Age is no barrier

waby1234

My parents have recently decided to get into cycling, specifically a bit of light off roading, a few bridle ways, some fire roads etc. They have splashed out on a couple of entry level mountain bikes and are absolutely delighted with them. They are in the mid-60s and are really enjoying the sport.

This got me thinking - what age ranges do people tend to see riding their favourite trails and routes? Around Cannock I often see youngish kids - around 10ish - right up to *ahem* more elderly riders! My favourite canal route is mainly ridden by people 40 ish and below. Who is the oldest known mountain biker hitting the trails?

I think it's great that our sport is approachable enough for all abilities and ages!

nicklouse

Worms of can.

I know 80 year old still XCing. I know people older than me hitting the DH. Trails and races. And I don't plan on stopping.

cooldad

I am the oldest out of the people I ride with regularly, by a long way at as near as damn it to 50. Scary to even say it out loud.
Others range from 16 to late 30's.

cooldad

Only downside is you stop bouncing and start splatting, it hurts more, and for longer.

welshkev

the age range in our club is 18 to 59 (i think he is anyway) but most of the guys are between 30 and 40 i'd say

peat

I built 2 bikes out of my infinite spares for my parents (60's) as they wanted to get out and out a bit more.

They rode them once and remembered that you actually have to pedal which was too much like hard work so they have sat in the shed ever since. *sadface*

ThePriory1978

Last time i was at Cannock there was an older gentleman, he said in his 60's, riding a well used Orange Five on his third lap of The Monkey that day. I was well impressed. I would have been nakerd but he was still spinning up the climbs faster than I could manage.

Thewaylander

Met i guy DHing at FOD in his 60's full faced armoured and getting air.....

1mancity2

One rider who comes with us is 55 and he does all the jumps, drops etc, even managed to knock himself out like a proper biker....

timpop

cooldad wrote:

Only downside is you stop bouncing and start splatting, it hurts more, and for longer.

Yup.

rockmonkeysc

I have rode xc with a few people in their mid 60's and they get on as well as anyone. At downhill races I have met people in their late 50's.
I plan to keep going as long as I can.

Majski

Last year I did a lap of Llandegla black with a family friend in his late 60's possibly even 70. He was on a rigid peugeot and had a horse riding hat on that covered his eyes if he went over bumps. Did the full loop no fuss

cooldad

Because the youth of today are a bunch of soft long haired pansies.

Bring back national service I say.

cat_with_no_tail

There was a fella easily in his 60s doing the IOM End2End on a CX bike last year. Made it to the end in 1 piece, and with a fairly respectable time too. Doubt I'd have been able to stand 5hrs of being rattled to death on one of those bIoody contraptions!

plugp7

Went I come back covering site and sweating like a good un, wife says I should know better at my age. So what else is there in retirement, golf, crown green bowls? Feck that. Gimme mud and big hills.

cooldad

plugp7 wrote:

Went I come back covering site and sweating like a good un, wife says I should know better at my age. So what else is there in retirement, golf, crown green bowls? Feck that. Gimme mud and big hills.

Dwarf or donkey porn site?

plugp7

cooldad wrote:

plugp7 wrote:

Went I come back covering site and sweating like a good un, wife says I should know better at my age. So what else is there in retirement, golf, crown green bowls? Feck that. Gimme mud and big hills.

Dwarf or donkey porn site?

?

1mancity2

plugp7 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

plugp7 wrote:

Went I come back covering site and sweating like a good un, wife says I should know better at my age. So what else is there in retirement, golf, crown green bowls? Feck that. Gimme mud and big hills.

Dwarf or donkey porn site?

?

Bigchris

I seen a guy at least 60 going round healey nab a while back, and I've seen 6 year olds getting dragged round lee quarry with his dad, all I heard was screaming and the kid trying to hold onto his bike. Sounded like Alton towers.

These old bikers are a inspiration, if I can still competently ride a bike round any half challenging trail when in 60-70...good days and success.

Mojo_666

welshkev wrote:

the age range in our club is 18 to 53 (i think he is anyway) but most of the guys are between 30 and 40 i'd say

I won't tell him you added 6 years.

ElliesDad

I'm 43 and only took up mountain biking earlier this year. Hope to keep going as long as I can!

