I'm 38. If I join a local cycling club would I be to old to start competing in road races?

Question

I've been seriousely cycling since May. I do roughly 25 to 30 miles every time I ride, which is around 3 to 4 times a week. I want to join a club and compete but unsure if I might be a bit to old to start competng.

Answer 1

Check all local clubs in your area. I am a president of a club and wholely support joining a local group. Joining a club and their group rides will be the best thing for better training and learning how to ride in groups. It is a lot harder than it looks.

Find a club that will cater to your needs. One that is friendly and wants you to join and has rides for the level that you are on now, and faster/longer ones that will help in the future. 25-30 miles is impressive, but what is your pace? A great training pace is a least 18 mph average.

Join them now and train through the winter. Get at least a 1000 miles on the road or trainer through the winter months focusing on technique and strength. Club members should be helpful with this and may have workouts in shops or gyms together. It takes a long time to get a great base built up, don't expect it overnight.

Set a goal for '07. If you want to race, find one in early summer and set a training schedule so you peak for that race. Look for others after that, but have one to shoot for. And push your self. Don't go meekly into a race knowing you will not have a problem. Compete with faster racers and you will get faster and learn more.

I'm 37 and race all the time. Cycling is a great sport for all your life, and you can race well after retirement. I personally know a 78 year old who has put in 2800 miles this year. Ever hear of a 78 year old football player?

Hope this helps.

MCC/613

Answer 2

You're never too old. I took up biking last year at 60 and regularly do 30 to 40 miles. If you have only been riding solo, you might want to join a couple of group recreational group rides first to get the feel for the dynamics of riding in a race. Riding in a group is a whole different experience. Also, pick up an October 2006 copy of Bicycling and read Project Jeremy. It talks about transforming a 35 year old friend into a serious bike rider and gives lots of good tips. The questions asked about rating Jeremy in his riding group give a lot of information on what you have to worry about in riding in a group.

Answer 3

I just started about a year ago. You are not too old. My dad can do a 60 mile and he's 59. Maybe join a recreational cycling club first? Good luck.

Answer 4

This is not a problem. Younger people have less long-distance power. So, it is only necessary to apply a bit of technology to compete against their strengths. That worked well for Lance. But, here are some specifics. . .

One would use:

A frame one size smaller than traditional, equipped with a Profile Designs H20 stem (or the pro method of uncut forks then professionally cut to fit your body). Or a WSD. Or a Specialized Roubaix carbon frameset. These make a very "sprinty" fit, which also protects the spine. Observe the epic length seatposts of this year's Tour de France.

Hill climbing wheels such as Rol Race (Sapim CX-Ray spokes, same as Zip), a specialty product for the mountains of Colorado, and able to make up about 1 gear's worth of hill climbing power.

A 10 speed cassette, and this would probably be the 12-27 layout.

A slightly modified Ultegra Triple crankset. Use the 30-42-52 model, but replace the 30 with a 34t from T.A. This makes very narrow 25% spaces between chainrings to minimize losses on hills. A low gear of 32t is also okay if you need some extra help.


This all has the concept of:
1) Shorter reach to facilitate "at-hand" shifting so you can keep your pedaling speed regulated to a high amount.
2) Minimize gaps in the drivetrain to minimize losses on hills by keeping pedaling speed regulated to an efficient range with no lossy "jolts".
*For reference, a standard "double" crankset, 39-53 has a 40% loss during a gear shift, while the "compact double" is even worse. By fortunate accident, it was discovered that a "triple" of 34-42-52 had the least losses during gear shifting.

Why all this? Younger people can sprint harder and climb harder, so put some technology to work and even up the odds.

What about the weight of a triple crankset? It is far too easy to drop a bike below the 16 pound regulation. Better to carry an extra gear than the usual small lead weight underneath the water bottle cage. Whether or not that's the case, minimizing speed loss on hills is worth transporting one additional chainring.

It would also be a good time to mention a carbon frame, Michelin Feather innertubes (especially in the front), and Michelin tires. These things are simply faster than average.

Lastly, look for a frameset that has actually crossed the finish line of the Tour-de-France. Specialized Roubaix comes to mind as well as practically any Bianchi. Simultaneously, aim for a frameset that isn't usually (or ever) seen onboard the SAG wagon.

