Is it too late?

It's never too late, that's why here in the US we have Cat 5 (lowest/beginners racing category) Masters (35+ yrs old).

Not to mention it isn't unheard of for someone in his/her early/mid-20s discovering cycling and getting to the highest levels (Evelyn Stevens comes to mind, I know there have been others)...I wouldn't COUNT on it, but if you've got the engine, it's possible.

You're not even close to 'too late' many if not most US amateur cyclists started when they were older than you are now. Go to races and you might see a handful of juniors in the younger age brackets but hundreds of older riders including many masters racers.

FWIW, I started racing in college in my mid '20s and yeah I wondered if it was too late as most of the guys I knew at the time who were winning races started as juniors. Well it took a few years but I trained and learned to be competitive in different events, upgraded a couple of times and more than 25 years later I'm still at it and still enjoying the sport.

You should look around for a local cycling club that's open to newer riders. Do some web searches for your state bike racing organization who should have a list of member clubs and teams. Or ask around at local bike shops that cater to high end riders and racers. In fact many shops offer weekend shop rides that are a great way to figure out pack riding, meet folks and find out about local teams you might join. Joining a team is one of the best ways to learn to ride fast and safely and to get ready for racing.

Good luck,
-Dave

There's a few easy things you can do.

1. Join a club.
There's hundred of clubs in the UK and each will have many riders of different levels as well as riders who don't necessarily want to ride hard all the time. Maybe right now a Sunday morning club run with the old timers who can impart some useful advice and cycling etiquette will help you get enough seat time and used to riding in a bunch. Mix it up with midweek time trials (yes you can do these on a road bike) or some runs with the local "chain gang"...

2. Enter races.
Time trials are the easiest races to get into. Normally 10, 25, 50 or 100 miles. There's a few 12 and 24 hour events too. The 10's and 25's will be best for you right now and most districts (they follow county boundaries usually) offer a few time trials each weekend during the summer. Some clubs offer midweek time trials too.

Road Races require a license from British Cycling. You enter the races and if you finish at or near the front then you gain points towards an upgrade. This ranking system means that you won't start racing against the likes of Team Sky should they decide to ride a few events at home...

3. Find a coach.

Unlike America, coaches don't cost an arm and a leg. I remember back in the 90's paying $5 per week and that included two turbo training session sessions on a very expensive Kingcycle rig and tea and biscuits after the sessions and after races too if he went out to watch or to give one of us a ride!

abcc.co.ukabccFindACoach.aspxOpen ↗

In addition there's a number of good coaches available on line too but this usually seems to work out better if you have a power meter or cycling computer than can record the data of your rides so you can send them to the coach. Ric Stern and Alex Simmons offer sound advice and can be found at RST Sports for example - those guys hang out on these forums too and provide lots of good advice, hence the shameless plug. Alex is a sound bloke and an inspiration.

4. Don't forget the obvious. Fun!
For most of us its about having fun. If it's not going to be paying the bills then it's all about fun. While you should spend some time figuring what you might want to do when you start out try it all. Whilst it might not seem obvious when you're hanging on for dear life on the back of the bunch during your first road race, lungs on fire, legs hurting even more than your lungs... at the end of the race you should be able to gain some satisfaction from it and a desire to get better.

I started cycling when I was 20. I am 21 now and I'm training to become a pro in a few years. If you have the genetics it's absolutely not to late.