Becoming a professional later in life.

[Ruudz0r]

Daniel Felipe Martinez also turned pro in 3 years, he started when he was 15 and now 3 (and a half) years later he is the youngest pro rider (counting PCT/WT as pro). If you are talented and are mentally super strong (which not a lot of people are), it can happen fast. But obviously there can only be found exceptions.

 

[King Boonen]

Re:

I ignored the questions about my height and weight because the person asking is a troll.

I'm not biking because I need to lose weight, I just want to. There's a difference. I'm perfectly healthy.

I never once mentioned having pro aspirations. I just asked if being 23 was too late; a simple question.

Your first two posts both mention becoming a professional, the first indirectly, the second directly and you still won't answer simple questions that will let people help.

Obvious trolling.

 

[the delgados]

Good luck to the OP, I hope he enjoys cycling at least and finds a sport that betters his life.

Realistically the chances are slim.

I live in the UK, its like me saying I'm going to start training to join the NBA, I enjoyed playing basketball as kid.
I'm going to start training next week and buy a ball and some shoes.
Is my goal realistic? I'm also 23. 6'3 and 180lbs with background in cycling.

Hear hear.
Since we're all making assumptions about trolls and sincerity of posts, I'll make mine.
The OP's user name suggests s/he is looking for an outlet to treat mental health issues.
If that's the case, I cannot stress enough how much cycling helped me in life.
I was depressed and anxious as hell before taking up the sport and taking training seriously. I'm not suggesting for a second that cycling cures all ills, but it most certainly helps. Like someone said previously, there really is nothing like going for long solo rides. It helps a great deal, both physically and mentally.
Good luck.

 

[the delgados]

Sorry, just one more thing. Although historically newbies to the sport haven't been welcomed with open arms, you will certainly gain the respect of seasoned riders when you start riding away from them and dropping them on climbs.

 

[moodydoherty]

Hear hear.
Since we're all making assumptions about trolls and sincerity of posts, I'll make mine.
The OP's user name suggests s/he is looking for an outlet to treat mental health issues.
If that's the case, I cannot stress enough how much cycling helped me in life.
I was depressed and anxious as hell before taking up the sport and taking training seriously. I'm not suggesting for a second that cycling cures all ills, but it most certainly helps. Like someone said previously, there really is nothing like going for long solo rides. It helps a great deal, both physically and mentally.
Good luck.

My username has nothing to do with mental health issues.

 

[the delgados]

Like I said, I was making an assumption, which was incorrect. My apologies.
You said a while back you were picking up your bike soon.
Hopefully you now have it and are riding to your heart's content. You will not regret doing so.

 

[oldcrank]

Twenty three is not too late to take up cycling
and become very successful.
My suggestion, as you are from LA, is head to
the velodrome and make some friends there.
At the velodrome you can learn all the basics:
proper position; how to pedal; how to train;
and how to race all at a faster pace.
By 'faster pace' I mean both less time to learn
and at a higher speed on the bike.
The velodrome can be a fast track to success
for an aspiring cyclist. Best of luck, my friend.

 

[Jancouver]

Seems like the picture of the SoCal best sprinters didnt go through

 

[the delgados]

Re:

Seems like the picture of the SoCal best sprinters didnt go through

What do you mean?

 

[Jancouver]

Re: Re:

What do you mean?

Let me quote my OP above while comparing, climbers. roeulers and sprinters.

"On the sprinter side, the fast twitch guys, it seems like at least here in California, over the last few years, the best sprinters have something in common ..."

 

[slosada]

That California is really sunny and that you need to put a lot of hours cycling to get... successful

 

[markene2]

Got my answer, thanks

 

[the delgados]

Re:

Just asking this out of curiosity..

I would like to take up club racing at least, have some experience from track and field. And a bit MTB on my own, then all of that went out the windows for years, when i had my own things to deal with. And broke my back last year, then i did alot of spinning and realised i wanted to get back to riding a bike. I am extremly lean, more lean then Rasmussen was. Time and money is no problem. And about same age as OP, would i even stand a chance?

Height and Weight:
51kg/112lbs
186cm/6.1ft

Sigh...
Yes.

 

[Jancouver]

Re:

Just asking this out of curiosity..

I would like to take up club racing at least, have some experience from track and field. And a bit MTB on my own, then all of that went out the windows for years, when i had my own things to deal with. And broke my back last year, then i did alot of spinning and realised i wanted to get back to riding a bike. I am extremly lean, more lean then Rasmussen was. Time and money is no problem. And about same age as OP, would i even stand a chance?

Height and Weight:
51kg/112lbs
186cm/6.1ft

I think you are too fat for cycling. Try basketball, with your above average height and little training, you should be ready for NBA in no time. Just dont forget to buy a basketball and shoot some 3s for a day or two and you should be OK

 

[ICEROCK]

Re:

Just asking this out of curiosity..

I would like to take up club racing at least, have some experience from track and field. And a bit MTB on my own, then all of that went out the windows for years, when i had my own things to deal with. And broke my back last year, then i did alot of spinning and realised i wanted to get back to riding a bike. I am extremly lean, more lean then Rasmussen was. Time and money is no problem. And about same age as OP, would i even stand a chance?

Height and Weight:
51kg/112lbs
186cm/6.1ft

lean is only one factor, you should go to see a doctor, to have some test done. like Vo2 stuff like that

 

[Wallace]

Okay: you insist you're sincere and just asking about your chances as a person who is reasonably fit but has never ridden a bike seriously buying a bike and training with the aim of becoming a professional cyclist. You used to play basketball: suppose someone came up to you and said "I used to run. I've never played the game but I'm going to buy a basketball and a pair of Air Jordan's tomorrow. What do you think my chances are of making it to the pro level?"

