Quote Originally Posted by ptsheridan
I started now.. at age 45 so I could participate in a sprint Tri. Some people have to learn how to swim, I had to learn how to ride a bike. Yes I got on a tricycle apprarently once but my loving over protective parents didn't think I was athletic enough. I grew up swimming instead.

Since I never had a bike before, I long dreamed of owning a Schwinn. So though they may not be the most highly rated of bikes, I am very happy atop my blue Schwinn bike. I fell 4 weeks ago which scared me a bit but you just have to get back on..
That is funny. Like swimming is safe. My big fear in the tri was the swimming. I grew up swimming in pools and Lake Michigan, but then, as a teen, witnessed a horrible swimming accident/drowning. It was, in part, because the kid who died had bad eyesight, and whacked his head against a wall he couldn't see. As my eyesight got worse over the years, I got nearly phobic about swimming. Now I've had Lasik for a year, and I'm still amazed at how I can see in the water.

Learning to ride a bike is great. Sure, you may fall sometimes, but probably not much, and if you wear your helmet, you'll probably be fine. Funny how we have different fears, right? I had a bike accident in my teens in which I scraped up my face and still have scars. I was riding a '70s skinny tired bike on a dirt path, caught a rut, and went down, face first. Now I am *only* afraid when I'm on a rutted dirt path. I have to remind myself that I'll be OK crossing things like bridges and railroad tracks, too. I'd like to learn to mtb, and overcome my fear of rut-tire interaction. L.