Depressingly, both my boys (16 y.o. twins) are now faster than me round Swinley 🙁

I’m probably still a little faster on the ups. More or less the same on the flat. But anything ‘down’ and they just leave me for dead.

I think it’s largely down to their ‘balls of steel’ / ‘stupidity’. No 2 son has broken both collar bones (separately) in spills.

But it still rankles!

I’m going to lie to myself and persist in the belief that it down to their bikes (Orange 5 & Nukeproof Mega) vs mine (Fattie or 80mm Anthem). But that is a lie!

Guess it comes to us all

Sweajnr is only 3 so no but friends 10 year old daughters can leave me way behind on a ski slope so it’s only a matter of time.

He’s 12 weeks old, so probably given my current fitness levels.

Thump is 10. He can leave me on the switchbacks through Cambu when we’re both riding blind.

He also beat all but 2 adults (who had the advantage of full-sus bikes) when there’s was a fun day on the local school skills park! I put that down to his size as he could really nail the tight hairpin.

On other stuff, which I know, and climbs I can still just beat him.

my eldest (12) is way way way quicker than I could ever dream of being on a BMX.

He also has zero fear on descents with the mountainbike which is downright scary.

(I get my own back when its flat or uphill – whilst I still can) 😉

I was still able to drop my eldest (22) on both the climbs and the descents at Afan a few months ago.

But we went skiing and he left me far far behind on everything bar the easiest blues where my superior weight could be used against him.

Eldest_oab is 15 and has been fasterish uphill for a year or so, downhill the more technical it is, the more I can still pull a lead. The new hover bike he has (aka Orange5) means this advantage has now been eroded…

Not yet… but he’s only 8 and a budding XC racer… He’s also a Zwifter ! So, i’ve got a few years yet.

Occasionally get caught by surprise on climbs by 10yr old stick insect daughter – she doesn’t have any weight to pull to the top of the hill, and I don’t expect her to rattle off into the distance…takes some pedalling to reel her in at times…

My son Finn is 16 and has been hammering me on climbs for over a year. He’s so far ahead now is not an issue.

Downhill I can still beat him, but sometimes he’ll be buzzing my rear tyre and I’ll have to take more risks to get ahead!

Annoying, isn’t it as you get slower with age, whilst they get faster!

No kids yet but I do long for the day when I get back from a ride defeated by my son/daughter!

Xc steve… be careful what you dream of. It’s total humiliation!

Nope as the eldest is only just about to turn 5, but as he’s been racing cx for 2 seasons already I fully expect him to be handing my arse to me on a plate within 10

I can’t wait for the day my kids are faster than me.
I’ll be well proud of them, and it’ll mean I get proper rides with them.
Few years yet though, they’re only 6&8.

We haven been able to keep up with Abigale uphill or downhill since she was 13. I remember the summer well when on a steep trail in Verbier she shouted to Kevin to tell him to get off the brakes or get out the way. She’s now 18 and we can’t see her for dust in both directions.

My son doesn’t have much time for biking, he does about 20 hrs a week between football and diving but he’s nearly 14 and if I don’t take a long hard look at myself soon then I won’t be able to keep up on the climbs. Downhills are different but I usually let him go first and give him plenty of space as I don’t want to be responsible for him crashing and missing out on a diving competition.

get off the brakes or get out the way

😀

I need to get my lass out again this spring. Would love to be heckled like that!

Love that Tracey – I’m likey to hear that this summer too.. Thankfully the younger two are more cautious…

My oldest beat me down the Beast years ago at about 10 on a rigid Kona with jogging pants and velcro trainers! Luckily he has lost interest in mtbs and sticks to road bikes now. My only advantage is that he was and is a stick insect with no stamina whatsoever so if I can hang on long enough I know he will fade completely until he has something to eat.

My son, 18 today, is faster when he wants to make the effort but he lacks stamina and the ability to measure his pace. Following his wheel is a nightmare because he is constantly varying his speed.