 

[warrior4life]

I would imagine if the OP is dedicated and fit he'll become a good amateur, I hope the OP isn't too put off. The chances of becoming a professional are minuscule but there's nothing stopping him falling in love with great sport of cycling.

This is actually a great thread and I'd be interested to hear how the OP gets on over the next few months.

Like I say I don't think the OP will achieve the pro level but I could be wrong, good luck to him. I'd be more than happy to eat my words.

 

[moodydoherty]

Re:

I would imagine if the OP is dedicated and fit he'll become a good amateur, I hope the OP isn't too put off. The chances of becoming a professional are minuscule but there's nothing stopping him falling in love with great sport of cycling.

This is actually a great thread and I'd be interested to hear how the OP gets on over the next few months.

Like I say I don't think the OP will achieve the pro level but I could be wrong, good luck to him. I'd be more than happy to eat my words.

The thing is, people here are under the assumption that I was getting into cycling with the dream of becoming a professional, which isn't true.

 

[ray j willings]

I'm 85k "not much fat" What sport do you think I should take up Jancouver ?

 

[warrior4life]

Re: Re:

I would imagine if the OP is dedicated and fit he'll become a good amateur, I hope the OP isn't too put off. The chances of becoming a professional are minuscule but there's nothing stopping him falling in love with great sport of cycling.

This is actually a great thread and I'd be interested to hear how the OP gets on over the next few months.

Like I say I don't think the OP will achieve the pro level but I could be wrong, good luck to him. I'd be more than happy to eat my words.

The thing is, people here are under the assumption that I was getting into cycling with the dream of becoming a professional, which isn't true.

Don't let this put you off then, just get out there and enjoy riding the bike, do a few races and have fun. Let us know how you get on... Good luck.

 

[Wallace]

Excuse me if I'm posting this in the wrong thread. This is my first post and I wasn't sure if I should put this question in this forum or the general discussion.

But anyway, I was wondering at what age is it too late to start cycling professionally? Is 23 too late?

I used to bike ride a lot when I was younger, but just for fun.

If you had started off saying you love the idea of bike racing and want to know how likely it is that you could become a solid amateur racer, you'd be receiving a lot less snark here. It is sort of disrespectful to the amazing athletes who have devoted their whole lives to bike racing to assume that becoming a professional bike racer is any less difficult than becoming a professional basketball player, football player, etc.

 

[Jancouver]

Re:

I'm 85k "not much fat" What sport do you think I should take up Jancouver ?

Well, let me be honest with you.

You are definitely too heavy for ski jumping.

While UFC and Boxing may be good and lucrative choice, I truly believe the best sport for you is NASCAR!

Let me explain,

Same as cycling, NASCAR is all about your engine and your legs.

Just like on track, you will be riding in circles, wearing a helmet a have a team radio in your ear. Same as in cycling, you will have to carefully select tires and tire pressure for every race.

Heaving good hands is important as steering can be tricky on slippery roads and picking up a good line is important just like in cycling. And the sprint for the finish is also very exciting in NASCAR. You can or lose it all and crashes do happen often.

If you dont have a car, just rent one and all you have to do, is to practice is a left turn. If you dont have access to a motor race track, I would recommend moving to UK as you would be able to make left turns without stopping.

 

[moodydoherty]

Excuse me if I'm posting this in the wrong thread. This is my first post and I wasn't sure if I should put this question in this forum or the general discussion.

But anyway, I was wondering at what age is it too late to start cycling professionally? Is 23 too late?

I used to bike ride a lot when I was younger, but just for fun.

If you had started off saying you love the idea of bike racing and want to know how likely it is that you could become a solid amateur racer, you'd be receiving a lot less snark here. It is sort of disrespectful to the amazing athletes who have devoted their whole lives to bike racing to assume that becoming a professional bike racer is any less difficult than becoming a professional basketball player, football player, etc.

That's basically what I asked....

 

[skidmark]

Excuse me if I'm posting this in the wrong thread. This is my first post and I wasn't sure if I should put this question in this forum or the general discussion.

But anyway, I was wondering at what age is it too late to start cycling professionally? Is 23 too late?

I used to bike ride a lot when I was younger, but just for fun.

If you had started off saying you love the idea of bike racing and want to know how likely it is that you could become a solid amateur racer, you'd be receiving a lot less snark here. It is sort of disrespectful to the amazing athletes who have devoted their whole lives to bike racing to assume that becoming a professional bike racer is any less difficult than becoming a professional basketball player, football player, etc.

That's basically what I asked....

There's actually a literal, categorical difference between 'amateur' and 'professional', so no, even in the most basic sense, that is not what you asked. I really appreciated reading your first post because cycling is great and I think it's great if you're sincerely going to see how you can do and give it a go. And if you are sincere, I hope you keep people posted on what/how you're doing. But if you want to have honest, good faith discussions with people, you need to start acknowledging/listening to them when they tell you why what you're saying may be rubbing people the wrong way, instead of just dismissing or insisting that they are wrong.

Anyway, on the original topic, hell yeah, 23 is probably too old, but honestly it's decreasing your chances of being a pro from 1 in 10000 to 1 in a million or something, so who cares? Go for it.

 

[Catwhoorg]

Okay: you insist you're sincere and just asking about your chances as a person who is reasonably fit but has never ridden a bike seriously buying a bike and training with the aim of becoming a professional cyclist. You used to play basketball: suppose someone came up to you and said "I used to run. I've never played the game but I'm going to buy a basketball and a pair of Air Jordan's tomorrow. What do you think my chances are of making it to the pro level?"

If said person was 7 feet tall, actually not bad at all.