[Closed] Is it too late at 48

Think old & you'll fold.

It's not hard, its just like riding a bike.

Enjoy it, don't take it too seriously.

Go for it!! It's riding a bike so it's all good!!

You could slip and break a leg in the veggie isle at Tesco!! I'm at a stage where I just think bollocks go for it!

Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!

Bad news OP, you probably won't win the ard rock. On the plus side you will most likely have a great time regardless 🙂

BTW I'm 47 so have some understanding of your concern.

I started 2 yrs ago at 49.
Get some good protective gear and proper shoes,i crashed a lot in the first year,riding above my technical skills,lack of fitness and getting tired,just small mistakes but they hurt a lot.
Get yourself booked on a Jedi course,this is well worth it as a beginner.
Do some yoga or other core training,this helps when you crash,believe me 🙂
Stay away from Strava! If you're very competitive 🙂
Other than that have fun! It's an amazing sport to get into.
I did 8 gravity Enduro races this year and loved every second,just bought my first downhill bike at 51 so it not too late to start! 🙂

2 visits to Jedi , 3 months apart will sort out the skills needed.
Its really hard to learn new things instantly, and I struggled on the day and my brain melted in the end
Then lots of riding fast and loose so your not afraid of speed.and some decent armour.

I raced ardrock sport at 40 this year and it was my first ever race. Finished 13th in category and 35th overall. So I'd say most definitely yes, go for it, but as above don't take it too seriously, it's not gonna pay the bills...
Good luck

I'm 60, and started at 55.....get a few lessons to learn the basics, then ride as much as you can to gain confidence, then a few more lessons to iron out bad habits, then go for it. Oh, and be prepared to spend a fortune, and to get childishly excited when the postie arrives.

48 here and a friend is 62, we've been going to the Alps for a few years now and thorougly enjoy it, you'll be fine.

*I'd just get out and ride, you'll learn basic skills just by riding, that's how we did it 25+ years ago. Then when you've improved fitness and got some miles in, get some training to improve your skills.

*If you've not done anything physical for a while build up your fitness, I wouldn't go in all gung ho as that's when you'll make mistakes and end up crashing and with injuries.

We don't bounce like we used to, we have a running joke that we tend to risk assess every lip, jump, bump, mud, loose gravel and bit of rock now.

*Not an expert but all just my opinion 🙂

I wouldn't worry about Ard Rock, it's no the hardest, if you'd said tweedlove, then I'd worry!.

I thought this was going to be a post about having children.

[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/huge-attrition-rate-after-mtb-riders-after-50 ]have a read of this thread[/url]

Never too late.

Definitely not too late.You'll love it!

I'm 53 and my regular riding buddy is 70! I only started MTB five years ago at your age, so you're definitely not too old to get into it, but take it gently as old bodies just can't take as much punishment as young ones, or recover as quickly.

In my case I probably peaked at age 50, and have had to slow down a bit recently due to recurrent injuries. These days I stick to more 'flowy' trails than technical ones, have given up on the multi day events, and either go out on my own or with someone my own age/ability so I don't get egged on into doing something silly by people younger and fitter than me!

Definitely ride a full suspension bike rather than a hardtail - your back will thank me for it!

48 is way too young to start. I didn't sit on an MTB until I was 61. In the last 14 months I can hardly think about anything else and I'm getting faster all the time. If I can't get out, I practice bunnyhopping in the park. This week - courtesy of Jedi - I just cleared my first 6 foot gap jump. If I'd started at 48 I'd be feeling slower than I once was ... just leave it a few years, buddy. 🙂

🙂

I'll be 56 for the Ard Rock.
My first Enduro and although I have ridden mountain bikes for years, it didn't become my main sport / pastime until I was 48.
You'll be fine, just ride regularly.

I'm thinking of doing a couple of enduro's next year. But maybe I won't have time to fit any in. I've just bought a twinshock Motocross bike and I'm going to give racing that a go again 😀
I'll be 56 next season.

You'll be fine. I'm 47 next week and I'm getting a BMX.

If you don't start now in five years time you'll wish you did.

Off to an E123 circuit race now. I'm 48 and started proper road racing at 45. You'll be fine. Set realistic expectations, ride to the top of your skills and fitness envelopes. You'll just get better.

If anyone asked me why Enduro racing has taken off so much I'm just going to point them to this thread. Hope I'm still racing in my 60's, respect chaps.

One big plus, for me , I think, is that most of the folk I ride with are younger, some of them pretty accomplished riders too. Without really giving it much thought, I'm certain that this has helped me push my riding a bit and help with fitness, stamina and technique. I don't have any of these things in abundance, but reckon if I'd just ridden alone the whole time I would have plateaud a bit.

Not.at.all.

I started riding [s]seriously[/s] 😳 at 43 now 52 meant to do my first race at 50 but knee injury has pushed that back to now. My two mates who we rode Chamonix and Verbier this year are 55

A sprightly 52 here, though I had a misspent your mainly in A&E due to 10 years or School boy & adult Moto cross I had a long gap, kids & working over seas, so I started in earnest around 40, but life long overseas crappy job a month away means the fitness has peaks & troughs, a break from the industry meant I got quite fit once upon a time but alas back to month on month of, Push hard at your core strength & stamina, bring your skills up where you feel comfortable though push your self a bit & you'll have a blast on the Ard Rock, I was 8th in class but jeez you get held up by a lot of slower rides loosing you time, enjoy it a great event.

At the risk of sounding like a numpty, what is 'enduro'? I'm assuming it's a kind of endurance race no?

Not at all, my boss is 62, he did a seven day XC race in northern Spain and intends to do it again in 2017 as in 2016 is competing in the Irish Enduro Series!

enduro? Well my version would be:

may have a number of timed bits that could include up, along and down sections
may not include any timed sections - often called a challenge
includes downhill, climbs and trails to varying degree of difficulty
tends to need physical endurance and skill
sometimes there is cut off times between sections
not seen one include laps but anything's possible

Thanks P_B.

I'd quite like to try one but am seriously unfit so I'd just be getting in the way on the uphill stages. Och well. 🙂

Thanks for all the encouragement I've a 29er hardtail for the miles and a new Santa Cruze nomad cc to play on ,,heading out on the hardtail in the morn for 40miles ,of lanes and woods ,so good practice ,so pleased to hear there's a load in the same boat as me ,thanks so much for all the replys ,it means a lot

You'll be fine. Just take it easy on the downhill stuff if you're not used to it (and drop your seat post for steep downhill stuff). Don't get caught up trying to keep up with faster riders over techy stuff.

I'm 48 and this year I've done the Hamsterley enduro, the Vallelujah enduro, the whinlatter gravity enduro, the practice day at the king & queen and Ard Rock. It was also my first time in the Alps. Loved every minute of it all and I'm hoping there will be many more year's like this one

Our riding group ranges from early 30's to my mates dad who's nearly 60 - we smash KOM's in the White Peak and he keeps up with us pretty much on most of the ups and downs - ok, he ain't the fastest, but he holds his own.

To be honest, once you've had a few weeks off the bike (as I often do, due to work) you may as well be a beginner fitness wise, but half a dozen rides in and you start getting it back. An enduro might take some effort to build up to though.

Skills wise, don't do anything silly that you aren't confident with, but once you build up to stuff, you'll be surprised at what you thought was 'unrideable' is surprisingly easy. Watch others and how they tackle stuff and learn.

You'll love it!

The masters and vets categories at my local race series are packed and ultra competitive.