MTB at 75? You’re NOT too old, says North Shore Betty

“I’m going to be 76 this fall, and I’d be happy to be 70 again. Seventy seems young to me.”

It’s right around the time that we started riding. I happened to be watching my favorite male rider, Remy Metailler, and you were riding things that I don’t think I have the bravery to ride. I was looking at you and then realized we have to talk to Betty because there are just too few examples of people demonstrating how amazing life can be when we get into those years that people, you know, really associate with just decline.

When you were my age, when you were in your 50s, did you ever think that you would still be riding, not only a mountain bike but the North Shore? I think I just kind of took it for granted. I was kind of more in the now in one respect. I didn’t envision I’d still be riding, but in another sense, I didn’t really think about it. I don’t know if that makes any sense.

Now, going back, can you give us your background story about how you ended up here? So, I discovered a lot of people who did sports when I went to university, and that’s when I really started hiking and backpacking, playing tennis, and you know, I started weight training then. I started mountaineering in my early 20s, discovered windsurfing in my late 20s, and then I decided I really wanted to get into it. I was a flight attendant at the time, so I transferred to Hawaii; that became my base. I started competing and sailing in the waves, windsurfing. My ex-husband gave me a mountain bike for Christmas just before my son was born, but I never rode it, really. I just didn’t have time to, and I wasn’t interested. I used my free time to ride my road bike. We did a lot of summer camping, car camping when Hayden was really little, like from his first summer as a baby. I always took my mountain bike with me; it was always on the roof of the car. So, I rode around the campgrounds and the local trails that weren’t much. As a single parent at that time, I just didn’t have time to exercise myself, look after Hayden, go to work, and exercise the dog, so I decided to combine the two. Then, I got a real mountain bike around when I was about 45. I really just dove into it because I was hooked from the get-go.

I was really surprised to learn that you were originally a road cyclist. Were you putting in some big miles before you went to mountain biking? Yeah, quite a bit. I used to go on road biking trips. My husband and I would go to Arizona and do 100-mile days. I just loved road biking so much. People were talking about mountain biking, and I just thought, “Oh my gosh, there’s just no comparison.” I was new to it, but riding a road bike is kind of like driving a Ferrari, and being on a mountain bike is like riding the ultimate off-road vehicle.

I want to know, where does the bravery come from? You have to want it, whatever it is you’re doing, you have to want it. If your heart’s in it, it kind of surpasses all the stuff that goes on in your brain, all the dialogue that makes you hesitate. If you’re really passionate about something, you just go for it. It’s funny, just coming back to Remy for a second, just by watching him ride, and obviously, his terrain and my terrain here in Ontario are completely different. However, there are some really steep things that I would have balked at before. I really learned from him, you know, he has this whole thing like “creep, peep, be up on your legs, and then bend your legs and push through the compression.” All of a sudden, I was just riding right into those things. Here I am at 56, 100% braver than I was at 46.

You build on your skills, you build on your confidence. If you don’t use training and lessons and build your skills, you’re going to scare yourself off.

One of the things I love about you is that in that ride you did with Remy, you said to him, “Give me some tips if you think my technique could be better.” You realize, like, I watch you ride and think I’d love to be able to ride like you. Now I know that I’ve got a lot of years ahead of me to accomplish my mission, but you also always have to be learning, right? Absolutely, we’re never done learning. I just went to Ride Lab, which is a women’s get-together with instruction for three days with lots of pros teaching, and I loved it. Especially because I come from old school, some of those techniques are ingrained, you know, survival techniques. Old school is the way with the geometry of bikes, for one thing. So, the way we used to have to ride to adapt to that geometry and the brakes has really changed. The trails have really changed. There are still some very janky trails out there, of course, which is kind of my comfort zone. My comfort zone is not, even though I rode A-Line a lot at the Whistler Bike Park in my 50s and 60s, it wasn’t my comfort zone. I went pretty fast, but still, because we didn’t have that when we first started riding.
Let’s talk about our mental game a bit. What happens between the ears becomes the biggest limiting factor. A lot of people get to a certain age and start thinking about what they can’t do. I’m always talking about how normal aging is not normal; it’s just people accepting what they think is normal. This is why it’s so important to see somebody like you.

