Age vs. Cycling Ability

[Mr. Bloom]

Occassionally, I see posts that are a bit self-deprecating by folks regarding their age imposed cycling limitations.

So, I started thinkin' Is there a limitation on ability based solely on age?

So, the final Rain (Ride Across INdiana) Results were recently posted. There were 900+ finishers. This was a 160 mile RIDE, not a RACE, but many race against the clock and order of finish is tracked by the organizers although the finish line is closed at sunset (14 hours after the start).

So, I ran this scatter graph plotting finish time vs. age:



Interestingly, the average age of the first 10 finishers is 42 yrs AND the last 10 finishers is 42 yrs! The overall median is 46 yrs old (a surprise to me)!

So, based on this, while I acknowledge that many other factors can influence riding speed and ability (equipment, fitness level, road conditions, drafting, start time, sag time, etc), it would appear to me that age does not limit cycling speed and ability...and those of us beyond middle age need to stop beating ourselves up as we grow wiser...

Fine Print:
The data is as presented except I removed:
- a few finishers with blank ages
- a person with an age of 1
- a person with an age of 108 (I believe a typo since if someone did this at 108, I'm confident that the national news would have been there...)

[sundial]

Interesting graph, Mr Silver. I appreciate the use of visual aids.

When I was an undergraduate, I heard a lecture presented by visiting artist Steve "Thunder" McGuire, an art professor at the University of Iowa. He cycles within and outside the US and presents a captivating monologue of his epic adventures. He travels with a 2 seater recumbent built to invite people to join him in his journeys. In the latest issue of Outside magazine, he competed in the Great Divide Race, a grueling journey that starts in Montana and ends in Mexico. His age? 49. His journeys become longer as he ages, which is a testament of his cycling longevity.

[Veronica]

I think a ride like that tends to attract 40 somethings. I see the same thing at brevets and double centuries. There seem to be very few riders in their 20s at those rides. Just personal observation.

The top female at my HIM on Saturday is 42. She finished in 5:05. There were two others over 40 in the top ten.

I think people may use age as a euphemism for not having maintained themselves as well as they might have liked to.

V.

[Mr. Bloom]

I think people may use age as a euphemism for not having maintained themselves as well as they might have liked to.

V.

Well, it's time for us to change that

I think a ride like that tends to attract 40 somethings. I see the same thing at brevets and double centuries.

Why do you think that is?

[GLC1968]

Why do you think that is?

In my experience - because two things happen when people get to be about 40. 1) if they were runners, their knees start to give out and they move into cycling. 2) their kids are finally old enough to be left alone or with sitters.

I think this is why in the world of recreational cycling - you see a disproportionate number of people late 30's and up. And if you are a competitive type, but not quite of 'racing' caliber - what better way to challenge yourself than with endurance events?!

This is totally anecdotal - I don't have any real statistics or anything!

[SouthernBelle]

I think there are several factors.

One is that true endurance is built over time. There are certainly genetic factors involved too.

2ndly is patience.

3rdly may be that as we get older some of us don't give a damn what others think. So we may be willing to spend hours on the road in our crazy endeavor.

4thly. It's not a cheap sport.

Some thoughts anywho.

[Grog]

I think GLC is right with the "kids old enough" point as one major contributing factor here.

On the Grand Tour (a week-long tour in Quebec, with days of 100+ km, lots of hills in general, similar to Cycle Oregon) there are 2200 participants, and the average age this year is 47 years old.

Who can go on 160-mile rides if they have young children at home?

(Edited to add: But this does not change the fact that not many people in their early 20s would be clocking those sort of times. It does take many years to create an endurance athlete. And those who would would be bored out of their mind before reaching the finish line!! )

[Tuckervill]

Well, it's time for us to change that



Why do you think that is?

I think more people over a certain age have mental capacity to experience long distances and long time periods with a better sense of perspective.

I did Boot Camp with a 16 yo girl. We would do things like jump rope for 6 minutes, or attempt to run a mile in under 12 minutes. Almost every time the instructor mentioned a longish time, she had a bad reaction, like it was an eternity. With respect to the whole of her life, in contrast to the whole of mine, it could seem like a long time! Once she started doing it, it was over in a flash and she completed the tasks no problem. But it seemed like an eternity to her!

