Not so much of a joyous celebration of success, though. It was more like “thank god that’s over,” which was a bit of a let down.
But the will, though.He agreed to do this thing, but by the third fall he knew he was going to be laid up for a week, but kept on until he got it.
I just realized I’m now conditioned to feel an immediate pang of anxiety any time I see a celebrity’s name and age in the same headline.
I’m (clearly) not Tony Hawk.
That said, I used to ride bikes pretty hard- from 14 until I was about 29, I suppose. Then: kids.
So I’m 36/7 now, and I’ve started to get back to riding. Nothing too crazy, as I’ve got some fitness and whatnot to rebuild, but I’m riding a couple of times a week now and feeling somewhat better about being on the bike again.
There’s some stuff I used to do I can’t do now- yet. But I’m surprised by how little of that is dictated by my age, and more as the result of me needing to be able to get myself home and go to work the next morning than anything else. And when I make a mistake, or try something really hard (and miscalculate and whatever), it’s not so much the right then that gets me.
It’s the next day.
It’s the recovery time that hurts the most, and it’s the beating that you feel.
I suspect that the next day, a video of Tony would have been… rough. I’m guessing there was lots of ice and NSAIDs that night, and I’ll bet most of the next day or two was a write off.
But it gives me inspiration that I can still ride hard, that I can still do meaningful things on bikes, and that I don’t have to relegate myself to gentler pastimes.
Yet.
Awesome. Nice inspiration for the olds like me. As I sit here nursing my, I dunno, fourteenth? back spasm.
Also a cooler mid-life crisis solution than buying a Porsche.
Oh I get it. Jesus, only like yesterday was “Tony Hawk’s skatepark” video game.
Good on him. It’s not easy losing super skillz.
I’m 48 and can relate. I recently stopped playing ice hockey after many, many years due to the increased recovery time and the beating that I would take from trying to keep up with 20-something teammates. I used to take ibuprofen after games to help things. Then it got to the point where I needed to take ibuprofen before games as a preventive measure. I have since hung up the skates and now focus on running, tennis and biking instead. Old age is a stone cold bitch.
Yeah, getting old is… less fun.
But I’m finding that (with biking, at least) it’s sometimes less about what I can/can’t do and more about what I choose to do (or not). For example: I choose to not ride my bike off cliffs over, say, 6 feet tall anymore. But I could. With consequences, of course.
Some day, mountain biking won’t be worth the hurt and I’ll move on to other things- and that’s ok. I’ll find the next thing to amuse myself and that’ll do for a while.
I guess one of the things that I like most of about the video from Tony above is that he says it’s his last 900. And the idea of the period at the end of that sentence is appealing. He’s made a choice to not do that stuff anymore (before his ability/age took it from him).
Man, he was fucking done at the end.
900? That’s only what, two and a half?
I’ll be impressed when I see him do a quad into a triple.
Dang, that was pretty awesome.
Just the headline makes my back hurt.
Respect.
THIS^ I passed a couple riding the trails a few years ago that had to be in their 60s or early 70s, but they seemed to be getting along just fine. I’ll probably get a 29er, slow things down a bit, go around the crazy drops, and just have fun. Most of my bad accidents were the result of over-confidence and stupid mistakes.
All my mountain bikes are still 26" wheels- which makes me, by default, the “old guy” on the trail most of the time.
Some day I’ll get a bike with bigger wheels. Maybe it’ll even have rear suspension!
I used to ride road bikes with some guys that were still really fast and capable bike handlers into their 70’s… and my folks ride, and they’re both retired. So there’s hope, I suppose.
29ers are a blast. Had a Surly Karate Monkey, which I’ve since sold (needed the money) but man, did I have fun on the trails.
If I had to do it all over again, I’d probably get a Pugsley or a Moonlander because I’ve heard either of those will turn you into a kid all over again. I know of no Pug or Moonlander owner who regretted their purchase.
I’ve not ridden one of the new-school fat bikes that seem to be so popular these days- I remember riding the Hanabrink fat bike back in the day and it being good for a laugh, but not something I’d want to own.
I do like my Surly- I’ve had a Steamroller since the first batch, and it’s an excellent value.
I dunno. Specialized is making this 27.5" thing:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/trail/sworks-stumpjumper-fsr-6fattie/107079
That’s somewhat enticing (though the S-Works version isn’t likely in my future…)
The 90s StumpJumper frame with horizontal dropouts offered so many possibilities. At the bike shop I used to work at, a co-worker had one rigged as a commuter with 2x7 gearing, drops, STIs, Big Apple tires, and a Surly rear rack. Very nimble in traffic and a lot of fun to ride everywhere else.
