You sound just like them broken record kids after raggin' on me for bowing out, jsut before they get an Atomic Power Wedgie.
Yeah but ten years from now I will have gotten used to being old and you will be just learning how to deal with it.:smirk:
The more i think about this subject the more i realize most the real fast guys i ride with are about my age. Experience i guess.
Good point. Experience counts. I've had to dig pretty deep sometimes. Even moreso recently when guttin' it out...
Im at the age where my buds are hanging it up. Kinda sucks. Ive ridden with a few youngsters, and its cool to see their enthusiasm. Keeps ya going. Im lucky in that my body is in good shape, knock on wood.
Oh crap...I could have written the original post I'm only 45, but in dirtbike years I think I'm closer to 85. I started riding relatively late in life-23-and was pretty injury-free for the first 10 years or so. Then it seemed like every time I turned around I was tearing this or breaking that. I've had 4 moto-related surgeries, put one on hold so I could ride in Idaho, and have one looming in my semi-near future...does that seem excessive to y'all? 2 torn and reconstructed ACL's, torn MCL, torn front-brake-finger ligament, torn thumb ligament/tendon, 2 broken wrists, 2 broken ankles, broken foot, broken kneecap, numerous broken ribs (but ribs don't count...do they?) a torn rotator cuff and one serious head injury. Yeah.....I think that's about it. I used to chalk it up to being young and confident. I'd be all ""I just want to ride well, just want to have fun, don't care where I finish, blah-blah-blah" but by the time the gate dropped or my minute came up, I'd be convinced I was the second coming of Rodney Smith. And pity the fool that tried to get between me and that almighty trophy... Fast forward a few years and I said I needed to quit racing...that maybe racing was the problem...I needed to remove myself from the competitive environment. That worked for about a season or so I decided it wasn't racing that was the problem and started doing an enduro here or there, but no more MX. If I was going to get pounded, I figured it would be due to my own negligence or inattentiveness out on the trails by myself, not due to some crazed 16-year-old trying to impress his girlfriend with a trophy. Anyway, long story short, I changed my attitude, swallowed my pride (there's still a little lump there where some of it refuses to go down) and just slowed down. I guess the benefit of my getting older was being able to see the big picture. I want to be riding when I'm too old to do anything else, and it wouldn't be happening if I didn't change my ways. I was in it for the long haul, and I didn't need any more trophies or "gee, you're pretty fast!!'"'s in order to enjoy the very liberating and tactile experience of riding my dirtbike. So, what did I get for these efforts? 3 years ago I hit a hidden rock with my footpeg and laid on the trail unconscious til another rider came along and woke me from my deep slumber. Torn rotator cuff, torn groin muscle (oh yeah, forgot that one earlier...) serious head injury and a body that was black and blue from head to toe, including my jaw, temple and forehead. And why did I lay on the trail by myself? Because I was the last rider...I was riding slow dang it! Fat lot of good that did, eh? Just one of those things... Then last June I did the invitation-only Big Boot Trail Ride. I was riding a sedate pace because I wanted to last the entire 2 days of almost 200miles of pristine singletrack through redwoods on private land. I was determined to not miss a mile of what was available to me. An hour into day 1 I jump a routine waterbar exactly like the previous 10 I'd just jumped and my ankle shattered...2 plates, 13 screws, 4 months off work. I can't win for losin', it seems So, yeah, I've had to slow down and admit that I just can't take a hit anymore. It kills me to do so, because I used to be pretty fast (and, no...not just for a girl) but it's a reality I've had to accept. I still do the gnarly every chance I get, and I love picking my way through the crappiest toughest terrain I can find, and I still take pride in my ability to last throughout the day, day after day on multi-day rides. I may not be the fastest rider out there, but I'm still going strong at the end of the day long after the young whippersnappers have blown their wad That is, if I haven't self-destructed along the way. I've been doing a lot more dualsporty stuff in the last year or so, and it's been a really pleasant change. It's easier on my body and easier on the equipment. Another plus is that the terrain doesn't need to be as gnarly on the big bikes in order for it to be challenging. I'm really digging the 610 and it has made my transition to a much more safe and sane rider a lot more fun than I thought it would be. Of course, all bets are off when the sticky rubber and leathers come into the picture Geez...am I long-winded or what?? WoodsChick
Only 50 yrs young and love'n every minute of it. Although we ride mostly single T stuff. I really think next year I'll get into dualsport.
Well, it does beat the alternative, doesn't it? Dualsport is a lot of fun. We try to mix in as much trail as we can, so it's essential to have a bike that can do that stuff. I'm sorry, but a KLR is not a dualsport bike WoodsChick
A lot of Dualsport riders bug me about coming with them. I say sure if you ride a day with me too. I just love the real tight S.T. stuff to much. I guess that's why I love "Trials" so much...going where no one else has been. I took some old buddys (who have Quads) on some rides. Now the trails looks like a 4x4 can go through it. Oh well my own fault I guess.
Man, being old is such a relative, subjective term. I'm an old man in my profession at 39. However, when I ride with Husky guys I find I'm on the younger end of the scale with a few exceptions (f2go). Seems like "being old" is different mentally and physically. I know 25 yr olds that look 45 from stress and the life of a g.i. in combat with current events and yet there are 45 yr olds that have dodged the deployments that look like they're in their 30's. I ask the youngsters in my unit how old they think I am, most say 43-47, lol. When I ask why they think that it's because of my demeanor and graying hair. Sure hurts more keeping up with them.
Ageing up?? Add me to the busted old fart dept.. 43 soon 44. Have hyper extended Spinatuus group, Docs just cant seem to get to go back. result is a shoulder that constantly Luxates.( partial dislocations- to full dislocations. 20- 100 per day.+) AT least i dont need a medic to replace it, Has more slap than a crack wh#* , just flops in and out. A steady trickle of Norspan keeps the pain away on good days, bad days Just suck! Strange as it may seem, the angle from the shoulder to the bars holds it in the right place, doesnt create pain untill the Day after. Sometimes i may go a month or 2 between rides, depending on pain levels. I hear the US have a pill marketed under the name. HTFU. am loking fervently for retailer in OZ. Wont stop me riding though, only vice i got left, apart from pain meds.
Well, sometimes I'm 10 (why are body noises so funny?), sometimes I think I'm 25. I'd have guessed you to be in your 30's as well. Funny. I feel 50+ after riding with you guys. It's getting better though
Good Grief! You really like to ride I'm closer to 60 than 50 But other than no ACL I'm doing pretty good, especially after hearing what you go thru to ride. My hat's off to you. I can relate to most of the post on the subject, but remember as Scott Summers one said "Ride your own ride & don't get caught up with someone else's ride". I have taught a lot of people how to ride & now some are faster but for some reason they like to ride behind me. I don't know if it's respect or just a habit, but probably because I know the trails better.There is one thing for sure though, most are ready to call it a day when I say "just one more trail, what do you think". Sorry if I get a little late on these threads, but I'm usually working or riding or clearing trails. I'm trying to keep up
So why am I considering going to Baja with George, Mike, et al? Absolutely no need to apologize for having a life. Forums are like bus stops - people come & go, some stay longer than others. It's all good and you input is greatly appreciated. .
