how old is too old to train to go pro?



jrtalon said:
Ok simple questions (ok maybe not that simple) but old is too old to have thoughs of becoming pro, riding in the (Giro, tdF, Olympics etc). I talking about someone whos never seen a road bicycle before a few weeks ago...me for example, I'm 24 my father asked me if I wanted to go pro, I wasn't really considering it...I just got the bike for a new hobby but its in my head now. I noticed that a lot of elite cyclists are in their late 20s early 30's as is the case with a lot of endurance sports. I plan of training hard to become a good cyclist regardless but do you think I'd still have a shot at become a pro?
JR, age is a factor, but not as much of a factor as drive to succeed. At 24, you are at potential peak physically, and if you want it bad enough, you can get that goal. It's all up to you, my friend! Go for it and have fun! If you don't make pro.....big deal! You still get to race and have a blast!:D
 
oneradtec said:
He was later offered a pro contract to ride with the professional team LeGroupement(spelling?). That didn't last long however, because Obree was a bit wayward in his personality and he didn't fit in well with the bunch.

That's correct but his reason for not accepting the offer of a pro contract was, part of that contract was the willingness to take any drugs that were handed to him.
 
JR, it is within the realm of possibility that you can become a pro cyclist. However (as many have stated) each year that passes you by, the hill becomes that much more steep. In the end, it all comes down to you. You have to ask yourself some serious questions if this is what you desire.


Such as:
  • What kind of pro cyclist do I plan on becoming? Track, Road, Mountain? What discipline within my selected flavor, etc?
  • Am I willing to spend the time required EVERY training day in the saddle?
  • Am I willing to train even harder than someone 2/3 my age?
  • Am I willing to sacrifice in my current professional/social life to achieve this dream? The need to pay the rent, train, eat, train, buy parts, and train, etc.
  • Am I willing to sacrifice my list of wants to be able to pay the tens of thousands of dollars for bikes, equipment, coaches, etc, etc, etc.
  • What are the rewards that I am expecting? Forget the big bonuses and contracts the elite pros get. Would you be willing to accept a contract for base minimum for team riders, even if it would be less than what you could make if you decided to do something else professionally?
  • What are my reasonable goals? Don't forget that every competative sport (everything within life, for that matter) falls within a pyramid structure (so does the pay). The higher you climb, the harder it becomes, but greater are the rewards.
You will have to want it more than the next guy and be willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals. Just look at Ryan Leaf and Kurt Warner for examples... Leaf 1st round draft pick and completely bombed as a pro. Warner wasn't picked, but didn't let that stop him. Ends up taking the Rams to the SB, twice.


-GN
 
jrtalon said:
wow lots of replies. I like the people that say I have a change....I agree with them, even if its less then 1% its still a chance right? I'm gonna try to go for it...either way I know this, I'll have fun trying :)
Forget the pros and Olympic championships and take it one step at a time. Start training with a race club, and get into a citizens/Cat 5 race to see how you like it. You don't need to buy a USCF license to start; you can pay an extra $10 day-of fee to jump into your first race.

If you find you have some ability for racing and are having fun, then set your sights on winning points and moving to Cat 3 in a couple of years. Just don't quit your day job yet. Racing can get expensive. Our entry fees here last weekend for the state championship RR, TT and Crit were $35 per day. In order to move up the rankings, you'll likely start traveling to races over weekends; travel costs really add up.

As far as actually making money and a career from pro cycling, would agree with the "million-to-one" assessment. After all, talented riders who train and race over 10K hard miles a year, and spend thousands of their own money to get and keep Cat 1 amateur status are common compared to those few who are riding for pro teams. If you had the exceptional genetics required to be a star cycling pro, you'd know it by now.
 
dhk2 said:
If you had the exceptional genetics required to be a star cycling pro, you'd know it by now.
If he just started riding, how would he know it by now? If we took the entire population of (insert your country here) and tested them for cycling, how many great potential riders do you think we would find? Now, how many of those will never throw a leg over a bike? Certaintly the possibility exists that there are people out there that have huge potential but will never know it because they haven't yet, or won't find the sport.

