Ive often wondered ‘do you have to excel at a sport to enjoy it’? Sometimes, however look at the Sunday league footballers, most arent very good but they enjoy playing? Ok theres the TV aspect there but still. I enjoy karting- never set the world on fire but I still enjoy it.

Same with mountain biking- you can ride down the same technical/rocky bit- just at 1/2 the speed of your mates and still have the same thrill factor, plus……you get to savour that section whereas its over in the blink of an eye for them 😉

Juan – Then below average on a bike.

Yeah definitely well below average 😉

I was a fairly decent runner in my youth, mainly 100m & 200m. Ran for Oxford athletic club (we used to train at Ifley road on the track where Bannister broke the 4 minute mile). Also swam at a good level. Managed to smash my left ankle to pieces in a winter cross country race at age 15 which effectively ended any hopes I had at a career in athletics. It was one of the reasons I started riding bikes, cos my ankle was supported and strengthened by turning the pedals.

Who are you hackney rider?
I really am below average… Friend I use to ride with are now so much quicker than me 🙁
EDIT oh I know who you are 😉
When are you going to take a sleazy jet to come and visit 😀

once got selected to run xc for my school when i (genuinely) got lost during the selection run, took a short cut, and came third.

i do take a certain personal pride at being a bit rubbish at lots of sports; if there was an outdoor-sports-decathlon-type-thing, i’d probably do ok…

some kind of sailing/climbing/swimming/running/roady-ing/dh-bike/skiing/snowboarding/surfing/pie-eating competition would be just my kind of event.

crap at all sports, I hated sport at school, apart from horseriding. I was ok at that.

I didn’t play football until I was 25 and turned out to be pretty good, wish I’d had more guts as a kid to get cold, wet and take the banter. Was too much of a wimp but reckon I could have been premiership stuff (HSBC Sheffield 5-a-side premiership…). Gave it up after getting crunched unneccessarily and breaking my collar bone. 6 weeks off the bike and massive confidence knock wasn’t worth it.

Currently on rock climbing. Not a master but have led E2 within a year of climbing trad.

Welsh champion a few times at weightlifting, OK at rugby (I was a small hooker – seems to be a lot of the tight 5 on here who now MTB!)
Did a fair bit of sailing, only racing, both dinghy and offshore; scared myself silly at climbing, rowed a bit, nearly got into motorcycle road racing but disuaded by Mrs bakey…, off road m/c enduro (badly). Pretty good at judo and gymnastics as a nipper.

Hopless swimmer and absolutely rubbish at cricket, football and tennis!

Most of all I loved the rugby, and now really enjoying biking as I approach my dotage.

Was, and still am, a decent footballer. Represented my school, been on the books for the junior side of an Irish League club when I was 15. Still play. Could play a good round of golf when I put my mind too it. Was utterly pathetic at rugby.

And I’m an extremely average mountain biker, but love it the most out of all the sports I’ve been involved in.

Climbed a bit in the 80-90’s

Used to be reasonably good on a BMX back when they were first popular, but on a mtb my skills now suck, the thought of air time scares the mulch out of me 😉

Played Hockey to county level for over 10 years, still play a bit for the vets league, which the standard is very tough, not really up to it tbh, but its fun to do the team thing.

Also, used to be a good shot, used to shoot clays, target pistols and rifles before the law changed and banned ownership for most.

Came 8th in a World Championship final event back in the early 90’s. Bet no one will guess at what sport though, I’ll give you a clue – The event was held in Hong Kong Harbour 😯 .
I was also a top 10 junior marathon & sprint kayaker. Mate who i used to partner in the 2 man event reached the finals of the last Olympics in 500m & 1k and i used to beat him regularly over those distances. Oh what could have been with more commitment, a bit like my riding really 😕

Used to ride big 4 strokes in enduro -before they became civilised as they are now ,always good for top 3 in welsh 4 stroke championship and won my class in british enduro championship to – MTB was a afantastic tool for fitness to

Athletics, 100m, 200m and 400m
Badminton

And shooting things with a bang bang…

Not sure about being crap on a MTB, if average is crap i am…

Crap (relatively) at all sports, but I enjoy trying.

It’s all about perception. In my eyes Steve Pete is an expert, so that makes me very average. Likewise Shaun White is an expert snowboarder, once again I’m decidedly average.

It make me smile when people go on about being experts at this or that. Unless your competing and succeeding at a national or international level at best all you’ll be a good, or may be a very good cyclist (or whatever sport it is). That’s not to be pessimistic, or to take anything away from people who are good at particular sports, it’s just realistic.

Used to run for my school in XC @ county events.

Played football @ Cheshire School of Excellence, missed out on Schools County trials @ Rugby as I cracked my cheek bone the week before 😕

Fished up to Division 1 National Standard.

Thats about it, nothing major

Pretty good athlete when young, went to the nationals in high jump and then discovered beer and girls at 18 which put pay to that.

An average cricketer with ideas way above my station. Actually, I am a very good fielder but my batting is at best erratic and my bowling is horrendous.

Still play football, I am a (just) above average goalkeeper and not overly pretty central defender, played semi-pro for 2 seasons but it was all a little serious for me.

On a mountain bike I am slow going up, ok going down and scared with my wheels off the ground.

I see Mtbing in three parts, I’m very good at pre and post ride activities, I seem to struggle with the riding bit at times!!!

