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Cairoli is killing it at 32 and Brayton is best ever at 34. It seems to be pressure is the career-ender if your expected to win (except Cairoli), not age. Maybe a new paradigm is arising which can create a whole new set of opportunities for late bloomers. (another link to similar topic) Racing and Age
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My 30's were my strongest years ( physically and mentally )......I see no reason why other dudes wouldn't feel the same way.
And there goes Jeffro. One of God's own prototypes. A super high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.
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Optimal? No. Possible to keep at it competitively, absolutely.
Personally, I think the McGrath theory of ‘you have 10 years’ is more critical than age.
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I don't think you lose much physical skill until 35. I think that's when the reflexes start to dim a little. The problem is mentally you continue to realize more every year how insanely dangerous motocross is and it effects your riding .....but, you also learn smarter ways to go the same speed.
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Early 30's could be very optimal....if you started racing at 16...and avoid the greatest trainer in MX history.
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Everts was arguably his best at the end of his career, which was 35 odd.
Graham Jarvis is making an argument for the 40s though. Turns 43 in a few weeks, and is presently the king of hard enduro.
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Dropbear wrote:
Smets did not ride a bike until he was 17. Still a world champ in his 30’s
Exactly...John Dowd ..much the same story...
I agree with some that your 30's can be your optimal time for physical ability and mental strength....But if you start riding at 15 like I did, then racing at 16 ,you are way behind a kid that has started at 5 or 6... On the other hand a lot of those kids are over it by 18 and probably have an impressive list of injuries...
It is what it is...to be one of these top pros now , you need to have acquired perfect technique...that takes most people that actually get to that point a long time to get there.
Everyone is different...I didn't start shaving til I was 25...really wasn't anywhere near my physical peak til after 30...
It's all relevant to the individual...but I'd say most pros are on the downhill slope past early 30's simply because they've been doing it way to long...
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KingsCourt wrote:
As long as you don't start at 4 or 5 years old, and what kind of injuries you've racked up.
Bingo.
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Dubach can make a strong case for old dudes ripping... and when I race the vet nationals at Boise, the old dudes 40-50 expert classes fucking are getting after it
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I believe that is has been proven that the body starts to decline at about 35 yrs old for a male. Basically heart, lung function, T-levels etc (even eye function) all begin to drop around that age. For some it probably starts in the very late 20's and for others maybe not until the very early 40's. I would guess the 30's could easily be peak years for someone who perhaps started late in a given sport, and has not accumulated the typical injuries, and also still has the mental drive to do whatever it takes to win. Don't the record books show that a SX title has never been won by someone over 30?
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It's optimal if the rider decides it is and takes the necessary physical and mental preparation, vs. accepting what society says. Look at cyclists, they seem to peak in 30/40's.
So assuming that there haven't been any seriously debilitating injuries that affect performance, it should be quite possible to be at your best in the 30's and beyond.
I saw JN Roberts at 62 take top 10 in the 30 + class with ease.
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BobKerr wrote:
I believe that is has been proven that the body starts to decline at about 35 yrs old for a male. Basically heart, lung function, T-levels etc (even eye function) all begin to drop around that age. For some it probably starts in the very late 20's and for others maybe not until the very early 40's. I would guess the 30's could easily be peak years for someone who perhaps started late in a given sport, and has not accumulated the typical injuries, and also still has the mental drive to do whatever it takes to win. Don't the record books show that a SX title has never been won by someone over 30?
I agree and . People tend to peak at different points in their lives, depending on a whole shit load of factors. I feel sorry for the guys that peak at 18. Crushing it at 30-40 is the shit.
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Most people hate turning 30 except for motocrosser's , I was looking forward to riding the vet class and then the Senior class when I turned 40 and super senior when I hit 50 
Ed Johnson
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It's at 28-34 that wisdom and physical ability kind of meet and create a cool sweet spot for athletes. Many variables can affect this but it seems to hold true. The one thing that seemed to fade from 40-59 for me was the ability to process information as quickly as I could in my 30s.
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I think the mental game is what becomes more difficult. In my younger 20's to almost 30 I didn't care much what happened to me at the track. As well as off the track. Then I got married, had kids, and that mindset changed. So, I'd say no, motocross is a young man's sport with a few exceptions in their 30's.
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Depends on the rider. Some guys can use the added experience to their advantage (Brayton), but some (most) are so busted up by 30 that they simply don't have the body left to run top 3..
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Die Antwoord
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There are many, many sporting disciplines where male athletes are at their prime in their early 30’s.
However elite level motocross carries with it a certain level of risk taking, for which I’d guess most people peak in the 18-25 range.
Combine those two things and it would seem that the mid twenties is prime combination period for motocross.
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anyone who has hit their 30's and older knows that the old wives tale of 'man strength' is not a joke. There are all sorts of medical science survey's and studies being done that show that physically and mentally men peak in our 30's.
Think about, our brains dont even fully develop until the age of 25. Our growth plates dont fully close until like 22-23. Men physically and mentally mature slower than females. Thats just biology. We get better with age.
The adage of motocross is over at 30 i believe is complete BS. There are more pro supercross riders at or over 30 than ever before. The advent of better training, better nutritional information, better physical therapy and recovery techniques, is all combining to unlock full physical potential and extend careers.
if you dont believe that look at the MMA world. The vast majority of the best of each weight class are in the late 20's through mid 30's. The culmination of years of experience, years of physical training, and sustained peak fitness had led to a massive development and change in culture. There are a lot of parallels between MMA and motocross from a training standpoint, and from a physical abuse standpoint.
Ever heard of a guy by the name of Yoel Romero? This is what a 40 year old man looks like (who by the way is dominating his division)
[img]https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2017/07/070617-ufc-yoel-2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all[/img]
With all the advances we have made just in the last decade alone, I will not be surprised to see a lot of future supercross/motocross pro's extending their careers into their mid 30's at all.
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BobKerr wrote:
I believe that is has been proven that the body starts to decline at about 35 yrs old for a male. Basically heart, lung function, T-levels etc (even eye function) all begin to drop around that age. For some it probably starts in the very late 20's and for others maybe not until the very early 40's. I would guess the 30's could easily be peak years for someone who perhaps started late in a given sport, and has not accumulated the typical injuries, and also still has the mental drive to do whatever it takes to win. Don't the record books show that a SX title has never been won by someone over 30?
ob wrote:
I agree and . People tend to peak at different points in their lives, depending on a whole shit load of factors. I feel sorry for the guys that peak at 18. Crushing it at 30-40 is the shit.
Yes it is!
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Your body is at its peak from 26-30 years old,. The problem is most guys don't know how to properly train until they are a little older so they feel stronger at 30-35.
Once you figure out your body and learn to train, you can actually be in much better shape into your 30s.
I trained hard when I raced, but I didn't know how to train. I figured out how to train when I was around 30 and knew my body, I was a beast well into my 40s until.
