I still remember the day my older brother taught me
to ride a bicycle. He was about to bequeath his 20-inch bike to me. His
birthday was only a few weeks away, and he felt his case for a new bike would be
strengthened if I was ready to graduate from my 3-wheeler.
He held the bike while I got on. I was still
too small to stand upright with my feet on the ground while straddling the bike.
Once settled, he gave me some advice ... " pedal until its time to stop."
Then he gave me a shove.
My first ride got me as far as the end of the
driveway ... about 25 feet. We tried again from the original starting point, and
this time I rode to the first corner of our block; probably ten times further than the
first ride. On the third attempt I got around the corner, enjoyed a fast ride down
the hill and learned about the dangers of loose gravel as I tried to negotiate the turn at
the second corner.
From that point, biking became my primary form of
transportation until my sixteenth birthday, when I earned my drivers license. As an
adult, cycling has been one of my favorite forms of recreation.