I remember being that way as a kid/teenager. I had to run 2 miles in the army, and I really thought that was brutal when I was 18! I have perspective on that distance, now. It's NOTHING.

Have some children, eh? then you really get a perspective on time. Become a grandma! That'll do it. All that to say, I think the 40s enter long things like that because the mental block about the length of time is not as strong.


Karen

[Eden]

I agree with Veronica - rides of those type do tend to attract a more mature crowd, but I can also tell you in the racing community it is not necessarily the young pups that are the fastest - at least among the women. Most of our fastest women also qualify for masters racing and some are even 50+

Also if you look at longer events, more geared towards endurance than raw power I think that the differences between younger people and older folks even out quite a bit. More experience and more base mean riders who have been at it longer do just as good if not better.

[Stania]

I have to agree with you wholeheartedly that it makes no difference.
I am 43 years old (as of this Oct.) and I started road and Cross racing competitively 1 year ago. The only thing that I have found is a concern for me is recovery time compared to when I was younger - my body requires more pampering (if you will) than it did before. As for speed, fitness and general performance, well, given I regularly beat gals 20 years younger than me and have upgraded from Cat 5 to Cat 3 in one season, i would have to say that age makes no difference.
If you think I am exaggerating, then consider that I get beaten regularly by a 52 year old who races masters and often is pitted against Cat 4's when there aren't enough to make a full women's race...
All of my racing success has all been while parenting a 2 and half year old i gave birth to when I turned 40.
So, whomever out there uses their age as an excuse, i would then have to confront you about your fitness and health instead.. Age is NOT a limitation, your attitude and general health are.

Happy cycling!
Stania

[biking viking]

I started touring at age 50 with my husband on unsupported short journeys, 1000 miles, give or take a couple hundred depending on how much vacation time we have. The comment I hear most often is "I could never do that". I hear it from people my age and from young people. I used to say "sure you could - just start with short distances and work up to it or it's just a daily bike ride but you end up at camp instead of at home". It's all attitude at any age. When I hear the comment now I am tempted to say "You're right, you couldn't do it". Most touring bicyclist we encounter are retired which makes them over 62.

Does anyone else out there tour? I read mostly about racing and commuting (I get to work on my bicycle too), but bicycle touring offers a whole other way of "being" which really has nothing really to do with the bike except that it is the vehicle that allows you to connect with the most basic feeling of being alive. It is something that cannot be achieved on a week long supported ride (at least in my experience).

[OakLeaf]

I haven't toured since I was young, but several members of my bike club are guys in their 70s who just RIDE. Two of them did the Lewis & Clark Trail last summer. They were going to do the Great Divide this summer, but one of them tore his ACL. He was back on his MTB about 3 weeks before his PT thought he'd be able to, but the trip had to be rescheduled for next year.

[tulip]

I toured across France when I was 15 with a bunch of other 15 year-olds. I really dislike camping, so my touring now is alot more comfortable. But I still consider it touring, as I'm out all day on the bike seeing places I never would have seen otherwise, getting to my next destination on a bike. Because of work, I can't just up and go for months at a time, but I am able to fit in a few weeks here and there.

[cyclingmama]

I don't think that age limits your ability to accomplish your goals, whatever they may be, but it does make a difference in how you get there. I was 25 when DH bought me my first (post-childhood) bike, and I did 14 miles my first ride, and we did an MS 150 the next year with not nearly enough training. I rode for a few years, then stopped when I had my first child. Starting up again this spring at 34 was definitely more challenging. I've been building my mileage up much more slowly. I've also noticed that what I eat for pre-ride fuel and post-ride recovery has become much more significant to my performance levels than it ever was before. Sleep is more of a factor than it was. Simply put, I could do a lot more on a lot less when I was mid-20s than I can at mid-30s. And I'm still young! I can only imagine that the importance of these factors only increases with age.

So my goal now is to keep at it consistently (however challenging it is to find the time to ride with 3 and 5 year olds), because I would hate to have to start from ground zero again in my mid-40s.

[tulip]

So my goal now is to keep at it consistently (however challenging it is to find the time to ride with 3 and 5 year olds), because I would hate to have to start from ground zero again in my mid-40s.

I found that fitting in two spinning classes per week, even one when time was really tight, helped maintain my fitness. If you end up having trouble getting out during the day, perhaps a spinning class will help (the father can watch the kids, or get a babysitter).