Retiring Age

[Spektrum]

I know for many other sports there is some sort of age limit where your body sort of breaks down and its hard to continue playing that sport (for instance, tennis, most players retire by mid 30's on the pro circuit). I wanted to know if the same went for trials. Do people find it hard to ride after 30, or feel that they are getting worse, not better? Also if someone could tell me how old benito is.

[Borat]

I believe Benito is 103 years old.

[nasheenofteeth]

I know for many other sports there is some sort of age limit where your body sort of breaks down and its hard to continue playing that sport (for instance, tennis, most players retire by mid 30's on the pro circuit). I wanted to know if the same went for trials. Do people find it hard to ride after 30, or feel that they are getting worse, not better? Also if someone could tell me how old benito is.

well iam 37 and just started and dont really feel the aches and pains at all i also really love to street trial so I do a lot of jumping etc, i am pretty sure if your in shape you could do it up to your 50's i dont know good thread to ask people...

[Matt Vandart]

You must stop when you are 25yrs old.

It's the law.

Matt

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

well iam 37

Yet still you can'y spell colour properly...

[MiuSliS]

If you are riding at a pro level, i think there might be a certain level where your body will start getting tired quicker and not as flexible as it used be. But i guess that is up to rider to deceide at this point. By the way Benito is 28 years old.

[eskimo]

How old is Hans Rey now?

..he's still going.

[monkeyseemonkeydo]

How old is Hans Rey now?

43.

[Dan Clark]

It really depends on the standard and how dedicated you are obviously.

Retiring age for footballers is mid thirties for positions that require pace and late thirties for goalkeepers and centre backs. However, you can obviously continue playing playing football into your 60's and 70's if you so which, albeit at a lower standard. Hans Rey may still be riding at 43, but he wouldn't be able to stand up against younger riders anymore.

Most professional sports find you peaking at in the late to mid twenties, and tailing off after 30, so I imagine it's the same for trials in terms of physical condition.

However, dedication plays a larger role in trials, it seems to me the average, non professional, trials rider tends to "retire" in the early twenties due to cars, women, university and work coming into their life, and of course just growing up and becoming more sensible and realising that leaping off a massive wall onto a rail could potentially hurt and isn't worth the risk, something that doesn't seem to cross your mind so much when you're younger.

Obviously this won't apply to professional riders who treat trials as the number 1 thing in their life and will probably follow the same curve as the rest of sports professionals.

[monkeymoped]

i'm 35 and still riding trials, dirt jumps, and 4x and dh.......and i believe that that as long as you enjoy riding you should carry on for as long as possible

[Will Arnold]

if you keep riding hard, then retiring age should become apparent when you reach it

i'll ride as long as i can.

[vongar_kuu]

I'm 22 but going on 82. Usual aches and pains the day after riding. Worst thing is them damn Cod Liver Oil tablets. Somehow they must add an extra 5 years onto your retirement age purely on the fact that they are just awful

[eskimo]

I'm 22 but going on 82. Usual aches and pains the day after riding. Worst thing is them damn Cod Liver Oil tablets. Somehow they must add an extra 5 years onto your retirement age purely on the fact that they are just awful

You take them with food. Then you won't taste them

[PaRtZ]

if you keep riding hard, then retiring age should become apparent when you reach it

besides if you enjoy it, who cares when youll have to stop? Like dying, I rather the old age just hit me rather than be waiting for it

[gu trials]

well you can always change things on your bike like the stem size and that so you can ride longer without getting aches or pains, or crank length, and frame size so untill you get to the end of them then i would say keep riding until you have tried different things to stop aches or pains , hope i have helped

[r2wtrials]

besides if you enjoy it, who cares when youll have to stop? Like dying, I rather the old age just hit me rather than be waiting for it

... what he said

I am 44 just before christmas and have been riding motorcycle trials since i was around 5 years old... i had a few years on the cycles in the late 90's and then went back to the moto stuff but last year i figured the cycles were a good way of staying fit during the week to help with the moto's.

Yes you do notice things seem to hurt for a bit longer and the stamina goes down a level but if you enjoy something just keep doing it until you don't enjoy it.

I am not into dropping off big heights or going for silly gaps as i have a mortgage and many other bills to pay and these days i do think about the consequences of getting it wrong... but it doesn't take away the fun factor. I like section riding on mainly natural terrain and can have hours of fun on a pile of rocks or logs that may be no higher than 4 foot off the ground.... just do it and enjoy it, whatever level you are happy with.

