Just Like Riding a Bike

It’s gorgeous along the canal — if you slow down to take it in.

Why do you suppose we use the phrase ‘Just like riding a bike…’ when we are faced with taking up something we once did? Why not ‘just like vacuuming the floor’ or ‘just like making a bed’? Those things are super easy and require very little effort or skill. Who says riding a bike is easy?

I have a bicycle, but sadly, it has sat unused for more years then I would like to admit, because I found it hard to get out on a bike with small kids. I know! It’s a terrible excuse.

Fast forward a few years, my kids are getting big enough that we can start enjoying our bikes again. I’m going to use the word ‘enjoying’ loosely, because I got out my bike for the first time in years to go riding with my oldest daughter, and determined that riding a bike after nearly a decade hiatus isn’t as easy as the saying goes. First, you have to remember how the bike works – oh yeah, the brakes are on the handlebars – oops!, and secondly, sometimes muscle memory chooses to forget.

Aubrey and I set a new land-speed record along the canal for my inaugural ride. You might have seen us, but if you did we were probably mostly a blur. Apparently, we never taught her the beauty of ‘coasting’. She didn’t let up off the pedals once. It was not a leisurely, scenic ride along the canal; we were blazing. The old adage of ‘just like riding a bike’ only makes me thing about how much my butt and legs hurt the next day.

I’m excited to many more bike rides this summer, but think I’ll rethink my ‘just like riding a bike…” mantra. Where do you enjoy riding your bike? Let me know – you can email me at [email protected].

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