Help -- I recently sent my twins off to college and am now an empty nester looking for something to do for me. My husband is an avid cyclist and I have accompanied him to several charity rides and am tired of being a bystander. I want to become a cyclist myself. However, being a perfectionist, impatient and somewhat obsessive-compulsive, I'm having trouble figuring out how to get started. Adding to that intimidation of going to a bike shop as I added more pounds than I would like to admit to--okay might as well own it, I'm 5'7" and 205 lbs and turning 55 next month. My husband made the mistake of buying several bikes before buying his Specialized Roubaix so I don't want to make that mistake. However, he is reluctant to buy me a very nice bike before I can show that I'm serious about sticking with biking. I have my daughters hand-me-down Raleigh basic road bike that has good tires and gears. I have been going to the gym and riding the stationary bike for 30 minutes to build up my stamina and to try to get into shape for road biking.

Any advice on how to just jump on the bike and start pedaling? Obviously, I need a helmet and probably gloves, but what should I wear and how long should I shoot for? Should I just continue with the gym stationary until I'm in better shape or get on the Raleigh and hit the road? A lot of riders cycle in our state park where there is excellent flat parts but also some challenging hills. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! I just read Every Woman's Guide to Cycling by Selene Yeager and that really got me fired up to cycle.