worldtraveller

When do you have to consider your past the age of when you could never put in top marks for a cycle race?

In other words where you have no hope of reaching your top peak of performance due to age?

I used to race in Mt bike and road back in 90's , did a brief return in 2004 to some local ones but didnt train properly at time and really didnt focus on any race till last minute, so didnt do well in 2004.
races were more less local cycle club and some Minnesota state ones in usa south of the border

i am 33. Would i be considered too old to consider to train and get back into racing shape. I can do long distance now , no problem
i just like to learn how to increase my speed for long durations etc.

What do you suggest?

Machka 

Wow! I put you at about 17.

abdon 

Didn't lance win his last tour at 34?

estabro

If you think age 33 might be time to "throw in the towel" you probably have no business in a race anyway.

ks1g

When it stops being fun.

Unless you are one of fewer than I'd say 1,000 riders WORlDWIDE combining genetics, training, commitment, and no small amount of luck to get paid a living salary to ride a bike (aka the "pro peleton", various regional teams, and their Tri and MTB colleagues), you're in it becuase you enjoy it. Age has nothing to do with it. An area small-town paper covered a recent crit; they interviewed a 65 yo who was D.F.L. in his race (maybe a dozen entries). He loved it and couldn't wait for next year's event.

Journeyman

Your 33 and worried about age affecting your racing, just wait til you turn 50 then start swetting the details.

RMMJ

+1!

DataJunkie

I have friends in their mid to late 50s still racing.

cyclezen

USA Cycling Masters Road Racing National Championships begin in Louisville-area [Sports]
August 4, 2010
By Josh Cook

More than 800 male and female cyclists, all 30 or older, from around the country began competing for over 60 national titles Tuesday in the 2010 USA Cycling Masters Road Racing National Championships.

The three-event nationals began with Tuesday’s time trials in Taylorsville. Action shifts to Cherokee Park in Louisville on Wednesday for three days of road racing before the action shifts across the river to Jeffersonville, Ind. for the criteriums (multi-lap races on short courses).

Twenty-one individual national champions were crowned Tuesday in Taylorsville after completing the course on State Road 44 near Taylorsville Lake State Park.

Among those was 86-year-old Francis Underwood (Beavercreek, Ohio), the oldest rider entered in this year‘s national championships. He claimed the winning Stars-and-Stripes jersey in the 85-89 category by covering the 20 kilometer course in 53 minutes, 38.480 seconds.

Another individual winner was Julie Lockhart (Dunstable, Mass./Northeast Bicycle team), who claimed her 15th career masters national title by winning the women’s 65-69 age group in 38:53.390.

Stop whining
HTFU

ericm979

There's a guy in my racing club who is 74 and went to nationals last year.

Another guy in the club started racing in the 55+ fields, and won a national championship after a few years (stoker on 110+ tandem, road race).

There's no too old, only too weak or unwilling.

But your question could be what age do people reach their peak performance? For pros who have been racing since they were juniors that's usually late 20s to early 30s. At that age you have the benefit of a 10 year or more base, and a lot of race experience, but age has not reduced your capabilities much.

For normal people with careers and lives, its when you have the time and inclination to put in the training. My race results are better at age 50 than at 28. But I have been training for 10 years now, and training more. When I was 28 I'd only been riding for three years.

gregf83 

It doesn't matter how hard you train there are still a bunch of 50+ yr olds who will kick your ass. You might as well give up now and return to the couch.

rm -rf

From the recent news:

Longo wins French TT title, nets 58th national championship

OldsCOOL

Though I dont ride races I can say that my riding is much stronger than it was when I'd began riding my first 10sp Motobecane Mirage the summers of 73 and '74.

As you grow older (I'm 53) you'll find out that the toughest obstacle to training is your own mindsets and attitude. You can be lazy at 33 or 53.

RonH

You're just a kid. Some of the leaders and many of the riders in the TdF are older than you!!!
Read the Racing/Training sticky in the 50+ forum for inspiration.

wphamilton

Other than physically being able to train, I'd say almost the only obstacle. There are about three people I see on my regular routes, almost every day. All (from appearances) from completely different circumstances, physical abilities, ages, and perhaps purposes. All including myself - I am older than they - have improved strikingly over the last 2-3 years. I think the only common factors have to do with determination and mental toughness. They have it, and the dozens or hundreds others I see come and go do not and will never make gains or get much out of it regardless of age or physical ability.

koffee brown

If you're good, age isn't as important as training. I know a lady out in Chicago who's 40, has fantastic training and is totally dedicated to her training, and can stomp the *ss off anyone younger than her, from teens on up. In fact, she's gotten even better with age- and she's not training harder, just smarter.

koffee

jazzy_cyclist

I didn't start racing until I was 57; my racing age now is 61. I don't win a lot, but I am pretty competitive in the right kinds of races. I was never in this good a shape earlier in my life.

Carbonfiberboy 

I have a friend who took 45 minutes(!) off the over 70 age-group record on a mountain hill climb. I'm 66 and can still place middle of the pack as a 4 on TTs, and I'm no aerobic monster, that's for sure.

DataJunkie

I had my arse handed to me by a 70 year old racer a few weeks ago on a sprint. Sure I suck at sprints but he still kicked ass. It was about a 50 mile ride chatting most of the time while riding at a fair speed. This sport is awesome.

heppm01

Um, never?

You can reach your top peak of performance no matter what your age. That peak may be lower than world-class, or lower than it would be for you if you were 10 years younger, but the only thing stopping you from meeting (and perhaps even exceeding) your limit is yourself. And considering the USA Cycling has a rather robust Master's racing program, you will have plenty of stiff competition well into your 70's.

So you have a good 40 years of competing ahead of you. Knock yourself out.

badger1973

I have just done 470 mile in under 6 days for charity on a £100 mountain-bike that i have turned into a touring bike. I had 25-30kg's of weight that i took up the hills of Derbyshire (for my American cousins they are very very steep hills). Im 38 yrs old,i trained lightly,i smoke,drink and dont follow a balanced diet... Listen mate... If i can do that you are gonna be just fine.

Harun

When you die. You're never too old for anything

poxpower

Yes there's tons of old guys who kick ass at this sport. Just the other day I was passed by a guy who must have been like 70, all decked out with his bike attire on his shiny Cervelo.
And I've met up with a 62 year old man who's been in hundreds of races in the last couple years, has a 37 bpm resting heart rate and could probably crush me so bad in a race that I'd implode into a black hole of shame.

And it might interest you to know that some research shows that people of any age respond to training just the same. The only difference is that maintenance gets harder as you get older ( as I understand it ).

Anyway my suggestion is that you form a search party and try to locate the El Dorado. It's somewhere out there. Forget biking, you could be rich! RICH!!!

____asdfghjkl

Never.
ride until you die lol.

qcwtom

I know a guy in his mid-50's who can still time trial at 28 mph. That gives me hope...