How true it is...

[RonK]

The real reason middle-aged men in Lycra dominate cycling.

[trailgumby]

The real reason middle-aged men in Lycra dominate cycling.

Spotted that yesterday. Great, fact-based article.

[Tim]

Good reading thanks Ron.
Pretty much sums it up for me.
"...the desire for good mental as well as physical health...", in equal measure.

[human909]

I wasn't engaged by the article or thought it particularly got to the heart of the topic.

There is already a perfectly good name for it a hobby.

Like many hobbies some can be done socially or alone. Competitively or casually. Like many hobbies the participants spends copious amounts of their money paying for the latest, greatest fastest and sleekest equipment.

It applies just as much to golf as it does to computer gamers. Countless other hobbies both athletic and non athletic. Also includes people who like fighting with fake magic, swords armor and other equipment. https://swordcraft.com.au/

(If you wanted to ask why specifically middle aged men I think it comes down to the athletic profile as much as anything.... Too mundane for most 20 year olds and to tiring for most 65 year olds...)

Pretty much sums it up for me.
"...the desire for good mental as well as physical health...", in equal measure.

No intention to deride your individual motivations but that statement applies to countless other athletic hobbies so isn't a good explanation of the occurrence of the MAMIL.


Just for some personal context: I'm not "middle aged" in most respects, though on an purely numerical basis I might be getting close. I'm am a male but I rarely wear lycra. I've been riding my bicycle for recreational/mental/fitness/transport reasons as long as I can remember. In the recent years it has been primarily for transport though that has changed depending on my commuting patterns. (I'm driving mostly now, so as a result I now have to deliberately choose to riding for mental/fitness reasons rather than it being incidental.)

My primary "hobby" is rock climbing. Cycling to me is as is as important yet often as mundane as walking. Most people walk, they take it for granted and it normally isn't a hobby and is often considered mundane. Yet take that capability away is a drastic life change. So in that context I value cycling above my hobby.

[RonK]

The point of this article is that a mid-life crisis is not the source of motivation.

Our findings contradict the popular view of a Mamil as someone going through a mid-life crisis, with riding substituting the roar of a sports car or other interests associated with men of a certain age feeling life is passing them by.

The three motivating themes described in the article are not the sole province of MAMILS, they shared by cyclists of all ages. The mode of cycling may vary from mountain biking to road cycling to touring but for many the motivations remain the same.

They certainly resonate strongly with me, have motivated me from a young age, and continue to do so even though I'm well past middle age and rarely wear lycra or ride a roadie these days. And perhaps explain why my intermittent forays into to competitive cycling were never very successful - I often found myself daydreaming and smelling the flowers when I should have been doing a hard training ride.

Now they motivate me to go solo touring, an activity I think of as recreation and struggle to consider as a mere "hobby". Whatever, I don't need a label for it.

And while I use a bicycle daily for transport, I do pity those to whom riding a bicycle is merely a mundane transport activity.

[Tim]

(If you wanted to ask why specifically middle aged men I think it comes down to the athletic profile as much as anything.... Too mundane for most 20 year olds and to tiring for most 65 year olds...)

Tim wrote:
Pretty much sums it up for me.
"...the desire for good mental as well as physical health...", in equal measure.


No intention to deride your individual motivations but that statement applies to countless other athletic hobbies so isn't a good explanation of the occurrence of the MAMIL.

There are a host of other motivating factors for me. It's far more involved than simply athletic or health interest.
I readily acknowledge the tech appeal but as with most tech devices the "buzz" of a new gadget or even a new carbon bike doesn't last long or sustain long term cycling motivation. Shiny old style steel bikes raise more excitement than the new stuff. New gear, bikes, gadgets, clothing etc. contribute to but don't define or drive my cycling (obsession ).

The underlying and major factor extends right back to childhood days.

That is the deep sense of independence and freedom gained from owning, riding, maintaining and repairing a mechanically simple but extremely appealing and functional machine.

As a kid a bike provided freedom from parents themselves and their occasional and unreliable supply of transport, much the same as the often non-existent public transport system. I could fix and maintain my bike and independently ride out to friends places, school, sports events, just about anywhere within my extended-by-bike range.
That sensation continued into early adulthood when I realised the further extended range capability and utility of bikes as transport after completing one of the first Great Victorian Bike Rides. The extension of this was taking up club racing which provided a whole new set of motivating, thrilling and rewarding experiences.
In more recent times loaded touring has opened up another avenue supporting that sensation of independence and freedom.
These are the things that drive me.

Oh, and riding in the country on a mild, sunny Sunday mornings like this isn't bad either.
It's time to get on my bike and off the electronics.

[RonK]

The underlying and major factor extends right back to childhood days.

That is the deep sense of independence and freedom gained from owning, riding, maintaining and repairing a mechanically simple but extremely appealing and functional machine.

As a kid a bike provided freedom from parents themselves and their occasional and unreliable supply of transport, much the same as the often non-existent public transport system. I could fix and maintain my bike and independently ride out to friends places, school, sports events, just about anywhere within my extended-by-bike range.
That sensation continued into early adulthood when I realised the further extended range capability and utility of bikes as transport after completing one of the first Great Victorian Bike Rides. The extension of this was taking up club racing which provided a whole new set of motivating, thrilling and rewarding experiences.
In more recent times loaded touring has opened up another avenue supporting that sensation of independence and freedom.
These are the things that drive me.

Like.