Water is a good measure of efficiency. Test drive some bikes and discover how many miles you can go at maximum effort before you get parched.
One thing is for sure, an overreach can choke you down fast--yet an excessively short reach won't do anything but knock off a tiny (and probably unnoticable) amount of areodynamics while simultaneously facilitating extra staying-power for distance.

Titanium? That's good for water bottle bolts, Star Nut bolt, chainring bolts and other places where there's no single point of failure (anything held by at least two bolts). Applied in a very simple and effective way, you can lose the weight of 20 chunks of steel for a minimal price.

On that same topic, you can use Wheelsmith XE14 spokes and their super-strong alloy nipples for the front wheel. They don't work well on the back wheel! This particular spoke in the front wheel makes the bike easier to sprint. It is actually an amazing difference. Some wheel vendors have it available by special request. Use about 20 because they're a little bit rubbery--that's how they cause extra speed by simply absorbing jolts from road abberations.

Spinscans and/or a few rounds of spin class can help you discover your optimized cadence. So, discover it and use your gears to stay at optimized (most efficient) power delivery.

Lastly, what goes up, must come down. So, remove the 12t cog from the top of the 10 cog 12-27 and simply substitute an 11 tooth cog. Why would I suggest to purposefully make a 13 to 11 gap? Well, that 13 on the large chainring of 52 will go about 32 miles per hour. That's a very good flat ground max. Use the replacement 11 tooth cog (see harris cyclery) to increase your average speed on the downhills. Sure, the rear derailleur will "sneeze" for a split second on the unmatched gear, but that's a small price to pay for suddenly pulling ahead (great fun!).

P.S. The local cycling club isn't limited to races. Distance touring is an enjoyable and frequent form of vacation. In fact, I find that it takes a new athlete about 3 days of a week long tour to find optimal pedaling cadence. A hilly 500 mile tour will certainly do it. The Oklahoma Freewheel is coming in June and could help you get your optimal cadence as well as some good strength building. There's just nothing like getting so worn out you can't possibly pedal-mash, and then concentrating on lifting your feet a bit because anything else hurts, and then thinking the speedometer has lost its mind because you're going faster than ever before with almost no effort. Yay!!!
*I find that a short reach racing bike can be good for distance touring if you use a large underseat "flat pack" bag plus a tiny handlebar bag (just like a small size coffee can) for your sunblock, 2 spare tubes, patch kit, green spoke wrench, camera, keys, wallet, paper, chapstick, eye drops, powerbars, maps, and hiking compass.

Ah, one more thing. . .Kool Stop brake pads. Sometimes there's quite the corner at the bottom of a mountain foothill. ;) Regular brakes can heat your tire off the rim, but the Kool Stop reacts faster and with less heat. Rims last longer too. A similar inexpensive goodie is JagWire's better cables that just make all the controls work faster (and weigh less).

And, now, the traditional cyclotourist sign off: "See you down the road!"

Answer 5

You are not too old at all!

Luckily cycling is one of those sports - because it has a large endurance component - where the mature athlete can really excel compared to the spindly, coltish youngsters.

The main thing is pacing yourself during races and enjoying the competition and at 38 years old, you wouldn't want to cheat yourself out of the experience for too long.

Go for it and good luck! :o]

Answer 6

honestly, i think 38 is a bit on the older side of cycling. not much chance of serious competition. but there are races for older folks to. i do XC off road racing and their are catergories for 30+ year old folks. ive seen 50 year old racinng there, and they are in good shape. so it is somehting that will keep you very healthy. so if its something you really enjoy and you want to compete with your peers, go for it!

Answer 7

OLD?
you must be kidding
never too old to start anything so long you have the determination however you should not push yourself too hard rem know your limits
cheers

Answer 8

If lance can win races and have cancer..im sure you can ride a bke at 38..give it a go.

Answer 9

No. I'm 41 and doing centuries, etc every weekend. I just did my first RAGBRAI this past July.

Answer 10

No, I do not think you are too old. All I will say is please bulid up to things gradually so your body can adjust to your new situation.