I think people, as they age, need to expect more of themselves. For instance, if you have a crash, get back on the horse. Don’t give up. You might have to hold back a little bit, and you may regain your confidence, but if you don’t, don’t beat yourself up. You’re still out there in the forest riding mountain bike trails. Maybe you’re not riding double blacks anymore, maybe you’re just riding blacks or maybe riding blues, but you’re still out there.

I’ve had to go from riding double blacks to not so much because of a few crashes or injuries. But I don’t ride double blacks anymore. I might ride the odd double black feature on a black trail, but generally speaking, I don’t ride double blacks anymore. That was a hard transition for me to give up because I loved all those features, but now I’m totally comfortable riding blacks, and I’m very happy to be at that level. My plan is to ride blacks throughout my 70s and hopefully ride blues throughout my 80s and greens in my 90s. That’s my goal.

We definitely have to keep riding our bikes, or if you can’t ride your bike, don’t let go of something you’re passionate about. Keep active. Hopefully, there are some people watching here that haven’t found their thing that lights them up. Whatever that is, start challenging yourself and go with it. A lot of people watching this will be road cyclists and gravel cyclists, and that’s amazing. The challenge for you could be a century ride this summer or a century ride or three, you never know.

I do want to talk about the elephant in the room for those people who think mountain bikers like us are crazy because my road cycling friends do think that I’m crazy. I’m going to set up a collection of your injuries and let me see if I’ve got them all. These are just mountain biking injuries, right? Early on, you broke your arm and dislocated your shoulder. You’ve torn your rotator cuff a few times, broken your hand and the opposite wrist, and there are plates somewhere in there on both sides, correct? You have scars on your legs, but that’s just part of the course when you’re learning to mountain bike. You’ve broken lots of ribs. I saw on Instagram, just looking at my notes here because I’m going to quote you, you said, “Oops, play hard, pay hard, but darn it, I’ll be back just in time for riding in the snow,” and I went, “Yes!”
Let me contrast this with a comment from a gentleman I read a couple of years ago, and it stuck in my head ever since. He said he was 64 and said, “I love riding my bike, but now I’m in my 60s, and I think I have to give it up because I might fall and break something,” and I thought that was so sad. That’s potentially more risky than staying on the bike. What do you think? I think if you keep the momentum going, be consistent. Just stay on your bike. If you have a crash and injure yourself, get back on the horse. We’re all going to crash; it’s going to happen. But if you know your limits, you’re always going to push your limits because that’s kind of the thrill. You have all this experience behind you, and you just have to keep going and keep doing it.

Let’s look at the comments from people on your videos. One comment says, “All good until you crash at this age, and you’re done. I’m 72.” Another says, “One fall and she’s dead or maimed for the rest of her life. This is just irresponsible.” That’s hilarious and not indicative of what people think. They want to keep doing this stuff. I think we can.

Sometimes I think about it and think, “Okay, I could stop riding blacks and just ride blues,” but there’s no guarantee.

I mean, you can hurt yourself on a little pebble. Think about riding blocks and riding at your level where you’re comfortable. You’re focused, and sometimes you ride something easier when you’re relaxed and not paying as much attention. That’s one thing I love about the sport—you have to be focused all the time. So, what are you going to do? Stop riding your bike because you might fall? I mean, yeah, you could be 25 and fall and crash on your bike. You can crash at any age. Yes, your bones are more brittle as you get older, but you’re going to heal. You’ll heal. It is a drag to crash at this age because it takes longer to recover. I always worry about injuries—both injuries I’ve had on my arms this last year and a half. The outcome is not great; I have permanent damage in both of them. But I can still ride my bike. I just don’t have proper articulation to do other activities, so I can still ride my bike.

