Race Yourself Ageless

With life-affirming insights from some of the best veteran racers in the British Isles, masters coach Tom Daly goes in search of the secrets of competitive longevity.

Why do so many riders retire from competitive cycling when they could continue for decades longer? They grow tired of the grind, you might argue, or other priorities such as work and family take over. Perhaps they simply lose interest when performance begins to decline towards the end of their prime years. As a 63-year-old bike racer and masters coach (mccm.iwsi.ie), I want to highlight the benefits of staying in the game — and why the rewards of keeping on training and racing go well beyond competitive enjoyment.

A major Australian study in 2016, which reviewed research on ‘successful ageing’, concluded that masters athletesare exemplars of successful ageing. The psychological and social benefits are likewise well established, with Jonathan Beverly, a leading author on the topic, pointing out that lifelong competitors have higher psychological, cognitive and social functioning relative to their peers.

For this feature, I sought out the older competitors I most admire, to find out how they coped when the inevitable decline in performance began — how they adapted their training and maintained their racing resilience. And for the benefit of younger readers, I asked these grizzled racers what advice they would have given to their 25-year-old selves to ensure a long, healthy and happy lifetime in cycling.

I have to admit to a particular fascination with Irish endurance legend Joe Barr. After retiring from the pro peloton 20 years ago, he just kept going, and is still stretching the limits of endurance at 59. Barr, who lives in County Donegal and runs Team Joe Barr (teamjoebarr.com), was part of the Northern Ireland outfit that won bronze in the team time trial at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. He finished third in the 1987 Tour of Ireland, and was national champion at time trial and cyclo-cross.