Just had a thought.. I'm 43 now I may have only 10 years left on the mtb

I’ll be 57 next birthday and I still ride MTB and road bike several days/evenings a week. Struggle with the sheer explosive power of the guys I ride with (most of whom are at least 20 years my junior) but I can usually out last them. Also do a bit of cycle touring on mainland Europe of couple of times a year. Hope to keep riding some kind of bike for the rest of my life. My role model is my great-uncle who was still riding well into his 90s. His only concession in the last few years of his riding was that he pushed up the hills once he’d bought the weekly shop and loaded it onto the bike!!!

I’ll be 54 in 30 something days time, no one told me I was going to have to stop! 🙄

I am nearly 54 and I am now dabbling in DH biking…. 8)

age is just a number.. you have but one life… live it!

not mtbing, but while up in kinlochewe bunkhouse a couple of years ago, this group came in, youngest was 60 and the oldest pushing 80, cycling about the highlands, 80-100 miles per day, great craic so they were, absolute inspiration, i hope to be doing similar when i’m their age..

anyhow me and my mate were talking about this last week also, ‘fitter than last year’ is now our mantra!

I recently turned 40, and have been moping about it a bit. This is a very positive thread – thanks everyone for the big bucket of MTFU.

what do you reckon ? Still riding at 53.. ?

How old are you ?

53 😛 . . . and wot davy-g said 😈

In our mtb group oldest bloke is far over 60 years and he is one of the best biker in our group. We mainly ride technical (rocky and rooty) single tracks. I am now 43 y. and I hope, that I still have at least 20 y left in my mtb career.

Only 51, but my racing and riding plans take me up to 65.
A lot of the old fellas I know are very fit.

Funnily enough I was on a 200k training session today, and I couldn’t believe how well I’m still going. Got overtaken in the last few miles by some MTBers on road bikes 😳 mind you I was cooked.

I think they say ‘wind ya neck in’

Some of us didn’t start mountain biking until we were 53 . . .

51 here no plans to stop riding for at least two decades.

Go mama! Go Tess!

8)

I ran my 10k PB in 2003 (was 30) and thought age would slow me. With less training I raced last year and was only 30 secs slower. But guess what, even tho I was in top 20, almost everyone ahead was older…
You stay as fast and fit as you want to IMO 🙂

I’m 51 and thinking about buying a new bike later this year.

consider yourself lucky sunshine

my gf started mountain biking at 54………..

A guy in our club is a regular on rides, the other week he did High Street, followed a few days later by High Cup Nick, at the age of 74.

I’ll be 54 in 30 something days time, no one told me I was going to have to stop

STOP

49 in july. just a bit slower. cant seem to keep up with 20 year olds up the hills, trying more stuff each week, enjoy

Seen a 62 year old riding A.M climbs and downhills.

Still had years left in him and a **** nice bike too!!

In his 50’s my dad did

Ran the yorkshire 3 peaks in under 5:30
Did the welsh 3000’s twice

I did my first fell race in December, windchill c-15 to -20 and I had just been overtaken on the approach to the summit by this guy, who proceeded to finish about 8 or 9 minutes ahead of me and I was mid table. AWSOME, well into his 60’s

The beauty about getting older is that you become more secure in doing what you want to do so the opportunities to enjoy yourself actually increase; something for the OP to look forwards to 8)

I’m not as fast as I once was, my eyes aren’t as good and I enjoy far too much fine food than is conducive to riding uphill but I still love throwing a leg over the bike in my 50s. A group of my riding buddies are off to Morzine later this year; 3 are in their 60s and another 3 in their 50s. The hardest part of getting older is keeping up with the ever-developing social media to keep abreast of what’s happening in the MTB world! 🙂

im 43 this year. you only grow old when you stop

40 Today … So thanks for all the inspiring stuff, looking forward to another 40 years on a bike!

I’m 46 and enjoying my new Anthem 29er…just completed a 24hr and one of the competitors putting in good lap times was 66 – so I figure that I’m good for another 20 years and a few bikes yet!

I love this thread! 😀

All these older folk laughing at us younger ones for being a bunch of lightweights, and dusting us in races; and quite right too!

In a couple of weeks I’ll be 59 and I’m enjoying riding as much as at any time over the last 20 plus years. I think that I’m riding better than I used to and I’m definitely getting out a lot more.
I can’t see me giving up unless ill health forces me to do so, although what I’d do without riding bikes I really don’t know…

As far as considering giving up at 43 – I only started riding mtb’s when I was in my late 30’s.

Tess,

You’ll have some competition in the TP this year. I happen to know that there’s a 59 year old taking part this time!

All these older folk laughing at us younger ones for being a bunch of lightweights, and dusting us in races; and quite right too!

& I’ve got all me own teef y’know

43! thats 20 years older than mrsconsequence… time to retire and buy some slippers i think old man! 😆

i’ll be in a wheelchair by the time i’m that ancient so realistically i should really spend all my savings on shiny bikes and enjoy them now yes? 😀

Did anyone see ‘The Adventure Show’ this week? This man ran the ‘Carnethy five’ – 5 big hills off road in February for the 43rd year- tough race – he was 78!

Thats a very defeatist out look on life, and if thats how you feel then quite probably you will be old before your time 🙂

I know lots of people in their 50 + who are incredibly fit and have no intention of packing it in because they are too old.

The only thing to say of course is that the older you get the more chance that falling off the bike etc will result in a broken hip or a bad fracture that doesnt heal as well etc. But hay thats life.

51. Finished the Kielder 100 last year. Not last and not the oldest. Probably give it a miss this year while I focus on getting better at drops and jumps. Looking forward to the Gravity Enduro

Suddenly I feel much younger-didn’t realise there were so many kindred spirits on here 🙂

Started MTBing in 92 at the age of 30. Had a few years break at the ‘turn of the century’ but got back into it again 2003-ish.

New trails, new bikes, new kit I’ll stop when I’m dead.

riding is about that inner child, i ride and i can hear him giggling 🙂

Slightly off topic but a pal of mine got a Pb at london this year. Fastest time for 10 years. Granted only 3 min faster that his last pb.
But at 50+ [Not sure exactly] A 2hr.55min marathon aint bad! He has just set up a new running company to, guiding in yorkshire.
So isnt it a case of get on with it and buy better suspension if you really have to? 😀

riding is about that inner child, i ride and i can hear him giggling

watching footage from rides made me realise its not my inner child giggling, its me! i giggle a lot whilst riding and didnt even realise

riding is awesome 😀

A guy in our club is a regular on rides, the other week he did High Street, followed a few days later by High Cup Nick, at the age of 74.

Yep, Eric’s an inspiration. All-day 30 miler round Calderdale too a couple of weeks ago.

I’m a youngster at 44, so I’ve a while to go before I can retire but I intend to ride Lakes and Calderdale every day when I do 🙂

riding is about that inner child, i ride and i can hear him giggling

That’s exactly it. Nail on Head.

Jedi-Quote of the week 🙂

age is only numbers, you must listen to your body and adapt to what it will allow. one thing though is a cert do it now cause they’ll be a time when you cant and wished you had..

http://pre65trials.blogspot.com/

we few we happy few