Seriously though, after doing a lot of mountaineering in my twenties, I was surprised at how much my approach to risk taking had reduced now that I am older.

plugp7

1mancity2 wrote:

plugp7 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

plugp7 wrote:

Went I come back covering site and sweating like a good un, wife says I should know better at my age. So what else is there in retirement, golf, crown green bowls? Feck that. Gimme mud and big hills.

Dwarf or donkey porn site?

?

a typo error, yes, and your point is..............?

reyrol

68 next month and ride with guys aged 30-45 unfortunately i came off on last sundays trip to Cragg now ive got a broken finger. Blast!

hiswitsend

Oldest competitor on the Strathpuffer Lite was 73

Red.Devil.Ghost

Not MTB, but a mates dad decided to start snowboarding at 65 for something to do.

Boy Lard

plugp7 wrote:

Went I come back covering site and sweating like a good un, wife says I should know better at my age. So what else is there in retirement, golf, crown green bowls? Feck that. Gimme mud and big hills.

If you wait till you've retired to start learning Crown Green you'll probably be cr@p at it. Some of the best bowlers I know of are in their early 20s. It is a very difficult and highly skilled game when played at the top levels.

.blitz

Speaking from experience (50 this year) age is no barrier but looking back at my 25 years of MTBing things have changed a lot.

There's a basic level of fitness that you take for granted but at the same time you become more aware of your limits and what your body can do. Some people say your stamina improves as you get older but imo you simply become better at pacing yourself because it's more difficult to recover quickly from an intense effort.

Injuries take much longer (months/years) to mend and parts of your body you didn't know existed simply pack up for no apparent reason

There's an imperceptible deterioration in vision and reaction times. You can still read the bottom line of an eye test with ease and your reactions may have only changed from 0.18 second to 0.22 but it means that everything you do is just that little bit slower.

Peer pressure to 'give it up' and do golf/rambling/gardening/whatever is immense.

plugp7

.blitz wrote:

Speaking from experience (50 this year) age is no barrier but looking back at my 25 years of MTBing things have changed a lot.

There's a basic level of fitness that you take for granted but at the same time you become more aware of your limits and what your body can do. Some people say your stamina improves as you get older but imo you simply become better at pacing yourself because it's more difficult to recover quickly from an intense effort.

Injuries take much longer (months/years) to mend and parts of your body you didn't know existed simply pack up for no apparent reason

There's an imperceptible deterioration in vision and reaction times. You can still read the bottom line of an eye test with ease and your reactions may have only changed from 0.18 second to 0.22 but it means that everything you do is just that little bit slower.

Peer pressure to 'give it up' and do golf/rambling/gardening/whatever is immense.

Very well summed up.

karlbrewster

definitely not a barrier. IMO riding often will even KEEP ppl young. Happy riding

sandy771

.blitz wrote:

Peer pressure to 'give it up' and do golf/rambling/gardening/whatever is immense.

Not sure I agree - wrong side of 51 and there are a few older in our group, as well as a few 18ish year olds and everything in between. As the newbie (MTBing for less than a year) I get loads of encouragement and a few "don't try this if you are not comfortable" comments (much less of those now). We ride down in Cornwall but do trips to Wales (CyB, Llandegla, Macynlleth), Dartmoor etc. and ride the blacks. Rides are cross country but only looking for/in between DH stuff. Oh and my wife is very supportive, but that might be because I am well insured

No peer pressure to give up at all here.

Anonymous

Age is definitely no barrier. Even with the risk taking. It's just a difference between "they're young and think they're invulnerable - fair play" and "they're too old and should know better!"

Only beef is with the attitudes of some that anyone who's started off road in their 30s, 40s+ shouldn't be on the trails, that skills courses are only for useless middle aged weekend warriors (who shouldn't be on the trails), etc.

Though to be fair, I fit all of these

But honestly though, those who are older didn't always have MTB when they were younger. I only ever saw road bikes as a lad apart from BMXes and no where good to ride off road where I lived. Didn't really even consider it an option. Taking it up in my 30s it's just been a massive revelation and change in my life. It's beyond just getting out at the weekend for fitness, it's an addiction .

I'm hoping to still be riding well into 50s, 60s, whenever the bones will let me.