Bluebird: yes, all about perception. I’d class myself as an ok swimmer, but i’m quite a bit faster than rudeboy’s 28 minute mile. Trouble is i know 12 year old girls in my club that do 1500 in less than 20 minutes so i’d struggle to convince myself i’m anything but ok

Trouble is i know 12 year old girls in my club that do 1500 in less than 20 minutes

Thats because Gary Glitter is easing himself in for a swim at the other end?

Ah, IGMC

im a pretty damn good hockey player (yes the girl’s sport)

Bloody useless at all sports, especially the usual, footy cricket etc, well maybe not especially bad at them just everyone else is sooo much better. I’ve persevered with cycling and am finally getting to a competant level, only sport I’m ok at.

Crap on a bike but its my best sport although I did get a cert for swimming 25 yds 40 odd years ago. I got pretty hot at darts at one point as it involved loads of training int pub :o)

odly i dont find climbing scary, like rollercoasters, theres enough of a safety net to feel secure. To the point i forget im 20m in the air hanging off an overhang by one hand wondering what the fek im going to do next :S

I can run a 10k in about 40 mins and then drink about six pints of cider.

is that good for a 40yr old 9 stone midget ?

Kev

Came 3rd in the orienteering world championships when i was 14!!! Long time ago!!! Raced BMX in the 80’s but gave it up cos folk just took it way too seriously and it stopped being fun. Ridden MTB’s for almost 20 years now with a few years off here and there, i’ve got some good DH skills but my uphills really suck lately, stopped smoking at xmas and gained pounds and ride a patriot which aint the best climber!!

As an mtber, with training I’m reasonable uphill, but without training not great. Downhill, I’m better than the average joe and like to dice with the front-runners. I specialise in the keeping-the-wheels-mostly-on-the-ground-on-a-social-ride-with-other-30-somethings style though.

I was County captain at rugby Union as a schoolboy, but gave it up at uni.

I’m probably at the-front-of-the-middle-of-the-pack for most of the many things I’ve tried, but I’ll give most things a good go and try hard (“God loves a trier”, as I’ve been told many times….)

I’ve a good record at Stag do karting and would like to have tried motorsport. Then again, isn’t everyone an above average driver?

I am a fairly high standard fettler!

Keep riding more!

I’m better on my road bike but ride it alot more than mtb. I can jog 12 miles but struggle on my bike uphill?

Weird? yep!

But keep riding and it will come along.

I play a mean game of pool, does that count as a sport? Used to do a spot of climbing – was good but too lazy to put in any real work.

Still get the airguns out for a play sometimes, but always been an average shot. Mountain biking skills not too bad ‘cos I ride with guys much better technically than I am so I’m always pushing. Stamina not what it was, but still better than the twenty-somethings I ride with.

Kiteboarding (onland, i swim like a cat). can pull some nifty tricks. although if you know how to fly a kite well and gain lots of hangtime then most tricks are fairly easy.

snowboarding. not so jumpy jumpy but can hit a few drops and make it look like i was in control.

and snowkiting. much like the first though.

oh, and fishing the river behind my old house. don’t think i remember a time i didn’t catch.

I can run a 10k in about 40 mins and then drink about six pints of cider.

is that good for a 40yr old 9 stone midget ?

That is **** awesome!!

What is less than awesome, is your ability to use your legs, afterwards! 😉

I’m rubbish at every other sport, don’t even like’em, but for an oldie 47. I can get up most climbs, and manage the decents with a smile.
For me that’s what its all about 😀

Crib at the pub when PC and gambling laws didnt exist, also mean at Ludo.

Trouble is i know 12 year old girls in my club that do 1500 in less than 20 minutes

I may as well give up now… 🙁

Some kids are amazing swimmers. They are much more efficient, having a much higher power to weight ratio than adults, and are more aquadynamic. Tall, skinny kids make fantastic swimmers.

I’m more of a plodder, just swim easy, rather than go mental. I don’t do the tumble turn, which saves several seconds a length, or the dolphiny underwater thing when you push off. My next target is sub-25 mins, but I doubt I’ll ever get anywhere near 20 mins. No way!

The figures for junior swimming are terrifying. I’m one of the faster regulars down at my local pool (not the club swimmers though), although the fastest I see are women. Most of the blokes are too busy wanting to ‘bulk up’, to be able to swim well.

Bloke in tonight; quick, but crap technique. Loads of splash. Just annoying.

Been playing Rugby for years even though I am bloody useless at it. Pretty good at getting smashed in the clubhouse afterwards though. A skill I have carried into MTBiking.

After 20 odd years of mountain biking only, it’s the only sport I can do!

Represented GB in Long Course Triathlon back in the day when you just turned up to a race and qualified 😮

Good climber on the MTB, just crap at the flat and downhill parts, but like a good wine, improving with age

I was poor at football, found i couldnt be bothered with hockey, ok at kickboxing for how long i did it…

THe only sport i could ever be bothered with has been cycling… I think o’m ok at that.

Oh, and apparantly the one time i went wakeboarding, i was a natural.

There have been some fairly liberal interpretations of good on here so far.

As bluebird said, you need to be competitive on at least an elite national level to qualify. IMO.

I captained the Earth team to glory in the pangalactic everything chamionships, 2 years running

As a sexual athlete, my performances remain beyond the comprehension of most people despite a near fatal incident at the Athens Olympics Champions Only After-Games Gangbang

I’m guessing I could take the biking world by storm too but it’s all about the smiles for me these days, and sometimes it’s nice to let the little people have their day