I’m always telling our audience that, as cyclists, whatever kind of bike you’re riding, we’re probably in the 90th percentile compared to people our age because most people really aren’t actively involved in a sport once they hit middle age and beyond. When we’re talking about risk vs. reward, there’s such a big risk in not doing anything. You’re more likely to put on weight, and weight gain is associated with metabolic diseases and a whole host of other risk factors. You’re not out of the woods by doing nothing.

No, no, I think you’re more at risk by doing nothing. Mentally and physically, you’re just going to atrophy. People in their 40s and 50s start saying, “Well, I’m getting older now, so I can’t do this, can’t do that.” I actually had coffee with a very dear friend of ours—she’s a decade younger than us—and her boyfriend, and he said to me, “You know, I’m turning 50 and I can’t help but feel like my best years are behind me.” I feel the exact opposite. When I turned 50, I said, “I’m pretty sure that our best years are ahead of us,” because there’s a lot of struggle in the first part of life. Life is tough; learning to do everything is tough. What would you tell someone who’s at that midpoint in life and feeling a little down about it?

I hear that a lot because I bike with a lot of 30 and 40-year-olds, and sometimes they say, “Oh yeah, I’m getting old, I’m 40, I’m getting old.” I just say, “I’m going to be 76 this fall, and I’d be happy to be 70 again. 70 seems young to me.” I’m just trying to encourage them to realize they’re not old. Yes, they’re older, but they’re not old. As long as you keep yourself active, you keep your body nimble, strong, and fit. I see a lot more people not giving up than I did 20 years ago. I think the Baby Boomers aren’t giving up. There are so many more seniors out doing stuff and continuing to do stuff than there used to be. This is just the tip of the iceberg. I think people are getting it—that you don’t give up.

I think you’re right because we were just riding at one of my favorite places in Ontario, the Hydro Cut, which is probably an hour away from Toronto. They’re building all these features and everything—things we don’t usually get here. I’m seeing a lot of people who are definitely in their 60s riding all this stuff, and it’s so exciting. People my age, like Gen X, we’re the generation that grew up with mountain bikes. Now I’m seeing those people still riding, so I think that’s a really good sign. You posted something really interesting about how you used to hide your age because you were riding with people decades younger than you. Of course, you were.

Yeah, that’s just kind of logical at this point. But I hurt myself in a gardening accident and severed some tendons. Apparently, I also do extreme gardening. I’ve hurt myself gardening just as much as mountain biking. It was really the medical community saying, “Well, do you really need to be that strong?” And I said, “I need to be strong, I’m a mountain biker.” They basically said I should probably find a different sport. I love this because you came home and sent them Patagonia’s feature film about you.

Yeah, the surgeon was an unusual character. When I went back to get a new splint on my arm, the physiotherapist was making a new splint that would allow me to keep my arm straight instead of bent. I said, “Can I start riding the stationary bike and going hiking?” because I wasn’t allowed to do anything for a month. They said, “Uh-oh, you’re back into a 90° splint, you can’t be doing that stuff yet.” The surgeon was sitting right there, and he goes, “Yeah, and she’s going to ride her bike into her 90s.” So I knew he had watched the video. We just have to keep pushing on.

I want to know, I think you said not long ago, “No way to e-bikes,” but now you’ve got an e-bike. It enables you to ride more. You can ride an e-bike on a rest day, for instance, or I can ride my e-bike when I go with really fit people who are doing a climb because I can’t keep up with the 30 and 40-year-olds climbing. So I go on my e-bike, and it’s just super fun. Whatever it takes to keep you in the sport, as far as I’m concerned.

Absolutely, 100%. I see a lot of people in their 60s riding e-bikes, and they’re riding blocks or double blocks on their e-bikes, and they’re just really having a lot of fun. Unfortunately, they’re expensive, but ideally, if you could have both bikes, that would be great.

So you’re still riding both, right? Your regular bike?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I think that’s an adaptation people can make when they get to a certain point that keeps them in the game.

Absolutely, and they’re making them lighter and lighter with still a significant amount of torque, power, and wattage. The industry around e-bikes is evolving pretty quickly.

