21 too old & riders in Carlisle/Harrogate area?

[PaulWarner1992]

Hi guys! I'm pretty new to this but I have a question. I started riding properly about 2 years ago and last summer took part in a charity ride from Harrogate, N. Yorks' to Rome. We covered 1,400 miles in 2 weeks, but unfortunately I didn't keep it up very much after I'd stopped. I'm at uni and really want to start taking it serious again and I wondered, is 21 too late to start giving it a good go? I got fairly quick by the end of the tour and would like to start riding regularly again and eventually racing. I keep fairly fit but mostly running, I haven't ridden a bike for 4 months (studying abroad) but wondered if anybody on here rides regularly in Harrogate and/or Carlisle? I'm looking to start taking it seriously again, in the hope that I can still compete at some sort of level in the not too distant future. If anybody has any advice or if anybody rides in those areas please get in touch, I really want to take it more serious and get better. I'm 5,10", 12 stone 5 (bit of excess uni weight to get rid of- mostly beer and supernoodles). I feel like I still have the muscle in my legs but definitely not the kind of mileage I had last year. I visited the velodrome a few months ago and loved it and hope to give either indoor racing or outdoor racing some effort. Thanks!

 

[Marcus135]

If you want to be competitive in road races start by loosing 12 kilos or so (2 stone or so).

 

[Avoriaz]

Get out and ride first before shedding too much weight. If you can, hook up with a local club and go on their sunday morning rides - a good club will have several different rides depending on your ability. You can move up the groups as you improve, and the sunday morning riding will keep the saturday night beer intake down! Talk to your fellow club members about local events etc and go from there

 

[GrilledFish]

It would be rare, if ever (I don't know of a case) where someone started cycling at 21 and became a tour pro. I think such a rider would have a problem getting picked up on the radar of those looking for new talent, even if they were good enough. It takes several years to totally develop the cardiovascular systems for a non-athlete, and then also learning how to race, so a cyclist's peak comes years later.

Other than that - the world is wide open. I would expect all levels of armature racing would be based solely on how good you were, not your age. Masters racing is very competitive these days too.

Track, sprinters tend to be younger than distance riders.

 

[Master50]

I took up racing at 29 so I had no pro aspirations which turned out to be a good thing since I quickly learned I am way down on talent. I love to ride my bike and I love to ride it fast. I have some success at the group rides in that I can keep up on the flatter routes but hey I am not talented only enthusiastic. Since cycling is a sport that allows you to find your own level of participation. you can participate at almost any level and get great pleasure from the experience.
It is never too late to start racing but you just need realistic goals and your achievements will need to satisfy you. It won't really matter to us how well you do and as long as you enjoy it it is never too late.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I took up racing at 29 so I had no pro aspirations which turned out to be a good thing since I quickly learned I am way down on talent. I love to ride my bike and I love to ride it fast. I have some success at the group rides in that I can keep up on the flatter routes but hey I am not talented only enthusiastic. Since cycling is a sport that allows you to find your own level of participation. you can participate at almost any level and get great pleasure from the experience.
It is never too late to start racing but you just need realistic goals and your achievements will need to satisfy you. It won't really matter to us how well you do and as long as you enjoy it it is never too late.

All true and excellent advice.

To the bolded, that means have a rich life full of different experiences, get a real job, and do some competitive riding too.

You may be surprised to learn doing well locally isn't a full-time job. Worst case scenario as Master50 describes it, you may discover that you have more enthusiasm than talent. The sport has room for all!

 

[DirtyWorks]

It would be rare, if ever (I don't know of a case) where someone started cycling at 21 and became a tour pro.

The way the UCI is structuring the sport, valuable rider wages are concentrated at the WT level. Baristas make more money than most domestic pros. And then, things have to work out perfectly even if you do well under-23.


No one talks about the grinding poverty and enormous risks that have to all work out perfectly at lower ranks before an athlete hits the WT. The UCI's system is very structured and uses the under-23 and national federations as the farm system. At least in the U.S., it's a very expensive system for parents of competitive cycling enthusiasts.

 

[GrilledFish]

The way the UCI is structuring the sport, valuable rider wages are concentrated at the WT level. Baristas make more money than most domestic pros. And then, things have to work out perfectly even if you do well under-23.


No one talks about the grinding poverty and enormous risks that have to all work out perfectly at lower ranks before an athlete hits the WT. The UCI's system is very structured and uses the under-23 and national federations as the farm system. At least in the U.S., it's a very expensive system for parents of competitive cycling enthusiasts.

What would be the Salary of say a world top 20 U23 rider going pro? I understand, there are lots of broke riders. But I would think the top 20% of the pros make a pretty good living. Any salary info available?

 

[biokemguy]

Matt Busche

It would be rare, if ever (I don't know of a case) where someone started cycling at 21 and became a tour pro.

Bit of a special case since he had the endurance engine from running, but Matt Busche didn't start cycling until after 21.

 

[DirtyWorks]

Bit of a special case since he had the endurance engine from running, but Matt Busche didn't start cycling until after 21.

Maybe I'm wrong, but my recollection is he had National level fitness in distance running, (and all the hours and years that took) so the transition to cycling was pretty immediate.

 

[DirtyWorks]

What would be the Salary of say a world top 20 U23 rider going pro? I understand, there are lots of broke riders. But I would think the top 20% of the pros make a pretty good living. Any salary info available?

Being a WT-level pro is not a guarantee you'll get a great salary. Somewhere there's a link to an image of US Postal salaries and the money varied widely to the point some guys who had raced at that level for some years STILL weren't doing much better than baristas.

 

[oldcrank]

I visited the velodrome a few months ago and loved it and hope to give either indoor racing or outdoor racing some effort. Thanks!

My friend I would suggest you pursue the track cycling.
You can possibly get by with fewer hours training, so it
might be easier to combine your studies with competition.

There are several advantages to track cycling:
-it is much safer than open road training and racing
-no need to lose massive amounts of weight
-generally equipment is a bit cheaper, easier to
maintain, and lasts longer
-the track environment is very social, and there
are an increasing number of females riding the track
-there are university championships

Mate, I could go on and on, but especially as you are
in the UK it makes sense to give track cycling a serious
look, regardless of your age or previous experience.