"Pain is temporary, quitting lasts forever", once uttered cyclist Lance Armstrong before his fall from grace in a drug induced mania.

I too have always bemoaned ‘quitters’ as I urge my kids to try everything twice - once for the experience and the second time just to make sure.

Alas however I did not take ‘age’ into consideration and I have now, begrudgingly, succumbed and quit two things I love in quick succession as the pain is now permanent.

The quickening commenced last year when I found the after work five a side kickabout too strenuous. That one hour of fun would culminate in a ramping up of the number of ‘oohs’ I would emit each time I rose from inert.

Very similar to hangovers (but no, I’m not quitting that just yet), the realisation soon came that despite having all the gear, I no longer had a single idea as 20 something young bucks would outmuscle and outrun me as they took pleasure in humiliating the old chap sweating like Jocky Wilson on a treadmill.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series: Brett Ellis has been forced to give up some long-term hobbiesBrett Ellis has been forced to give up some long-term hobbies

And so, having quit a sport that I had played for nigh on half a century, I immersed myself even further into the world of pedal power.

Now with an impressive middle-aged stable of four bikes, I have the options of sitting on the turbo trainer in the shed, or stepping out in lycra for a road or gravel bike ride as I kept my expensive rig - the full suspension downhill Mondraker for special trips away to BikePark Wales and the like.

On recent trips down the Welsh mountains, I have found myself clinging on for dear life as soaking wet through rain or sweat, wearing full face crash helmet and spine protector, I struggle to concentrate as again, those pesky millennials came whizzing past without seemingly a care in the world…

Having not crashed on the last few trips of the 80 or so days I reckon I have risked life and limb at BikePark Wales, the after effects are horrendous. As I write this I can barely stand or walk. My neck won’t turn, my knee is swollen and my back is as twisted as a sadist with a power tool.

I should really be crying into my cornflakes as I write this, but I am not. I am resigned to the situation and have already put my beloved bike up for sale as I look forward to traversing the canal paths and tracks of the shires in a more sedentary manner.

No, there is a lot to be said for quitting. If you do not find it enjoyable anymore and the pain outweighs the pleasure, then walk away and find something else to fill in the down time as we're here for a relaxing time, not a long time, aren’t we?

  • Brett Ellis is a teacher.