I have a problem with a slipped disc in my back so i take ibuprofen and know when to stop riding... i ache for some time after riding but not enough that it overrides the fun i got from the actual riding. When that time comes and i don't enjoy the whole experience, that is the time to give up.

Edited September 27, 2009 by r2wtrials

[monkeymoped]

dh and bmx racing has 45 year olld plus catergorys so ride as long as you want or can

[esfrost]

Theres no such thing as "retiring age", as long as you can walk, movie, hold on the bars, and are able do something on the bike, you are good.

[trials_pimp]

Well Im 25 and still riding trials at a Professional Level.

I do find it harder now than when I was younger.

These days i can ride for 4-6 hours, when I was starting we would regularly ride for 8-12 hours.

Then it all Depends on your life aswell, and where you live.

For instance I work full time at a very demanding job, sometimes 12 hours a day so riding in the week is out.

At weekends, if Im not working, or riding Demos/Events then I do like to do other things other than work and ride.

But When I do want to ride, I find it very hard as Im one of only 4 trials riders in my Area, all of which work full time and have other comitments (partners,kids ect)

I have found as I have got older and riden less my standards have dropped loads. I will look at things I would have done years ago with fear, and try things I found easy back then and stuggle.

But thats the way it goes, unless you can ride all the time you wont stay good.

As for retirement I dont see it coming any time soon. Im still having way too much fun riding trials. I have been doing it now 10 years, and yes I can easily accept im no where near as good as riders out there who have been riding 1/2 the time, but those who started when I did will know how much harder it was when there was no trials parts to use.

Trials shouldnt have a retiring age, as long as your still enjoying the sport, and still managing to get out and ride then carry on.

It just gets harder to accept that the older you get, the more responsibilites you gain and the less time you get to enjoy what you want.

[Matt Vandart]

See above...........

... what he said

I am 44 just before christmas and have been riding motorcycle trials since i was around 5 years old... i had a few years on the cycles in the late 90's and then went back to the moto stuff but last year i figured the cycles were a good way of staying fit during the week to help with the moto's.

Yes you do notice things seem to hurt for a bit longer and the stamina goes down a level but if you enjoy something just keep doing it until you don't enjoy it.

I am not into dropping off big heights or going for silly gaps as i have a mortgage and many other bills to pay and these days i do think about the consequences of getting it wrong... but it doesn't take away the fun factor. I like section riding on mainly natural terrain and can have hours of fun on a pile of rocks or logs that may be no higher than 4 foot off the ground.... just do it and enjoy it, whatever level you are happy with.

I have a problem with a slipped disc in my back so i take ibuprofen and know when to stop riding... i ache for some time after riding but not enough that it overrides the fun i got from the actual riding. When that time comes and i don't enjoy the whole experience, that is the time to give up.

Exactly.

I have a job where I spend loads of time at home not working, so I gotta do something so I ride.

If you keep active, whatever you are doing, you will remain fit.

When I am not working I could be riding anything up to 12hrs+ a day for anything up to 3+ weeks in a row.

I usually find that at the beginning of the ride I get f**ked quite quickly but once the blood is pumping I could go on until it's so dark I can't see.

I often ride with my family, one kid aged 8 and one aged 11 and my bird that is quite a bit younger than me. Now anyone with kids will tell you that at this age they have unreal amounts of energy, but quite often it's them telling me they are knackered and wanna stop.

So when to retire?

Well that is really hard to say, as said Hans is 43, Martyn Ashton is no spring chicken and TRA don't look to young either (though I don't know how old he is).

Don't forget that with age comes strength also. Yes you may be strong at your age and think your the strongest at 19-25? but believe me I was that age once too and I am miles stronger now than then.

Don't f**k with a fit guy 40+ cos he'll pound you to shit I can tell you that for a fact.

One thing to point out though is it gets harder to program your body as you get older so for instance it took me about 20mins to learn side hops, however the next day I couldn't do it consistently for a few hours so it's like every day you have to learn stuff again, which I didn't have to do when I was young (which is probably why I am still so shit).

Just ride and leave these questions to the armchair philosophers.

Remember your only as old as the girl you feel.

Matt

Edited September 27, 2009 by Matt Vandart

[nasheenofteeth]

Yet still you can'y spell colour properly...

what did I spell wrong?

[Revolver]

I guess in america it's spelt right