact you might just over train. What are you going to do with the rest of your time M-F when there are no races and you've already put in 15 hours for the week ?. If you want to work it into travelling & seeing the world, that would be good.

Cannondaler

Do it now. The older you get the harder it will be. I wish I had forgone college to ride and race more. Once you have a full-time job it will only get harder to find the time you need to train and race. Follow your dream now, you won't regret it later. You have all the time in the world to get a job and become a drone later.

FrankBattle 

Consider it an honor that you have the resources (time, money, lack of grown-up responsibilities etc) to do this. Nothing ventured is nothing gained.

This particular scenario you are describing is not something I wish I had considered at your age. Interestingly, those things that I wished I would do, I did; they just aren't on the same scale. You want to travel, race, etc, you should do it. I wanted to go to grad school, I did. I wanted to buy a house, I did. I wanted to get married, I did. I traveled half the world to get here, so the traveling bit wasn't so appealing. And I wasn't riding road bikes at 23. Not sure I knew what they were .. I called (and still do at times) them "sport bikes."

Seize the opportunity. There is nothing you can lose. If you don't like it, at least you have satisfied a deep(?) yearning. Not too many people can say that ..

HillMut

Thanks for the replys everyone.

"As long as you've already been mooching, go for it. But you're an adult now. Figure out a way to come back from your fling and stop mooching from your parents. Time to learn how to fend for yourself..."

To clear a few things up, I haven't been leeching off my parents completly, I moved back in with them in may of last year to save up some money, I'm still paying them rent (although, much less than I would be elsewhere), buying all my own food etc.. I've been riding my bike for several years and racing for about 1.5, cat 3.
The main goal of this wouldn't be to achieve a higher level of racing, but just to take time off and travel as much as I can and enjoy my youth more than I can with my present job. I know a lot of people hold full time jobs, go to school full time and somehow fit in cycling and a social life- I can't do it.

I understand asking people on a forum isn't the best place to get answers, but I'm sure someone lurking on this website has done something similar and can give some good advice .

HillMut

I think I just need a part time job...

gr@sshopper

You need a portable job. Something that can be done most anywhere.

carpediemracing 

It depends on what you want to get done with that "year off". Unless you're a smashingly successful Cat 2 racer, it'll prob be a semi-waste of time to spend a whole year doing this. Maybe 3 or 4 months would suffice.

I spent a 4 week period traveling one year. My bikes (mtn and road) came with me but that was secondary. My primary goal was simply to travel around the country. I was inspired by the Tears for Fears vid of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". I loved to drive and this was a chance to explore the US. This was during Desert Shield - and it turned into Desert Storm when I was near Hayes Kansas. Talk about a spooky experience - I stopped when I heard the news, went into a gas station. It was dark out, the gas station looked sort of empty - and then I realized there were a few people in back. It was the gas station owner (I guess) and a few people who'd stopped like me. We were watching a 4" or 5" black and white TV of the flak flying across the skies over Baghdad. We stood there for 10 or 15 minutes while the reporters tried to describe what was happening. No one cared about politics or anything. It was just concern for "the boys over there". And with a bunch of "God bless Americas" and "drive safe" we all left for our own destinations.

Tears for Fears EWTRTW:
https://youtube.com/watch?v=FOA4ixV-3jU

I even bought a "fast" car (hopped up Merc Capri 2.3 turbo - whose engine I blew about 100 miles after I got home - after driving 10,000+ miles in those 4 weeks). I followed a fast car from Winter Park to I-70. We were flying, pitch black, I'd never seen this highway before, totally intense, just trusted the engineers. Spun the car 90 degrees one way then 180 the other starting at 85 mph on a sandy exit ramp. Did a massive all day road ride in San Diego. Drove from LA to Boulder non-stop, flying through a very foggy few hours of driving in Utah. Climbed up some mountain from Baseline Road or something like that in Boulder. Fell in "crush" with a girl from Switzerland in San Diego, drove with her to LA, and when we got there, the people asked if we were married lol. Met up with another girl in Boulder who, out of the blue, had invited me to stay there when we met back where I lived (she was visiting her family). Did a ride we'd done a few days before the big quake up by San Francisco - we'd been riding in the mountains over Santa Cruz a few days before, so I went back a few years later - the road was so damaged there was a foot+ hump in the road where I had to lift the bike and carry it over.

It was probably one of the best things I ever did and it was only 4 weeks.

A cautionary note - I stayed in hostels, cheap motels, calculated a pretty realistic budget. And I spent twice what I allotted. Driving around and randomly staying in places gets expensive. If you can map out a set of friends it really helps. A friend moved to Dayton OH so I stayed there on the way out and way back. 700 miles from home, perfect for a day's drive. Anywhere I stayed for a while (Boulder, Santa Cruz, LA, SD) I stayed in a hostel.

A different year I spent a few weeks racing in Belgium. I stayed with my parents and bro and sis - they lived there for a few years. I went with a teammate, we trained like crazy to prepare, and we got annihilated. Totally crushed. Wed, Sat, and Sun, we got killed when we raced. Since we had international licenses we had to race with the "elites", i.e. the guys about to turn pro for the likes of PDM, Buckler, etc.

When I went there I was looking simply to experience what it was like out there in the pro cycling world. I was in awe, I was inspired. It motivated me to be as good as I could be while still keeping my job (at a bike shop) and having a minor social life. I knew I wouldn't be a pro, but I was determined to be professional when I rode.

For me it was like going to a Formula 1 race and rubbing elbows with Raikonnen or, if possible, Hakkinen. I'd be psyched just to meet them, sit in the car, shake hands with Newey or Dennis or watch an engine test. That would be enough.