Remy rides his e-bike a lot; it’s not just an age thing.

Yeah, yeah. A few of the commenters have picked up on an element of what makes you unique, and it’s a theme that runs through the comments. It’s about play, which I think is like fitness for the soul. We have fitness for our body, but I think play is fitness for the soul. I want to read you a couple of them. Deborah 628 says, “Betty, you’re amazing. I’m a female mountain biker in my 60s living in Ontario. Hi, Deborah, hope to see you on the trails. I’ve never ridden anything like this trail. Wow, trail riding is all about having fun and enjoying the experiences. Too many people forget to play. It’s the offset to the work and responsibilities we’ve shouldered for years.”

Absolutely, yeah.

And then I’ll add a second one. ABA Tibi Doug says, “What you see here is a fine example of how you don’t stop doing fun things when you get old, but rather you get old when you stop doing fun things.”

Oh, that’s beautiful. So true, so true. We grow up with a sense of play, and somewhere along the line, people lose sight of it.

Yes, too many people put their whole life on hold because they have to work. Then they save it for their retirement, but you have to play your whole life. Some people get to retirement and don’t have the health to do the things they always thought they would do.

That’s right.

I feel like when I was researching for this, I feel like you kind of nailed the work-life balance early in your life.

I just feel so fortunate to have had the lifestyle. I knew when I graduated from university that I didn’t want to be a teacher or go to another year of university and become a teacher. I just felt I was too young, too immature. My landlord was an airline pilot, and his wife had been a flight attendant— you weren’t allowed to be married in those days. He said, “Why don’t you join the airlines?” I said the only thing I knew was that I did not want to work Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. That was my one parameter. So he said, “Join the airlines,” and I did. I really wanted to be more of an academic in my career and life. I wanted to go back and get my master’s, but I got hooked. I was just going to do it for two years, but I got hooked into the lifestyle, and I stuck with it for 37 years. It was a really great life and a perfect job for being a single mom.

I’m going to move now into the more tactical side of things with cardio, strength, and stability. Overwhelmingly, the comments are, “75? She looks like 45. She looks decades younger,” and I mean, we all want that. I hear that a lot, “Oh, you don’t look your age.” But I have a problem with that phrase. I think it should be, “You don’t walk your age.” It’s not your face; it’s how you carry yourself, how you move, how you feel. I’d be very proud if people said, “You don’t move like your age.”

What I’m going to do is show this post from Instagram of you rolling this enormous slab. You have your helmet on, and if I didn’t know who was rolling that slab, I just want to imprint that in my brain so that the next steep thing I have to do, I want to emulate the way you’re moving

Where’s that kind of fluidity coming from? Are you doing yoga? Are you stretching? What are you doing to maintain that flexibility?

Well, it’s very important to stretch. I mean, I’ve been an intermittent stretch and yoga person all my life since my early 20s, but it’s never been enough. I’m mad at myself for not being more flexible. But I think there’s also that kind of flexibility, the mental flexibility, you know? When you go out on the trail, you just have to think loose. Sometimes if something is scary, you kind of stiffen up. You just have to think loose. I would say ever since I was injured, I am committed to stretching. It’s not a lot, but it doesn’t take a lot. I do it every time just to keep being a well-oiled machine because I know what it feels like to not be that. 99.9% of the comments are positive, but people have opinions. This one I find hilarious. Obviously, she looks great and has good shape. It’s very simple genes. All caps genes. genes is her 85% success. That’s why some people could smoke all their lives and die at over 100 or go through war or handle hunger and disease. So, , did you just get a lucky hand in life?

I never thought of myself as an athlete because when I was growing up, through my 20s and 30s, people didn’t call themselves athletes unless you were on the Olympic rowing team or whatever. About five or six years ago, one of my friends said to me that she thought I was one of the best recreational athletes, and I went, “Oh, I guess maybe I am an athlete.”

I saw you last fall when you broke your wrist, was it?
Yes.