I say follow the advice given earlier. Start training, find a race and purchase a one day license. You will have a much better idea of your possibilities after doing this. If you get completely blown away.......well, welcome to our mere mortal world.
 
Rocket^ said:
If he just started riding, how would he know it by now? If we took the entire population of (insert your country here) and tested them for cycling, how many great potential riders do you think we would find? Now, how many of those will never throw a leg over a bike? Certaintly the possibility exists that there are people out there that have huge potential but will never know it because they haven't yet, or won't find the sport.

I say follow the advice given earlier. Start training, find a race and purchase a one day license. You will have a much better idea of your possibilities after doing this. If you get completely blown away.......well, welcome to our mere mortal world.
I was thinking that any individual with the exceptional genetics it takes to be a pro cyclist would have excelled in other sports, even if he never rode a bike. HS or college track, distance running, swimming, soccer, crew or speedskating come to mind.

If the OP hasn't shown talent in any aerobic endurance sports by age 24, chances are even more remote that he'll have the rare talent, and be able to start from zero-base capability to hit the pro ranks. Best way is still to jump in and give it a try.
 
A Canadian pro(who is now still racing and nearing age 40) said recently that it doesn't matter when you start...just know that you will have about 10 good years before you are mentally fried. In other words...you will probably burn out mentally before you burn out physically.

Again...Ludo Dierkxsens(Belgium) was working in a factory when he started racing his bike at age 27. Ludo did all the big races in Europe, and got some good results too.

Tony Rominger started at age 21...and later set the World Hour Record. Took him less than 10 years to become the fastest endurance cyclist the world had ever seen.
 
If have the freakish genetics it would have shown itself by now. You would have been naturally awesome at endurance sports all through your junior years. If this was the case you probably would have been an athlete with a contract by now anyway.

Chances are your just a medium to exceptionally talented cyclist and you would have missed the boat when you were 13-14 of having any chance. If you were that one in a billion to be a pro by starting at your age you would already know it.
 
ive noticed another 15 year old cyclist, dm69 has posted 3 times on this topic. i bet thats because he feels a little bit insulted, like me, that a 24 year old who has just started cycling and done a 10 miles steady ride averaging 19mph thinks he might have what it takes to be a pro. youth cyclists like us ride with the dream of becoming pro but we know how difficult it is to achieve that dream and we know that very few will actually make it into the pro ranks.

you cant just become a pro cyclist it takes years and years of conditioning to reach that level and the way you think you can bypass the system p****s me off because it shows that you dont realise or appreciate what aspiring young cyclists have to go through if they are to make cycling their proffession.
 
I don't think this person was trying to insult anyone. He also didn't give us any athletic background information (i.e. participation and level of success in other sports.) He simply asked is 24 to old to go pro. The bottom line answer to that question is no, it isn't too old. But let's caveat that answer with, you better have some wicked hidden talent. Even if this person is a genetic freak, it isn't going to keep him from having to work hiss A@@ off to make it. Like most of the young riders are alluding to, he would have a lot of catching up to do, and the learning curve would be extremely steep. I don't think anyone here is saying that any 24 year old could jump on a bike and become a pro. It would definately be the exception, not the rule.
 
dm69 said:
If have the freakish genetics it would have shown itself by now. You would have been naturally awesome at endurance sports all through your junior years. If this was the case you probably would have been an athlete with a contract by now anyway.

