In the early 2000s, my buddies and I spent countless evenings wearing out VHS copies of the
North Shore Extreme and
New World Disorder series, dreaming of making the pilgrimage to British Columbia from the small Colorado mountain town where we lived. It wasn't long before we were road tripping every summer, embarking on the 24-hour drive that had us blasting through Utah's deserted highway in the middle of the night, continuing onward through the vast emptiness of Idaho and the desert of eastern Washington before our surroundings suddenly turned lush and green, a sign that the promised land was near.
On these road trips I would throw myself with reckless abandon at skinnies, drops, and steeps, worried that I wouldn't get the chance to experience them again. That tactic had very mixed results, and more often than not the added pressure of knowing that my time in mountain biking's mecca was limited resulted in me riding as if I'd just graduated from training wheels. As it turns out, riding at 110% isn't the best strategy for bike and body longevity. Who knew? It took years for me to figure that out, with plenty of ragdolling through the trees along the way, but I finally learned that a more patient, relaxed approach is a much more reliable means of progressing, whether that's while riding at a dream destination or on your backyard trails.
My 17-year-old self was pretty sure I wouldn't make it past 25, which may have been why I was so hellbent on riding every trail perfectly the first time, but here I am, cruising towards my mid-30s, and riding at a much higher level than I was on those early trips to BC. Of course, there's certainly a time when acquiring new skills comes easier, and you're probably not going to see a 50-year-old suddenly start winning World Cup DH races, but the passage of time doesn't mean progression needs to stop, or that your riding needs to become stagnant.
“My brother says you're totally washed.” Recognize that line? It's from the 2001 classic 'Ride to the Hills', where Ryan Vanderham calls out Wade Simmons for being past his prime (Wade was all of 25-years-old at the time). Wade may have some superhuman skills up his sleeve, but he's an inspiring example of the fact that getting older doesn't need to mean slowing down or riding more timidly – take a look at Rocky Mountain's recent video for the new Pipeline if you need proof. That's one of the great things about mountain biking – there's an endless array of ways to stay entertained, to keep the sport fresh and exciting even after decades of saddle time.
Think back - when's the last time you practiced a section of trail more than once? You know, stopping to retry that awkward climb that always forces you off the bike, or to hit that corner a few more times to see just how low you can get your bars? Sessioning (and the good-natured heckling that comes with it if you're with a group) can be the key to unlocking, or rediscovering skills, and it's a great way to turn an average ride into something much more memorable. Or how about visiting a pumptrack or a foam pit? Stepping away from your regular trail riding routine every once in a while makes it easier to avoid getting stuck in the same old routine week after week.
Mountain biking is a deceptively difficult sport, and even after more than two decades of rolling around on knobby tires I'm still constantly experiencing eye-opening moments that illustrate just how much room there is for improvement. Just when I think I have a trail completely dialed, content in my knowledge that I know every sneaky line and jump, someone will come along and go even faster, and with more style than I thought was possible. There was a time when that would have been frustrating, where I would have thrown myself a little pity party, but now I use those moments for motivation, fuel to get me out the door for another ride, another chance to learn and evolve as a mountain biker.
Give me a f*ckING break! I remember my mid-to-late 30's as a time when I STILL didn't wake up the next day with sore
fricken legs, arms, shoulders, and would ride that day as fresh as I did the day before.
Heck, during the week I rode in the morning before work, then in the afternoon when I got home.
People in their 30's crack me up and piss me off at the same time. They think they're getting old when
they're still fuggin pups.
So Mike, wait another 15 years, THEN you can talk about how to ride when you're getting 'old'.
I have a friend who is 69 and still rides his DH bike (including on the gnarliest trails in Finale Ligure). When he gets overtaken by "younger" riders (that's about everybody else) with gritted teeth and a cocky attitude he just puts on a smile and shrugs his shoulders as if to say "still so much to learn".
Guess what I'm saying is that age is always relative, there's always somebody older than you that could say "well you have no idea about getting old". The only difference is that those who age well and are happy with their lives tend to understand that the best way to deal with this is not to get worked up about getting old or slower but to just enjoy whatever riding you get to do - whatever that may be. Everything else is a one-way road to frustration.
Happy trails !
....My arm is plastered and in a sling from a recent after work trail loop 'incident'.
When I look back at my worse injuries, broken bones and hospital stays, they were all from stupid minor things that my mum could have riden.
