We age. There is no getting around it, the medical community can’t stop it, and not many of us likes it.
So, knowing there are no magic formulas to keep us young, a lot of us try to fool ourselves into feeling younger than we are.
Plastic surgery can cover up a few things, eating well and staying active can fool you a bit, and take it from me, having kids in your mid 40’s will make you feel a bit younger too (most of the time).
For me, I chose to stay active, marry a younger woman, and ride the same crazy steep and technical trails I rode in my 20’s.
It works pretty well, and many days whenyounger riders join me, I can still hold my own.
At the end of the day I don’t feel 50, or what I thought 50 would feel like anyway.
But, no matter how immature I may be, or how hard I may ride, sometimes reality is unavoidable.
I was watching the world championship DH races last weekend. I’ve been following DH racing forever and I remember when the top racers in the world were a bit older than me, then the same age as me, then I stopped paying attention to age and just enjoyed the racing.
After the final racer came down and the 2018 World Champion was crowned, I checked out the results sheet to find where my favourite racer ended up. He’s Finn Isles, a racer out of Whistler.
He’s crazy fast and already a threat to win races in his first year at the top level. He finished 14th, which is a huge feat.
Then I scrolled right, and noticed his year of birth. 1999.
Holy crap.
I graduated in ’86, I’d already been a grown up for 13 years when he was born. It had me thinking I was old enough to be his dad, but in reality I am probably older than his parents, by a bunch.
It was like a punch in the gut. Apparently I’m 30 years past my prime. When did that happen?
Wow, it’s going to take a lot of steep, technical riding to get my ego over this one.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’…