Chances are your just a medium to exceptionally talented cyclist and you would have missed the boat when you were 13-14 of having any chance. If you were that one in a billion to be a pro by starting at your age you would already know it.
that is not at all true. i was very much a mediocre runner in high school, most likely because running breaks my body down very quickly and i couldn't put any miles in without getting hurt. skip ahead to my 25th birthday when i started actually training on my bike, not because i wanted to race, just because i love exercise. i got pretty good pretty fast and people noticed and encouraged me to race. so i did. and i won my first cat5 race, consisting of just two 16mile laps with 1500' of gain per lap, by over five minutes after attacking at the base of the climb on the second lap. and yet, my freakiness lies in my anaerobic capacity, which i truly never knew. looking back i can see it went unnoticed, as i used to be able to do upwards of 50 pull-ups and well over 100 push-ups when i was into that sort of thing.

so, again, a freak is a freak and it's not something that can be taken away from you, nor do some freaks ever realize their true nature :(

just the same, odds are that the OP isn't a freak.
 
joemw said:
that is not at all true. i was very much a mediocre runner in high school, most likely because running breaks my body down very quickly and i couldn't put any miles in without getting hurt. skip ahead to my 25th birthday when i started actually training on my bike, not because i wanted to race, just because i love exercise. i got pretty good pretty fast and people noticed and encouraged me to race. so i did. and i won my first cat5 race, consisting of just two 16mile laps with 1500' of gain per lap, by over five minutes after attacking at the base of the climb on the second lap. and yet, my freakiness lies in my anaerobic capacity, which i truly never knew. looking back i can see it went unnoticed, as i used to be able to do upwards of 50 pull-ups and well over 100 push-ups when i was into that sort of thing.

so, again, a freak is a freak and it's not something that can be taken away from you, nor do some freaks ever realize their true nature :(

just the same, odds are that the OP isn't a freak.
Point taken, but obviously there are different levels of freakishness. Yours was (at least) enough to win a Cat 5 race early on. But we're talking about professional-level freakishness.
 
ewan52 said:
ive noticed another 15 year old cyclist, dm69 has posted 3 times on this topic. i bet thats because he feels a little bit insulted, like me, that a 24 year old who has just started cycling and done a 10 miles steady ride averaging 19mph thinks he might have what it takes to be a pro. youth cyclists like us ride with the dream of becoming pro but we know how difficult it is to achieve that dream and we know that very few will actually make it into the pro ranks.

you cant just become a pro cyclist it takes years and years of conditioning to reach that level and the way you think you can bypass the system p****s me off because it shows that you dont realise or appreciate what aspiring young cyclists have to go through if they are to make cycling their proffession.
aww poor baby, it pisses u off that i want to become a pro waaa waaa, go cry to momma little boy.
 
Pendejo said:
Point taken, but obviously there are different levels of freakishness. Yours was (at least) enough to win a Cat 5 race early on. But we're talking about professional-level freakishness.
I don't believe in genetic potential. I believe in hard work, being consistent in ur training and proper nutrition anyone can achieve anything. I know I have 2yrs or so before I can even race with the local clubs I'm not stupid I know this isn't going to happen over nite but I'm not going to let anyone tell me it can't be done. I'll train over the winter enter some cat 5 races come spring and work my way up.
 
jrtalon said:
I don't believe in genetic potential. I believe in hard work, being consistent in ur training and proper nutrition anyone can achieve anything. I know I have 2yrs or so before I can even race with the local clubs I'm not stupid I know this isn't going to happen over nite but I'm not going to let anyone tell me it can't be done. I'll train over the winter enter some cat 5 races come spring and work my way up.
Awwww, you don't believe in genetic potential... that's really romantic. To bad its also total bull. I've seen it... helped coach juniors as well as other cyclists on my collegiate team. Guys skate by and become a cat2, others work their a$$ off and are perma-4s. Welcome to reality.

Justin
 
Dude, people here are trying to give you some prespective so that you would know what to expect. Obviously you haven't ridden or raced with others. My cat3 team mate just started racing maybe last year as a cat5. He is a cat3 now. Here is kicker. He weights 180lb and he can climb. He actually won a very, very hilly race against some of the best East coast cat4s. He has done 2 stage races and consistently placed the top 10. He is also 35 years of age.

