Is age really just a number?

I started cycling at 42, during COVID-19 lockdown. I used to cycle as a child of course, but came back to it in a grown-up set up when going outside of your flat was a way to get a bit of freedom back. And cycling was a great way to explore, exercise a breathe air without a mask.

And I understand I will not conquer any professional podium (though never say never – I once was the 3rd at the amateur race and have a prize for it ). I also understand that it should not stop anyone from trying, because, if not now – when is the good time?

I have to admit, my mom was super worried first. It is hot (take care of your heart please!), there are cars around (please come back home safe), it is dangerous (and fun!). I proved her and many others wrong – I started with short rides, made my way around the island of Singapore, got professional cycling gear (and I am not afraid to wear my lycra even though I am not a skinny fatless cyclist, rather a female in the middle of perimenopause).

I have done some crazy challenges – like, having a 300km in one day (took me less than 14 hours to complete but everything was hurting). Or riding 1000km in 7 days – and I keep the ranking page where I am number 108 out of thousands athletes worldwide, including some strong professional cyclists. I participated in races in Malaysia and Singapore.

And every year I took my fat backside to ride for a charity in Cambodia; I realised that I can enjoy what I like (cycling) while helping others (underprivileged children from Battambang community). Every year I take myself through the torture of long days in the saddle, dust, sweat, occasional accidents, to get into the HOPE school in Battambang and help spread the word about what a small action can mean for these children.

And I am not the only one who is challenging the status quo.

I heard about a lady in Singapore, who, in her late 70s, mastered ChatGPT to create presentations for her Church

sermons using NotebookLM and the Pro version of GPT (she apparently ran out of tokens, a good problem to have )

I have a friend, who, at 55, decided to retire from her fitness business in Russia, and moved to Indonesia to volunteer in turtle conservation centres around Indonesia. She speaks Bahasa, operates digital devices, dives like I could never, and makes the videos that I am in awe with.

Someone wise once said – age is a matter of mind, if you don’t mind – it does not matter. And I agree, in the age of possibilities, the only limitation to your process of not aging is your mind(set).