My daughter (12) is getting closer on skis but I reckon ive got a few years yet.

Mates son is 14 just. 8 months ago me and his dad (whos a similar speed to me) took him to cwmcarn and had to wait for him quite a bit. He’s pretty mtb obsessed, rides every night after school, all weekend etc and is now pulling proper whips over gaps I wouldnt look at.

His dad took him for his birthday to BPW last week and said he couldn’t keep his wheel past the first two corners!

Time to accept we are getting old!

Not got anywhere near mine since he was 14 as he used to race with Danny Hart and Rat Boy, now he’s 27 and has a family so a little slower

Down; most definitely. Everywhere else – not a chance!

Not yet, but it’s in the post.

Eldest is 12, fast and getting faster all the time. Wipes the floor with me on slow speed skills now, his bike handling’s lovely.

Someone (with an older son who’d long overtaken him) once reminded me there are two performance curves in play – his is going up as he gets older, but mine is coming down and they’ll meet sooner than you’d think.

It’s going to hurt my ego when it happens.

No chance, whippet (Luke Peyton on Strava) just steals my garmin and makes all those KOM’s that I set look like his. The podiums etc are all photoshop and he has never beaten me on any hills 🙂

Hell no!

But then, I never wanted kids so I didn’t have ’em. All my weekends and weeknights are free to ride wherever and whenever I like and my bank balance isn’t hobbled by shelling out for the “little darlings”.

Just sayin’ 😉

Not got anywhere near mine since he was 14 as he used to race with Danny Hart and Rat Boy, now he’s 27 and has a family so a little slower

Nope. He’s 14 and rides to school ever day, but offroad experience is lacking. Needs to have that growth spurt due any time now.

Can we add girlfriends to the OP?

Bloody 29ers 😳

Eldest is 14 and rides with Glasgow Riderz. Youngest is 10 and rides BMX and velodrome. I ain’t got a chance !

My 10 yr old is way faster running and different league skiing – not yet faster on the bike but thats only due to time available to him for riding as he’s too busy doing other sports. Will take him to Swinley over the summer hols so he can destroy me on the bike too…

On snow my two older boys (12 & 15) have been much quicker than me for a number of years. The older one took up boarding a few years ago ..taught by me and within a year he was beasting me! 😕

As for mtbing I just can’t get them interested but it doesn’t help that there are no trail centres in this part of the world. There is one three hours away in the Czech Rep and the times we have been there they absolutely loved it, There is hope though as my youngest son (5) is well into his bike which I hope he will carry into his older childhood.

I get regularly truly whupped by my 18 yr old an any bike he is on all of which are too small for him. I’m happy if I can almost keep up for 20 seconds, but to be fair he has been racing at junior World Cup level.

Yes.
Cannock’s Cardiac Hill, he sprinted up, turned around, rolled back to me, then sprinted off back up again.
And he’s bloody 11…!!!

I took him out with some of his mates, & even his 9yr old brother destroyed his mates. Limitless energy.

In reply to Red Star

There is one three hours away in the Czech Rep

Not based anywhere near Bayreuth are you?

Both of mine can (youngest only just!) but they are both racing National Series road and track!

My 14 year old daughter has a faster vicious tongue..! 🙂

My 15yr old Son has no interest in mileage, he is spending his time on all the techy stuff learning how to jump, manual and eventually fall off. He is fast for a bit but can’t pace himself at all and fades pretty quickly. Really enjoys building trails with his mates though.

Elsest is 14 and leaves me for dead on the climbs. I can still pull out a bit of a lead on the downs and kick his behind on the trials bike.

He did used to be fast for short distances 15-20K but now can bang out consecutive 100Ks for three days no problem. My lot in life is soon to be buying the coffee, spannering the bikes and playing eternal catchup.

My daughter is only 6 months but seems to have incredibly strong legs, so no doubt will show me up at some point.

I’m really looking forward to getting her on two wheels, I’ve even started to fabricate her first balance bike!