New Older Cyclists

[RoadRaven]

Hey there Pyxi

You should not compare yourself with senior women's levels.

You may be faster than some women either older and younger than you in training or recreational cycling, but if you are thinking competitively, then dont compare yourself with women in their 20s who are "at their peak" as far as age goes.

The sad truth is that the further we move away from 30/35, the further we move away from the potential we might have had in our 20s.

Compare yourself to the same age categories for guidance as to what is realistic to achieve and revel in being the best you can be.

I started cycling 2 years ago, and started competitively in March this year. I will never know what I might have achieved as a cyclist in my 20s, but man am I setting my goals high for what I can achieve alongside women within a ten year age span around me.

[velogirl]

Hey there Pyxi

You should not compare yourself with senior women's levels.

You may be faster than some women either older and younger than you in training or recreational cycling, but if you are thinking competitively, then dont compare yourself with women in their 20s who are "at their peak" as far as age goes.

Compare yourself to the same age categories for guidance as to what is realistic to achieve and revel in being the best you can be.

Unfortunately, in the United States, with rare exception, all women race together by category, not by age. So, she will be competing with women younger (and older) than her.

Women's racing is pretty diverse in this country. There are certain parts of the country (CA, CO, NY) where there are lots of women racers and there are separate races for separate categories. In CA, it's not unusual to race in a full field of 50 women. In other parts of the country, there might be one women's race for Pro through beginner and only 10 women show up.

Occassionally, you'll find a master's women's race (usually 35+). Even in CA, where we have tons of women racing, we don't see this very often. It's more common at District and National Championships, where you can race against your peers in 5-year age groups. The other exception is the rare mtn bike with age categories.

Now, back to your original question. You're not too old. Most women don't even begin to ride until their 30s. And then it takes 3-5 years to hit your potential. And yes, the 20 year olds are tough to beat, but you can be a successful bike racer into your 40s. In mass start races (crits and road races), being smart can win races just as much as being young/fit.

Give it some time. Train smart, learn everything you can, ride with groups, take a clinic, watch some races, and compete when you're ready.

[Mimosa]

This year (at the age of 32), after a decade of not cycling due to other commitments (work, relation, house etc), I started it all up again. I was so fed up with the fact that I was slowly gaining weight and having a poor health level.

That training really got me into the spirit again, up to the level that I am currently doing 150-200 miles a week. For next year I want to have a go (again) at competition riding. Luckely I found a team nearby which is of mixed age so I can start at club level with the team and gradually work my way up to the elite level. Which is going to pretty hard since that is a very high competition level. Still, you got to have goals in life. I will be one of the 'older' galls in that highest competition but over the last couple of years some of the 'oldies' have returned to the competition and proven to be able to defeat the youngsters.

My advice would also to just cyle for a year long and gradually increase distance and speed to slowly gain strength and technical skils. Riding offroad is also good to improve steering qualities. What you can do in that same year is to look for entrance level races near you and at first just look at how racing goes. And see if you can find a team to join, girls already driving can learn you the required race driving skills (how to I attack a curve, driving in a group, using the other driver to sit out of the wind etc) and race tactics.

[RoadRaven]

Unfortunately, in the United States, with rare exception, all women race together by category, not by age. So, she will be competing with women younger (and older) than her.

Yeah... we race by ability at club level, so my grade at Ramblers ranges from 15 - 60+, both men and women.

The club champs are graded by age and gender; under 15, under 17, senior, then the vet categories.

Our club races all the vet women together (because there is not usually a big turnout for the champs by women, though this year it was bigger than usual) so I raced against women last weekend aged from 35 up.

At National level it BikeNZ sticks to what I thought was international categories defined by age... I didn't realise that the USA didn't categorise people by age - thats very unfair.