Motorcycle Racing & Broken Ribs: You’re Too Old For That

“You’re Too Old For That” is a regular series that explores inspiring activities being pursued by those over 50 years old who feel you’re never too old to do what lights you up.

It’s amazing the activities that excited you as a kid or teen that get unceremoniously shoved down life’s priority list.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed riding a motorcycle in the woods as a kid – and riding motorcycles in general was a part of my family – I just let the activity go as I went from college to building a career in various cities to raising my family. In my 20s and early 30s, it just didn’t fit in with my city-based lifestyle; I didn’t even own a car during that time much less a motorcycle. In my mid-30s, I got married and started raising a family pretty quickly. But, now living in the suburbs, I started to think about riding with a street motorcycle which at first seemed better than going back in the woods. The street riding idea worried my wife. As a father with two young boys, my wife asked why would I take the risk of becoming road pizza while taking care of the family – she had a good point. Just driving around town in my car, the amount of bad drivers on the road is pretty startling, witnessing near-accidents and passing by big accidents on the road.

So my father-in-law, a great dirt bike racer in his day, suggested I try riding in the woods again and getting involved with what’s called Enduro Racing. Enduros involve riding across multiple terrains, including single-track in the woods, with other enduro riders. Yes, you often crash (especially when you are not particularly skilled), but at most you’ll break a bone and not get run over by a car on a highway. With my wife’s blessing, I bought my first off-road motorcycle and began to ride. It was thrilling to be back on a dirt bike again, although I found myself way more tentative on the bike than when I was 14. I wondered why I had not done this sooner in my adult life.

Sena with his sons at an enduro; photo by Carolyn Barber

I read books about riding, practiced in the woods by myself and even took lessons to learn better technique – I was all in. Many people assume riding a motorcycle like this doesn’t take much endurance or strength, but it does – so much so that I had to get in better shape to ride the way that I wanted. Good incentive to get an exercise routine going. My cousin, Mike Sena, a highly experienced street rider of Harleys and Ducatis, also got into enduros and back into the woods and suddenly I had a partner to help teach me more and push me to get out there. He is much more skilled than I am and I struggle to keep up, but we both agree it’s a great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday.

“(Don) actually got me back into riding on the dirt. I thought he was crazy,” said Sena. “Partially because of our age and partially because of the limited places to ride. Anyway, the thought kind of stuck with me…. then I started looking at the classifieds. I found and bought an old KTM 2 stroke. First time out, we went to Connecticut; it was like having to learn to walk again … the skill set I had when I was younger was pretty much gone. I think we rode maybe 3 miles that day, but I was beat. However, I was hooked. That was almost 10 years ago and quite a few dirt miles ago. As far as riding with (Don), it is always a good time getting out in the woods, but I think it is more about continued connection. So often friendships with family members fade over time as life becomes life… which is busier and busier. It is nice to have a commonality that extends beyond a couple of hours on the holidays and an excuse to get together.”

When joining the East Coast Enduro Association, the organizing body of many motorcycle enduro races in the Northeast, they place you in division based on your age and riding ability. You know you’ve chosen a rough hobby when the division for people hitting 50 years old is ‘super senior.’ Not even ‘senior’ – that’s reserved for those in their 40s. And while being really competitive at this sport is for the younger set, you still see people in their 50s, 60s and even 70s climbing on top of their dirtbikes and riding single-track through the woods.

I did not finish my first four enduros. Enduros are timed events with various checkpoints along the roughly 100-mile course. If you get more than 1 hour behind at any checkpoint, you need to end your race in what is called “houring out.” I just was not fast enough through the course. And having seasoned riders passing you in the woods on single-track is at the least nerve-raking and at worst caused me to crash. On one particular enduro, I fell and broke my ribs, which ended my day and that riding season. Friends often asked rhetorically, “are you a bit too old for this particular sport?” But, I kept riding and kept pushing to be better and finally, at 53 years old, I finished my first enduro. Although I finished last in my Super Senior category, it did not matter. I finally avoided the dreaded DNF (Did Not Finish) designation and actually had a time and a score. My riding buddies, whom finished way ahead of me, and my family high-fived me as if I just won the Super Bowl – and I felt like it.

At 57 years old now, I am on my third dirt bike – moving up from a 250 four-stroke to a 300 two-stroke at my cousin’s suggestion. My sons both got involved with riding and love it – a perfect way to spend a day together and bonding. I’ve since finished more enduros and my wife and kids are my pit crew during those events – refilling my gas tank and getting me food and water while I take a short rest at stop points. I don’t know how long I will ride enduros or even just make my way around the woods, but I’m motivated to keep going as long as I can. I quickly got over the 20-somethings zooming by me and sometimes running me off the single-track and make my own goals. My next goal is to run an enduro with my sons. Another goal is to understand the actual motorcycle better – by performing more maintenance on it and get more self-sufficient with the bike vs. having to bring it to a mechanic for everything.

Don and Mike Sena; photo by Carolyn Barber

I am most glad that I actually chased my childhood passion of riding later in life and rediscovered the thrill and fun of this sport. This is easily one of those endeavors that I could have kept thinking about but never acted upon and added it to my list of regrets later in life. Even with multiple bruises, a few broken ribs and one concussion – it remains something I look forward to each season and something I want to get better at each time. Will I feel the same way at 65 years old? We’ll see.

Are you doing something inspiring? Do you know someone who is pursuing a passion in their older years? If you or someone you know is 50 years old or older and should have their inspiring story told, please email the editors at Nifty 50+