I wonder if that's different for other sports.

I know all about amateur racer burnout. But after 12 years I'd been away from it long enough that I could come back to cycling and enjoy it. I wonder how that would be different for someone who'd been able to compete at a high level. A lot of my burnout I really believe was from the fact that I'd reached the limit of what I could do with the amount of commitment I had, and I knew that even if I took my commitment to another level, I'd never be a top-level cyclist. But then again, I was a recreational rider long before I started racing, and my racing years were a small proportion of my total cycling years, so I had a good foundation of really enjoyable riding that I could remember when I was ready to.

Now that you mention it, it's definitely noticeable on this forum that we have a whole lot of recreational riders, some current elite racers, some former club racers, but no former elite racers who've identified themselves anyway.

I'm really just musing on this, so early in the morning. So this post is a little incoherent

I'm around professional motorcycle racers quite a bit, and honestly, when they retire, they don't stop riding - on the contrary, they often have trouble imagining anything non-motorized to do for fun! It's often difficult for them to be around the racetrack after they retire from competition, but it really seems to me that the majority of them keep riding in the dirt or on the street after their racing careers are over.

What about it, racer gals? What have you seen from your older peers, past their racing prime - are they able to ride for fun (either immediately after they stop racing, or after a break)?