And you were in the gym lifting weights, and you mentioned that it’s so critical. I’m just wondering, are you keeping that up? You mentioned that you started strength training young. I didn’t do that, but is that something that’s important to you?

Oh, absolutely. I think I’ve said to you before, in my early 20s, late teens, I decided that in those days you called it exercise. Now you call it working out or fitness or whatever. But I decided that exercise was my life insurance policy to be able to go through my old age being active. I look back now and think that was quite forward-thinking of me in that era. I think it’s part genes, part environment. I grew up with the mentality that there was no such word as “can’t.” I heard that from my parents. So, I grew up with a very can-do attitude. You know, it’s not over till it’s over. Do your best and don’t give up, that sort of thing. My mom never did sports, but she was a really hard worker. She took up tennis at 50 and became a really good tennis player and was still playing at 87. My dad was a skier and an outdoorsman. So, yes, it’s part genes, part environment.

You also said diet was part of your insurance policies. People were asking in the comments what you eat. People were saying, “I bet she doesn’t eat any candy or chocolate.” So, what’s the secret around diet?
Well, I was really lucky because, in my 20s, I discovered this book by Adele Davis, a very early nutritionist. I read that book, and right in my early 20s, I decided that I was going to start eating better. By my early 30s, I had completely eliminated meat from my diet. When my son graduated from high school, I eliminated chicken. I very rarely eat fish now, but mostly I have a plant-based diet. So, yes, I decided a long time ago that nutrition is very key. A crappy diet can make you feel really sluggish. It’s not just about building proper muscles and cells; it’s about how you feel. Food feeds how you feel.

You mentioned earlier about your recovery days. I really don’t mind structured training. I like to challenge myself. I do some zone two heart rate rides and max heart rate effort once a week. I don’t mind that stuff. Trail days are whatever the trail throws at me. But every once in a while, I wake up and know it’s a recovery day. Do you find that?

Yes, I find that as I’m getting older, recovery days are more and more important. About six or seven years ago, I went on a 7-day ski touring trip. I skied for three days, then took a rest day because my feet were sore. Then I skied really hard the last three days. When I came home, it took me three days to recover because I had put out so much energy. Whatever I put out and how many days in a row, there’s going to have to be a recovery equivalent to the amount of energy put out.

I think one of the keys we know through scientific studies now is staying social. They’re a big part of your life now. I feel like mountain biking and having this passion for cycling has helped. As other people get to your age, their world gets smaller, but yours seems to be at least staying the same or getting bigger.
It’s been such a plus in my life. Being older and working during the week, even when I retired, I just haven’t had a lot of people to ride with. I’ve gone through different groups over the years, but to have this huge group of women to ride with is just such a bonus.

Do you have a message for people in middle age? Sometimes it’s a time of change. People either feel good about it or don’t. I felt good about it because I’m fit and healthy, and that’s something to be thankful for. What would you tell people?

As you get older, you don’t beat yourself up as much. You’re more accepting of yourself. You become more centered and comfortable with yourself. That’s a big bonus in mountain biking. You’re hungrier or just less patient with yourself when you’re younger, but that is the beauty of getting older. You are more centered, so mentally that adds to the sport. Physically, I think even if it’s not mountain biking, just don’t stop. It’s all relative. Someone commented that they didn’t see me sending. Well, to me, if I’m sending something that’s two feet, it’s all relative. I’m still sending, thank you very much.
You sure are. It feels like it to me. Whatever feels good to you as a rider. The main thing is don’t stop. Keep going. Don’t give it up. Don’t get discouraged if you hurt yourself because you will recover. You’ll get to ride again. Someday, if it comes to a point where you can’t ride your bike, hopefully, you can find something else. You just have to keep churning that brain, keep the wheels going around. If you’re not doing something, start something. Hike, do whatever.
Absolutely. It doesn’t have to be cycling, but just start something and feel how great it feels.

Final question If I’m out west and I’m going to Whistler, will you ride with me?

You bet. I’d love to.

That would be awesome. Thank you so much.

Well, thank you. Great to meet you.

Great to meet you too. All the best.

Take care.