[brumby33]

I certainly fit the MAM but decline the IL at the end due to the never ending references of us such folks in today's society and the somewhat awkward hatred that Lycra seems to attract.
It's a pity though because this cycling kit is made specifically with cycling in mind due to it's ability to shed sweat away, hug your leg muscles to keep them warm and stop your butt from getting sore...I do have some and have worn them but a couple of my mates have told me they won't ride with me if I wear such garb....so....I've either just worn some baggy cargo shorts with jocks or hide my lycra underneath said baggy shorts
I rarely use the Lycra these days as my weight and shape would probably stir up some weird emotions in some if i ride with others....
I ride to increase fitness and try to keep in some kind of shape (Round is a shape is it not ) I ride to work although it's not that far, maybe 4-5 k's from my place....but my interest like some here is towards loaded touring, going somewhere and enjoying the journey rather than just the destination taking time to soak it all in....that's what i'm trying to build myself up to doing.
I guess too it's a bit of a hobby or major interest which i suppose may fall into the hobby category but i never find it mundane. Loving the New Vivente Patagonia....what a bike!!
In my job, I'm sitting down for nearly 9 hours a day driving buses, day in and day out and cycling is the only exercise that i can comfortably fit into my day...it has taken a major toll n my body and health not to mention that i've stupidly been a smoker for many of my younger and not so younger years.....it's not getting any easier to keep moving. I've chucked the smoking so that I can at least give myself some chance of correcting some of the damage i may have caused myself over the decades.....
As for middle age crises....well I personally don't find anything wrong with middle age crisis...i've had many but only 1 has involved anything with a motor...my Suzuki V-Strom has taken me to some fantastic places....still got it and won't sell it....but I think what we relate to being a Midlife crisis is an opportunity to make sure our life is not just about work and paying bills but to get out there and live it a little before it's way too late.....but it's usually this time in our lives that we're financially more comfortable to be able to have some interests.....Middle age generally means that is the time when most people become empty nesters and that's when it starts to hit home.

I personally think it's great to see some of the older retirees get into cycling rather than sit home and dying or drink themselves to death, I think it's more an awareness today that 60 is the new 50 or earlier and i certainly hope that when it's my turn to retire from work (if ever) , that I too can still enjoy to ride a bicycle or even tour on one, lycra or not!!

Cheers

brumby33

[human909]

The point of this article is that a mid-life crisis is not the source of motivation.

Fair enough that was a point that I overlooked largely because that point quite inane.

A 'mid-life' crisis is a caricatured and loosely defined term and could readily include the motivations they found. But if choosing a caricature, doing some research and then proving that caricature wrong gets you a published paper then good on you!

I'm pretty sure we could have quickly come up with similar conclusions in a poll here! I think we can all agree on many benefits from cycling and share numerous similar motivations. But I don't think many of here would agree with the premise of the research.

[g-boaf]

I don't get why everyone has to bother with trying to classify everyone else. Frankly it p!sses me off.

Just ride your bikes for heavens sake and stop worrying about what everyone else is wearing or riding. If another rider looks like they are in trouble and need help, stop and see if they are okay. Simple!

Funny thing, it seems like the more elite the rider is (especially the really top pro cyclists), the less they seem to be caught up on stupid stereotypes, and also they seem to be super easy going and really nice to everyone else. If they can be like that, then why can't ordinary riders do the same? It's not that hard.

[RonK]

I don't get why everyone has to bother with trying to classify everyone else. Frankly it p!sses me off.

What are you ranting about? Did you even read the article?

If reading about the things which really motivate a fequently ridiculed and maligned group pisses you off, then prepare to be pissed off a lot more. I'll certainly be posting any such material I happen across.

[human909]

I don't get why everyone has to bother with trying to classify everyone else. Frankly it p!sses me off.

Funny thing, it seems like the more elite the rider is (especially the really top pro cyclists), the less they seem to be caught up on stupid stereotypes

Did you really just classify some riders as elite riders and and then cast a comment on a stereotype you've observed?

[g-boaf]

I don't get why everyone has to bother with trying to classify everyone else. Frankly it p!sses me off.

What are you ranting about? Did you even read the article?

I did quickly scan through it and didn't think much of it.

Perhaps this insight could help raise awareness of both the physical and psychological merits of the sport and encourage a wider range of people to take part.

Rubbish. Make the roads a safer feeling place for everyone to ride on, then you might have more people taking up riding either for purposes like transportation and perhaps as a flow on from that into the sports side of riding.

While they see hatred spewing from the columns of our newspapers, from the mouths of idiots on the radio and as a flown on from that, the videos of what riders have to encounter on the road, no amount of university insights on psychological and physical benefits will do anything. The average person will say, sure I could get fit and my mind will be great, but some road-raging driver is going to try and run me off the road. Yeah, that's going to be a hard sell. Factor in the massively lop-sided crack down on riders by authorities, while crack downs on infringements of the 1m passing laws are extremely rare and you have the perfect way to deter people from riding a bike.

[fat and old]

Funny thing, it seems like the more elite the rider is (especially the really top pro cyclists), the less they seem to be caught up on stupid stereotypes, and also they seem to be super easy going and really nice to everyone else.

FWIW...and not buying into a commentary on the article....the nicest bloke I ever rode with/behind as a random was some African Wildlife Safari fella. Big assed bearded bloke. Really good with the pointing out of hazards (I really didn't think it was a "thing" until this), smooth as, actually seemed to sense when I was approaching the limit and adjusted his speed for me (severe headwind bayside) which really surprised me, happy to sit on me at my somewhat less than "pro" speed . Friendly too.

Good ride that

Oh yeah...and the tri and roadie girls down south. Although I think their friendliness has a touch of smackdown in it as they pass