First Wobbles

So how did I go about achieving this new found ambition?

I borrowed an old pushbike (with 3 gears) and when I did eventually get on a bike for the first time in my life (that is, to do anything other than sit astride it and pose, in the manner of teenage girls preying on a young man, and out to impress, even if it necessitated deceit), it was at 5.30 or so in the morning.

I'm not really a great "morning" person, but the early starts were worth it as it not only gave me the quiet tracks on which to practice, but it meant I was pretty safe from onlookers. One of the first obstacles I faced was my own self-consciousness... here I was, quite a large mature lady... wibbling around on a bike which looked as if it might actually give up the ghost before I did (and that's saying something!) I would never have got on with anyone watching - even those nearest and dearest to me who knew the challenge I was facing.

I wasn't sure how to go about things, but it seems that I got something right, judging by advice I've read since. I taught myself first to balance, by ignoring the pedals. I just spent several sessions wobbling down a lane, then back up again. Eventually I was able to push off from a hump on the path (I couldn't do it from level ground) and pedal.

The Beginning Rumblings

I have a confession...
I never learned to ride a bike as a child. I had a tricycle when I was a toddler, but when I outgrew it, it never even occured to me to request a bike because, young as I was, I recognised my own wimpishness in learning to do things which might actually lead to me getting a little roughed up when I fell off (as I recognised I inevitably would).

The upshot was I went through my childhood, teens and early adulthood feeling envious of those who could ride, but never getting on a bike myself. As I got older, and my waistline spread, the envy lessened, especially once I got a car. But I never quite lost it completely.So I reached my milestone 30th birthday, and although it wasn't quite the crisis some people make of such milestones, I had this mad notion that I needed to challenge myself by learning a new skill and decided it was time to do what my young nieces could do without any problem at all - ride a bike.