Can I Take Up Professional Cycling At 27?
- Thread starter roseblanchgte
- Start date
Yes you can. All you need to do is staying focused. You should start training immediately and never give up. Join local groups when you go out cycling. You may choose to have a coach or join free online courses. After one year you will notice that you are ready for competitions.
Chris Horner was successful around the US domestic scene for a while before joining Saunier-Duval in 2004, at age 33 and doing well in Europe. He also won the Vuelta at 41 years old. He may have questions around him at times, but if you're good enough naturally, there's no reason why you couldnt have a 10+ year career as a pro even at this late age, just like Chris.
You haven't got a snowball's chance in hell if you think you can become a top professional taking up the sport at age 27. The people here who tell you 'anything is possible' are deluding themselves and you.
You can still have lots of fun and enjoy racing - you just won't ever become an elite professional.
You can still have lots of fun and enjoy racing - you just won't ever become an elite professional.
Would be better if you were already started with training. You seem keen on realizing your dream and nothing should stand in your way. Just get started on it and you never know where this will lead you. There are no limitations to what one can achieve once they make up their mind about something.
In a lot of sports, PEDs and steroids won't actually make you a better player to the degree that people think. A lot of people hate PED users in baseball, but a steroid or drug isn't going to help your swing or pitching mechanics, and they won't help you see a 100 mph fastball better. Sure, Adderall might help a bit, but most PEDs won't make bad or even average players turn into Hall of Fame-caliber players. It's the same for most sports, and you're absolutely right about slugs turning into rabbits with PEDs.jhuskey said:
It's always better to do things clean, though, for obvious reasons.
I think for most people when you find out you love doing something, you wonder "what if?". I started cycling 4 months ago and like the sport so much, it may influence where I move. When I start something, I obsess over improving at it and usually do. My first real dream was to become an architect, something that just takes focus and started that journey at 17. I'm 28 now and have the education part down and now am working on the critical work experience needed. Its my "profession" and as hard as it was to even make it to this point, even a 50 year old with enough drive can become an architect in the future.
With physical things, its a bit different...Your mind sharpens and your body declines into your 30's-.Its even crossed my mind "what if I picked up basketball,running,cycling 15 years ago could I have competed.". At 28, soon to be 29, I don't try to fool myself into thinking its possible. There're are guys and girls at my county bike club who are waaaay better than me. Maybe you should question what brought about this "want" to become a pro cyclist. If you've just started out and love the sport, I could 100% relate to the sentiment.If you've been biking for years recreationally, than id say you have even a smaller chance than if you just started(which is 1/1,000,000).The reason being is, if you've been riding all this time and are just thinking about this, you let you're window pass and need to think about "why" do you want this.
I'd say, try and become the king of the mountain in your locally area, meet people, and enjoy local races.Pro or not, its an amazing sport. Besides, if all else fails, have a kid and live your cycling dream through them
(joking, or am I?).I don't think its possible, but if you do, let me be another naysayer that adds to your motivation.
With physical things, its a bit different...Your mind sharpens and your body declines into your 30's-.Its even crossed my mind "what if I picked up basketball,running,cycling 15 years ago could I have competed.". At 28, soon to be 29, I don't try to fool myself into thinking its possible. There're are guys and girls at my county bike club who are waaaay better than me. Maybe you should question what brought about this "want" to become a pro cyclist. If you've just started out and love the sport, I could 100% relate to the sentiment.If you've been biking for years recreationally, than id say you have even a smaller chance than if you just started(which is 1/1,000,000).The reason being is, if you've been riding all this time and are just thinking about this, you let you're window pass and need to think about "why" do you want this.
I'd say, try and become the king of the mountain in your locally area, meet people, and enjoy local races.Pro or not, its an amazing sport. Besides, if all else fails, have a kid and live your cycling dream through them
(joking, or am I?).I don't think its possible, but if you do, let me be another naysayer that adds to your motivation.
I baseball, they can turn the warning track out into a dinger that lands 20 rows back. On the same swing and point of contact with the ball.gavinfree said:
In cycling, they can take a decent all-around rider like the Lance and turn him into a lights-out climber. Or a guy who was primarily a time trialist, like Indurain, and make him into a climbing machine weighing 40 pounds more than rail-thin Colombians who spent their lives at altitude in the Andes. But you still have to have the genes, and already be a pro level rider. And work your ass off. And that's where they really make the difference. In the build up to a season, they allow faster recovery, and more intense training sessions.
27 might be a little to late if you asprie to be at the top of the world, but you can definitely become professional and participate in small events. If you truly wish to become professional then there's nothing stopping you. If you set your mind on it you can definitely achieve big things. Never give up and train every single day.
Nothing, except having to start at the bottom of amateur racing and work your way up through the higher categories. Which would require actually winning a few races along the way.jbepp said:
You can train every single day, but nothing helps you get better at racing than really racing. As I said earlier in this thread, there's more to it than riding fast. You also have to stay upright---that's the tricky part.
Staying upright is tricky for some (the ones that aren't gifted with a knack of vision and balance) but going really fast when it matters is the really hard part.mpre53 said:
It will require a tremendous effort on your part, great committment and training for several years, with no guarantee of success. The human spirit can achieve anything if it is sufficiently determined enough, and only you know if you are too old at 27. It will require you to sacrifice a great deal in your current lifestyle and you will have to ensure every aspect of your life is progressing you towards a pro career. I'd never say never because you could do this, but you will require enormous dedication for a few years at least. All the best, if you decide you really want this I wish you all the success you dream of.
The years that other cyclist have covered in cycling, at an earlier age, will of course contribute to individuals being better at cycling. You can of course train hard, and get into a team,but not a world class one unless you have some hidden talent The people positing here are right. You can follow the idea,but ONLY so far.
It would take an exceptional talent at the age of 27, with no history in the sport, to catapult in to the professional ranks.
It's all very well offering encouragement to someone striving to be the best that they can - but it would be advocating false hope to say that a person with no history in the sport aged 27 could make it to the professional ranks.
Go as far as you can, I say.
It's all very well offering encouragement to someone striving to be the best that they can - but it would be advocating false hope to say that a person with no history in the sport aged 27 could make it to the professional ranks.
Go as far as you can, I say.
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