You said about training??? Do you know how to train? Since you haven't raced before, do you know what you need to train to be competitive??? Let me spare you the agony. It will take you maybe 2 years to get a sense of ideas as to how you must train, if you self coach. Given that you probably have less than 1 thousand miles under your legs, your body can't do much in terms of training.


jrtalon said:
I don't believe in genetic potential. I believe in hard work, being consistent in ur training and proper nutrition anyone can achieve anything. I know I have 2yrs or so before I can even race with the local clubs I'm not stupid I know this isn't going to happen over nite but I'm not going to let anyone tell me it can't be done. I'll train over the winter enter some cat 5 races come spring and work my way up.
 
Good genetics are real. When you see someone like Lance Armstrong win the World's at age 21 you better take notice. No one wins the World's road race at age 21. Well...fast forward to present. Lance has now won 7 Tours. We should have known that we would hear from Mr. Armstrong in a big way. No one wins World's at 21. Guys like that come along about once every 30 years.

Lemond was that kind of freak. He was winning some big races at a very early age. It was almost like he skipped domestic racing completely. He did junior world's and got the attention of the big teams in Europe. Next thing you know he is in Europe, winning the World's road race, racing with Bernard Hinault, and finally winning three Tours de France. Lemond was incredibly gifted....but he worked very hard too...as did Lance.
 
BlueJersey said:
Dude, people here are trying to give you some prespective so that you would know what to expect. Obviously you haven't ridden or raced with others. My cat3 team mate just started racing maybe last year as a cat5. He is a cat3 now. Here is kicker. He weights 180lb and he can climb. He actually won a very, very hilly race against some of the best East coast cat4s. He has done 2 stage races and consistently placed the top 10. He is also 35 years of age.

You said about training??? Do you know how to train? Since you haven't raced before, do you know what you need to train to be competitive??? Let me spare you the agony. It will take you maybe 2 years to get a sense of ideas as to how you must train, if you self coach. Given that you probably have less than 1 thousand miles under your legs, your body can't do much in terms of training.
I know I appreciate almost all of the advice here (obviously u know the one I don't appreciate very much). I'm learning how to train thats why I'm reading these forums. For the next couple months I just want to get miles under my belt and get my legs used to riding long distances.
 
jrtalon said:
I know I appreciate almost all of the advice here (obviously u know the one I don't appreciate very much). I'm learning how to train thats why I'm reading these forums. For the next couple months I just want to get miles under my belt and get my legs used to riding long distances.

Yes, that is important. You need to build a good base of fitness. Start looking at the big picture. Forget about 2006. Start thinking about next year. Spend the rest of the summer, and the coming winter, building base fitness. Just log the miles. You will, by default, gain power, speed, and endurance. I'd also recommend that you join a club and do a lot of club rides if possible. Start building a good library too. Greg Lemond wrote a great cycling book several years ago. Find it on Amazon. Arnie Baker(Smart Cycling) also wrote a good book. Also check out Jamie Paolinetti's DVD's...'The Hard Road' and 'Pro'. Also get the documentary DVD titled 'Overcoming'..which features team CSC. You might also learn alot by building a good collection of pro races on DVD from World Cycling Productions. You need to get a racing license and start moving up the USCF categories. When you get a good finish, you will gain points to upgrade to the next level.

The longest journey begins with a single step. The first step is to decide that you want to go for it. Then follow through with action, discipline, and dedication. Ignore the dream stealers. Most americans have no idea what they want in life. Actually knowing what you want is half the battle. Any man without a vision shall surely perish.

Success is opportunity mixed with difficulty. You have the opportunity before you. The question is...can you survive the difficulty?

Hope to see you in the Tour in 5-6 years. Become so good that you cannot be ignored! Put some wood in the fire(hard work) and you will surely get heat(rewards). Good luck.
 
jrtalon said:
I don't believe in genetic potential. I believe in hard work, being consistent in ur training and proper nutrition anyone can achieve anything. I know I have 2yrs or so before I can even race with the local clubs I'm not stupid I know this isn't going to happen over nite but I'm not going to let anyone tell me it can't be done. I'll train over the winter enter some cat 5 races come spring and work my way up.
Hard work alone won't take you into the pro ranks. If it did, there would be a whole bunch of us that dedicate huge amounts of time training that would be there. I wish you the best of luck.