I learned to ride a bike at 36 years old thanks to Bike New York

For years, a secret has plagued me, an embarrassing admission that I’ve shared only with the closest friends and family. It’s a confession that has made me avoid cycling tours on vacation, one that’s made me feel jealous of 5-year-olds whizzing past me on the river trail sans training wheels. At 36 years old, I don’t know how to ride a bike.

So when I heard my colleague Jaycee Ramson say in the office recently that she didn't know how to ride a bike, my ears perked up. Another coworker, Gloria Kim, chimed in that she didn't either. At last, kindred spirits. I finally felt free to share my cycling secret. We all yearned to fill this gap in knowledge, so we agreed to take a learn-to-ride class for adults with Bike New York. Here's how it went. 

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On a humid Tuesday morning two weeks ago, I set off from my apartment to the Bike New York outpost near Pier 76, a concrete patch that would become the equivalent of an Olympic training ground for me. Despite the fact that the class description promises, "whether you are 18 or 80, we’ll get you rolling in no time," I still felt pretty apprehensive. 

When I arrived and saw my coworkers, I noticed that we all wore long pants despite the heat; we were all scared of ending up with cuts and scrapes. You see, the last time I tried to ride a bike a few years ago, I ended up on the ground along a paved trail with a bruised ego and scraped skin.

Once as a kid, I'd once biked on a wooded trail in a park, but I was probably 12 years old then, and it was the only time I'd successfully ridden a bike. Despite the old adage, "it's just like riding a bike," the skill doesn't naturally return if you've only done it once for a few hours two decades ago. Given that history, I was anxious going into the Bike New York class. If I owned elbow and knee pads, I would've added those to my Barbie pink exercise ensemble. 

The last time I tried to ride a bike, I ended up on the ground along a paved trail with a bruised ego and scraped skin. 

My fears started to subside once I met our teacher, Rich Conroy, the director of education for Bike New York. He was so legitimately excited about cycling, I started to feel excited about the prospect of learning.

First, we found helmets and bikes that were the right size for each of us, then walked our bikes over to the practice area. Keeping the bike upright while walking it was already tough—not an encouraging sign. 

Rich removed the pedals from our bikes and lowered each seat so we could keep our feet on the ground while we learned. He told us to sit on the seat and try to scoot the bike forward, lifting our feet as often as possible. Already this class was going differently than I'd expected. There were no training wheels and nobody holding onto the back of the bike seat who'd eventually let go. 

This unconventional method helped us learn to balance on our own. Eventually, we were encouraged to lift our feet even more frequently. And then Rich put the pedals back on, taught us to "find the pedals" without looking down, and had us scooting along once again. 

Finally, he said, in the most nonchalant way as possible: If you can put your feet on the pedals and start pedaling, go for it. 

With less than an hour of instruction and without a single tear, much to my surprise, I was doing it. I was riding a bike. A smile broke out across my face as I made loop after loop across the concrete expanse. 

Eventually, Rich lifted the bike's seat to a more proper level, taught us about braking, 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 class description: "Most people learn to ride in one session, but even if they don’t, they’ll leave equipped with an easy, low-stress way to teach themselves—or, they can join us for another free class!"  

With less than an hour of instruction and without a single tear, much to my surprise, I was doing it.

After one session, I'm by no means a pro, and I'm certainly not ready to take a Citi Bike onto the bike lane. But I'm feeling a lot more confident on two wheels. I'm also feeling incredible gratitude to 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 teachers at Bike New York are here to help. There are also free practice sessions, so you can keep your skills sharp. 

If you don't know how to ride a bike, I hope you'll give these classes a try, no matter your age. If I can do it, you can do it. See you out there on the trail.