For years, a secret has plagued me, an embarrassing confession that I’ve shared only with my closest friends and family. It’s a confession that has made me avoid bike rides on vacation and made me jealous of 5-year-olds whizzing past me on the river path without training wheels. At 36, I can’t ride a bike.
So when I heard my colleague Jaycee Ramson say she couldn’t ride a bike recently at the office, I pricked up my ears. Another colleague, Gloria Kim, agreed and said she couldn’t either. Soulmates at last. I finally felt free to share my cycling secret. We all wanted to fill this knowledge gap, so we agreed to take an adult cycling class at Bike New York. Here’s how it went.
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On a muggy Tuesday morning two weeks ago, I set out from my apartment to the Bike New York outpost near Pier 76, a patch of concrete that would become an Olympic training ground for me. Even though the course description reads, “Whether you’re 18 or 80, we’ll have you rolling in no time,” I was still pretty apprehensive.
When I arrived and saw my colleagues, I noticed that we were all wearing long pants despite the heat. We were all afraid of cuts and scratches. You know, the last time I tried to ride a bike a few years ago, I ended up on the ground on a paved path with a bruised ego and scraped skin.
I once cycled along a forest path in a park as a child, but I was probably 12 at the time and it was the only time I rode a bike successfully. Despite the old saying, “It’s like riding a bike,” if you only did it once for a few hours two decades ago, the skill doesn’t come back on its own. Given that history, I was nervous going to the Bike New York class. If I had elbow and knee pads, I would have added them to my Barbie-pink workout outfit.
The last time I tried to ride a bike, I ended up on the ground on a paved path with a bruised ego and scraped skin.
My fears eased when I met our instructor, Rich Conroy, Bike New York’s Director of Education. He was so passionate about cycling that I was excited about the prospect of learning it too.
First we picked out helmets and bikes in the right size for each of us and then pushed our bikes to the practice area. Keeping the bike upright while walking was difficult – not an encouraging sign.
Rich took the pedals off our bikes and lowered the seats so we could keep our feet on the ground while we learned. He told us to sit on the seats and try to push the bike forward, lifting our feet as often as possible. This class was already different than I expected. There were no training wheels and no one held onto the back of the bike seat and let go at any point.
This unconventional method helped us maintain our balance. Eventually, we were encouraged to lift our feet even more often. And then Rich reattached the pedals, taught us to “find the pedals” without looking down, and let us roll again.
Finally, he said as casually as possible, “If you can put your feet on the pedals and pedal, then do it.”
After less than an hour of instruction and without shedding a single tear, to my great surprise I managed it. I was riding my bike, a smile spreading across my face as I made loop after loop of the concrete surface.
Eventually, Rich raised the bike’s seat to a more appropriate height, taught us how to brake, and encouraged us to keep practicing. All three of us – Jaycee, Gloria, and I – successfully got the pedals moving. True to Bike New York’s course description, “Most people learn to ride a bike in one session, but even if they don’t, they’ll end up with an easy, stress-free way to teach themselves how to ride a bike – or they can take another free class with us!”
To my great surprise, after less than an hour of lessons and without a single tear, I passed.
After one session, I’m far from a pro, and I’m certainly not ready to hit the bike lane on a Citi Bike. But I feel much more confident on two wheels. I’m also incredibly grateful for Bike New York, which offers free (and judgment-free) Bike Skills 101: Learn to Ride classes for adults and kids. Whether you’re 13 or 36, the incredible instructors at Bike New York are there to help you. There are also free practice lessons so you can brush up on your skills.
If you can’t ride a bike, I hope you give these classes a try, no matter what age you are. If I can do it, you can too. See you out there on the trail.
