56 here, heading toward 57 in November .
How did I get this old?
Started riding seriously at 47 or 48 (I can't really remember which year it was). I rode a lot as a young teen/middle schooler and just a little when I was in grad school and as a young mom. I remember riding the wrong way down Rural Rd. in Tempe, heading toward Chandler Blvd. on my 10 speed Univega and thinking I had gone really far. I think the round trip was 7-10 miles!
Oak, I didn't learn to ride until I was 9, almost 10 years old. My parents tried to teach me at 7, and even then my poor spatial skills/balance were evident. Finally, my mom took it into her own hands, rented a purple Schwinn for me while we were at the Cape, where we stayed in a cottage community with quiet, straight roads, and somehow taught me. I remember she let me ride the mile back to the bike rental place when it had to be returned, on a fairly busy road, as she drove the car behind me, probably at 5 mph. My mom was cool. We used to ride our Raleighs together after that.
Although I was fit and active before, I hardly did any outdoor activity. I also had started to gain weight and was very unhappy with my body when I started cycling. My friends told me it was "normal." Since I knew better, I let myself be humiliated on my first ride, where my DH had to push me up a small climb with the back of his hand. It was a total of 6 miles.