Your bike doesn’t know how old you are

It doesn’t matter how old you are

20 03 2012

Just before celebrating my birthday this past weekend I came across a great article that talks about riding when you’re getting older.

It was called Your Bike Doesn’t Know How Old You Are.

The article builds the case for that old saying that “you’re only as old as you feel”. While admitting that some decline in our athletic prowess is inevitable, how much is still very much open for debate. The author says,

…the central governor theory of fatigue…what you think and your mental attitude have as much bearing on your performance on any given day as the freshness of your legs. During my conversation with Dr. Tim Noakes, the theory’s greatest champion, he’d explained how “miles in the head” counted more than “miles in the legs” when it came to performance.

Granted this is a “roadie” example but I think you can extrapolate this bit of theory to performance on a BMX bike as well.

There’s no need to hang up the BMX bike because you’re getting older. Sure, it’s a good idea to avoid trying things that are over your head (and avoid landing on your head!) but BMX is something you can do well into your golden years.

Sure, you may have to deal with people giving you hard time for riding BMX when you should have — in their eyes — graduated to something more “appropriate”…but remember, you’re having more fun then they are. The article’s author sums it up best by saying:

Age isn’t something you need to fix, of course. But sometimes our attitude about it is. Don’t let either limit what you can do.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.