As you get older (and Ive been riding over 20years so that counts as getting older not age), you get less complacent and spend more time thinking about what an utter ball ache being injured is and not been able to drive when you live rural, have kids and cant get to work. Its that that slows you down.
www.pinkbike.com/news/tom-reaches-1000000-at-67-yrs-old-video-2014.html
Completely condescending, dude. You're 40-50 so you assume you can tell anyone yournger than you how it is huh? You crack me up. If you wern't sore, you wern't riding all that hard I'd guess. I have memories of being sore at thirteen from skateboarding. Same for biking, and climbing today. If I wasn't sore, I wasn't pushing my body hard enough, and that holds true today.
Just remember no matter what you say, SOMEONE, will get upset and act incredibly offended by it as if you just murdered their family. YoKev is just an example of this rule in action.
So all of us 'old' people clench our fists and scream at the neighborhood kids to get off our lawns?
All I was saying was to quit-yer-bitchen, and ENJOY your young age, 'cuz in a few years you're gonna start paying a heavier price each morning when you wake up.
You know how when you hear a high school or college kid complain about his/her life because...... and your response is to tell him/her to snap the f*ck out of it, and get with enjoying the best time of his/her life?
You say that because now that you're 'older', you want to shake the daylights out of the little punk and get him(or her) to realize what YOU KNOW, while at the same time wanting(desperately) to change freaking places with him/her, and relive that time in your life with the knowledge you have now.
You're the high-school kid....
Dude, at your age, if you're waking up sore from freaking EXERCISING, you're simply are out of shape.
I don't know what else to tell you.
And yeah, you talking about being old-while still in your freaking 20s- is the perfect example of what I originally wrote about pissing me off, and making me laugh. I laugh(AT you, not WiTH you) because of the outrageous humor of you wanting to talk about 'getting old' while you're still in YOUR f*ckING 20'S!
It pisses me off because of how much I feel your age is being wasted on you, thus it should be given to someone like me, who deserves it SO MUCH MORE.
Plus, all of your kid's friend's parents are gonna be a LOT younger than you.
You want your child to get teased because he's being raised by his grand-parent(s)?
Having said that, I agree with everything else you said.
You [should] have more money than you did in your 20s, you prolly are secure enough in your job(career) so that you can take more/longer vacations, and you (finally) realize you're mortal, so you don't ride with your head up your ass-as much.
Im not stopping this cycling thing any time soon, for fear of turning to a person worse than I was at the age of 40!! Im currently 14st 9lbs and faster on a bike than I have ever been, not that im that fast mind ;-)
Your only as old as you feel!! I feel 30!!! If I realy was, then I would not be so worried about my pension :-(
I blame Oprah.
I find this to be an important quote.
"ride your bike, don't do hard drugs, try not to shoot people who don't deserve it". - John 3:16.
And I've found denial to be an effective tool with regard to age. Works perfectly... unless it's morning.
For the younger whippersnappers, riding hard does not need to stop in the golden years. Just don't frack yourself up too bad on the trails or let yourself go so much that you need a 750lb coil spring.
Keepe feeding that 2-wheeled addiction!
Development is a bit slower my way, but I still get to ride lots.
Sincerely,
Iggy Pop
More recently I was wondering if the progression would stop or slow down as I got older. But then I see my mates in their 40s and 50s hitting big stuff and Minnaar slaying WC's at the same age as me and figure I'm good for a while yet. All the more reason to take it slow and enjoy the ride.
Injuries often occur because you wanted it a bit too much with a lack of preperation for that particular kind of jump/line/obstacle.
As a summary from a pretty beat up guy, that has to face lifelong consequences because of injury: Patience and preperation. They are key for learning. And by preperation I mean mentally and physically. Regular challenges are a cool and needed thing, just make sure you have the routine and physical shape on similar, maybe slightly smaller lines before tackling the next step. Only then you will have the confidence as well. Good luck to all riders out there...
Piecing together a section of trail that is nearly impossible to clean is what gets me off these days. I also really like rock rollers, hucks and drops. Go dumb.
I WILL RIDE TILL I AM WHEELED....then i will just need a push.
www.pinkbike.com/news/tom-reaches-1000000-at-67-yrs-old-video-2014.html
Otherwise still showing the local young punks whats up
Oh, but I am getting crotchety at the young punks smoothing out the trails and straitening twisty sections. can someone explain why the new kids are afraid of tough sections? lol