Age vs. Cycling Ability

[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!! )

[SadieKate]

If this is true, why aren't we seeing 50+ year old riders in the TdF? Or competing at world cup downhill and winning? I believe Jeanie Longo is a unique individual.

I think that age does matter with the type of event and the level of competition.

[Eden]

If this is true, why aren't we seeing 50+ year old riders in the TdF? Or competing at world cup downhill and winning? I believe Jeanie Longo is a unique individual.

I think that age does matter with the type of event and the level of competition.

Most certainly. When you get to a certain level of competition there is a point where only the very exceptional person can compete against the young crowd when they are significantly older. Jeannie Longo and Ned Overend come to mind.

Some of it does have to do with recovery - it becomes much harder to recover as we age, so an event like the TDF is unlikely to be won by a 50 something - but if you do take a close look its often men in their 30's not the early 20 somethings who win the overall.

Some of it has to do with the razor thin margins that you are talking about when you are looking at pro level racing. An older guy might not that much slower than a younger one, but when a few seconds can be the difference between 1st and 50th the little edge being young can give you becomes very important.

I do think that women do actually peak at an older age than men though. Many if not most of the top women are in their middle to late 30's and even 40's - Kristin Armstrong is 35, Judith Arndt 32, Tina Pic 42, Laura Van Gilder 44, Amber Neben 33

[pardes]

I have to agree with SadieKate. Age can't be ignored. I'm not saying bow to it and take up knitting and complaining but no one can define what "age" really means and what are the rules for doing it "right." It's the elephant in the room as long as we see it as an elephant rather than a fascinating journey.

On most levels age classifications are an external thing that is molded by society and culture. Yet on an interior level it's something altogether different and completely individual to each person. On the inside no one feels 62 or 92. Instead we feel exactly the same as we did when consciousness first bloomed as an infant. The physical body may get rusty and crusty and that never ceases to amaze us when we pass a mirror.

Perhaps if we stop applauding "oldsters" doing things that aren't typical, we will stop creating our own image of others. Sexism and Ageism cut people off at the knees and squash them into a pigeonhole. Unfortunatenly it's often the aged who reinforce all the boundaries given to them by others because it's just too scary to step out and be unique in whatever way that pleases them from beng restful and reflective to swimming the English channel.

Out of shap is out of shape whatever the age. Alleged recovery time differences are a mental construct of expectations.

I often wonder if the care seniors take to protect themselves isn't just the fear of impending death, a death for which they aren't ready to accept. Unfortunately the medical profession is the first bugler to shout the alarm to be careful, take precautions, know your limits, work up very very gradually to change.

Some seniors blossom into type A personalities and push the envelope while others become quiet navel contemplators, while still others fill the bell curve in between. Bravo to them all!

[Crankin]

I think age is a factor, but it's very individual. All of a sudden, I need lots of recovery time and my average is going down.... some of it is my particular situation, but there is nothing unusual going on with me compared to a couple of years ago. I didn't start cycling until I was 48, but I was very active in other fitness things. I improved steadily until last year, when health issues interfered. Now, I am frustrated. I am only competitive with myself and myself is not happy thinking that this is age!
I feel like I have to make a decision between whether I will concentrate on distance or speed, because i don't seem to be able to do both well.

[OakLeaf]

I think we're talking about two different things here: the specific demands of cycling, vs. age-related changes in our bodies. (We're also talking about competitive sport, when the OP had to do with participation in mass fun events.)

The top competitors in most sports are much, much younger than the top competitors in cycling. That doesn't mean that cyclists' bodies age more slowly than other athletes', it just means that endurance and strategy are so important in cycling that, to a point, they outweigh incremental declines in reflexes, recovery and strength.

Obviously statistics don't define individual situations. Just as it would be perfectly accurate to say generally that men are stronger than women (by about 20% based on weight-class weight-lifting records), nevertheless probably many of the women on this forum are stronger than most men in our demographic.

Bottom line: we still age. Oh, well! I'm at the point where I'm realizing I just have to deal with it.

[lph]

I think rather than expecting "old people" to be stereotype knitting grandmas, we're seeing that people are more individualistic no matter what their age. People still talk about feeling old, or getting too old for this and that, but that's mostly a habit and bad excuses. The hippie generation is now in their 60s and I don't think there has ever been a generation with that much time, money and attitude to truly do what they want. Caveat: in the well-to-do corners of the world and society most of us live in.

I still think elite athletes will always be young, there's no beating biology but in the sports that take time, money and patience it's quite logical that the over-40s will be well represented on the amateur level. A generation or two ago it might even be seen as a little unseemly for a grandmother to compete in amateur sports, now she's probably the hero of the neighbourhood. The social constraints are pretty much gone so it's down to how much training you put in.