My teammate was absolutely crushed. The problem was that he went there with different ideas in his head. I think he'd gone there thinking he'd use the training to smash his way into Cat 2 and above. Instead he realized that even with all that training, we just sucked. We were soooo bad compared to those guys. And this killed him. He quit racing at the end of the year. I saw him about 10 years later, he doesn't ride anymore.

For him, it was like going to a Formula 1 race with me. But he wanted to race them. But he couldn't do more than, say, sit in the car, or shake hands with Raikonnen or Dennis, or maybe watch an engine test.

Same experience, different outcome.

Think about what your expectations are. Think about what you might accomplish. Be open to new experiences (I never thought I'd meet anyone while I was traveling). Be a bit realistic about athletic ability.

But do it.

cdr

*edit* if you're driving around, buy a few fire extinguishers. I had an engine fire a few hours after I left home, and if I hadn't had the three fire extinguishers in the car (well, I only used one) it would have been a very short trip. Also buy enough stuff so if you get stranded you can live in your car for a bit, i.e. you slide off the road. CB radios are good too. And know your car like you know your bike. I brought a case of oil, I think 5 gallons of antifreeze, a row of red gas can type things (and used them all - about 10 gallons - in the longest stretch of interstate with no exits or gas stations - made it by about a gallon).

donheff

Go for it. I took more than a year in the early 70s, although I was diving, not biking. I did have the presence of mind to stay on the substitute teacher roles during the whole period so I could fudge the gaps in my resume a bit.

JohnKScott

Well, that 's entirely different then...

Hey, I'm all for chasing a dream. There are things I wish I would have chased harder when I was younger and had the time. Mostly related to songwriting & music. I just lacked direction then. Nothing to do with funding (even though I didn't have any). But if you want to do something bad enough you can find a way to finance it.

However, being a parent, I am wondering why your parents thought it would be a good idea to let you stay there and save up money by providing you with less than market rent? If their purpose for that was to help you get a leg up to, say, buy a house or something like that then they may not be real pleased if you go and blow that nest egg on world travel. Hey, if they don't care, then no skin off my nose . Since my dauhter is only 7, then I have a while before I'll have to worry about that. I'm just projecting how I might feel as a parent in that situation.

I'm just suggesting in my last post that I would be real hesitant to go blow all that time an money and then come back and ask mom & pop for more benefits. Although, I guess it worked OK for the prodigal son

Of course, I may be cut a little differently. I couldn't wait to get out on my own and take care of myself. Have my own stuff. Do my own thing. Of course, I had to finance it all myself too (including college). But hard earned victories are, by far, the sweetest.

FrankBattle 

If this ain't prophetic, I don't know what is: a Carpe Diem response ..

carpediemracing 

lol. The screen name is/was my team name, and the team name was a reflection on how one ought to approach life. When I was debating whether to do the 4 week trip or not, ultimately it was one of these "gotta take the chance now" things. Carpe Diem.

cdr

garysol1 

if you have the cash then I say do it and don't look back. It will be a experience you will never forget....one way or another...

GuitarWizard

I've driven around the country....10,000 miles in 20 days. It was the best 3 weeks of my life.

If you have an entire year to do this, you will not regret it. Just be sure to budget properly for it, and keep a reserve for when something unexpected happens. You have health insurance?

wfrogge

I say go for it... The world needs ditch diggers and it sounds like you will have the skill set.

bostongarden

Well, I believe I qualify as a Master and I say don't be afraid to go for it if it is something down deep you wish to do. My brother-in-law did something like this after graduating college back in the 1980s. Took several months to ride across the country and back. It is an experience that he will have with him forever, and, it got him into team Triathlons, where he was part of a top amateur team in the country.

As for the "practical" job, waste, years off stuff, I would not sweat that at all. Most people/employers are impressed with people who take on adventure -- and many will see it this way, as well as gutsy -- and get deep and passionately into something. Although, I have not done exactly what you are proposing, I have done like things and I turned out fine "professionally," got a PhD at a prestigious school (which is where I got into cycling and joined the team/club), became a professor, got tenure, etc. I say follow the passion and get into it. The lessons you learn when pursuing one passion carry over into other things.

Now, if you do not do it now, that is fine too, There are professions out there where you can go on sabbaticals and study things deeply like the "implications of intense cycling and road racing on" (fill in the blank) :-)

By the way, I do not see my wishes or thoughts about my past as relevant here. What matters is what you want to do and what you feel deep in your heart. As a practical matter -- because your parents or others may raise this -- 1-2 years of getting deeply into a passion (notice that I do not call it "taking time off") is unlikely to hurt you in the future; it will likely enhance your life!!

And, take notes so you can write a book about it or tell your kids about it...or, simply blog about it...should be good reading.

Even with conviction, it still may feel scary to do; that's normal.

Pinyon

I can't believe that I'm saying this...I sound like my father! I would find a college that teaches what you think you want to do "after cycling", that also has a decent racing program. Lots of colleges have racing squads, and you will spend that money in no time on equipment and just living in general, while you are in college. As long as you make decent grades, you can stay on the 6-year degree program, where you take a few less hours than full-time students, so that you can keep your grades up, while you train.

I would also pick out a school that has decent local riding in general, but that is just me. I would not be happy riding only out of a team van near a major city. I would need some serious and semi-safe country-roads nearby to consider going to that school.

You can have a major injury, or get into some sort of trouble with your coach/team, and your racing days are over. They can NEVER take what you know how to do from you. Education is IMPORTANT. My 2 cents.

Psimet2001 

Do it. What you will learn about life will serve you. It will give you experience and maturity that you will find many others lacking once you are going head-to-head for a "real" job.

I took time off a lot of time during college for mostly financial reasons. I ran my own business, tried out a few other hobbies, enjoyed a full social life, etc.

Those experiences have served me extremely well and have tempered me slightly. Slightly.