FEATURE: What would you tell your 25-year-old self?

They say that with age comes wisdom, and when it comes to riding a bike experience can make a big difference to the outcome.
With the advent of age-adjusted timing systems the VTTA offers competitive cycling to veterans of any age.
But if they could turn the clock back, what words of advice would you give to your 25-year-old self? We asked a selection of veteran time triallists across the age groups that very question – and the responses were enlightening.

Now aged 66, Keith Dorling (pictured) has broken three age group records in his career so far, and still holds the 30-mile mark which he broke in 2018 when 59 years old.
“Make the most of being young,” he advised to his 25-year-old self. “It’s better to try and fail than to not try at all, no matter how hard it may be. You don’t want to have any regrets at not trying when you’re older.”
Wise words indeed, and something that 55-year-old Debbie Moss can identify with.
“Enjoy both the racing and the training,” she said. “Yes it’s hard, but you should look forward to going to a race, it’s ok to be nervous, but there should be some enjoyment from it.
“And listen to your body - if it needs rest, you need to rest and make sure you look after yourself properly.”
Looking after yourself was the theme too when we spoke to Eamonn Deane, whose 18-year-old record over 24 hours for a 48-year-old still stands today.
“Put that pint down and get on your bike!” he said. “I didn’t start riding properly until I was 26! I would tell that 26yr old to train harder, stop moaning and suck it up! I’m still telling myself that now!”
Linda Dewhurst has set three new age-related records this season, over 10, 15 and 25 miles, and would advise her younger self to try several different disciplines.
“I would suggest doing a good variety of disciplines, but if you want to specialise don’t get too obsessed by it, and enjoy!”
66-year-old Keith Ainsworth came to cycling later in life and looks back on being 25 with some mixed feelings, and although he still holds seven age-related VTTA records it’s still a case of ‘what if?’
He was a good runner in his younger days in Liverpool, and showed great potential. But a move to London with work shifted his focus elsewhere.
“I lasted only three months in continuing my training,” he admitted. “It was suddenly like being a student again but getting paid, and I was single... I couldn't resist the party lifestyle.
“I'm not sure what level I could have attained, but at least I would've liked to have known... should’ve, could've, would've?
“What would I have said to that 25-year-old? Stay in Liverpool? Tough one, because I had the best hedonistic few years ever in London between 1985 and 1989. But if I had the chance again I'd take the running, stay in Liverpool, exhaust my potential, and then go to London!”
Stress and self-belief has played a part in the younger cycling life of 60-year-old Deb Hutson-Lumb, who would tell her younger self: “Learn to manage pre-race stress and to believe what others are telling me about my time trialling ability.
“I was extremely good at getting excessively stressed before a race, often resulting in a DNS. I could also compromise my own performance just by seeing who else was on the start sheet and then convince myself I ‘wasn’t good enough’, despite lots of encouragement and positive feedback.
“Now, I look forward to racing and aim to put out my best performance on the day.”
Performance advice was something that Liam Maybank mentioned when we spoke to him.
"Take your time in races,” he said. “Your heart rate should be rising through the race not flat from mile one. This is still very difficult for me to do without a power meter. Races when I was 25 were just a bath in lactic acid!
"If you train easier most of the time you can train more, be less tired and faster.
“It would be quite difficult not give my 25-year-old self some pretty specific position advice as well, given it took years to work it all out and it has such a big effect.
“It was a very different world when I was 25,” he continued.
“The only available power meter cost as much as my whole bike and the saddle that makes anything longer than a ten bearable was literally being sketched out in Florida.
“I did my first 49-minute 25-mile time on the frame I had made when I was 25 so it wasn't far off what I needed, but it would never have worked that well without a split nose saddle, so my other advice to 25-year-old me would be to find the ISM saddle that's about to be invented!”
* Archive photos of Dewhurst and Dorling are by Kimroy Photography.

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