“Like Riding a Bike”: Learning to Begin Again in Midlife

They say, “It’s like riding a bike.” But for me, that phrase never rang true.

I could ride a bike as a child. Sort of. I wasn’t adventurous—I mostly pottered around the garden or the estate. I never had a bike of my own, and when I borrowed a friend’s, things didn’t end well. One fall led to a fractured wrist and a rather dramatic hole in my leg that needed sewing up. After that, and with no bike at home, I stopped altogether.

For years, bikes were other people’s thing.

Flash forward eighteen years. I was dating a mountain biker who lived for off-road trails. He didn’t drive—he pedalled everywhere. I wanted to give it a go. After all, it’s like riding a bike… right?

Wrong. I bought a bike, got on, and promptly fell off. I didn’t know how to get going or even stay upright. It was humiliating. The boyfriend and the bike didn’t last.

And so I left it again—until recently.

I’m now on a career break. My 9-year-old, who’d never quite cracked cycling at five, was suddenly keen to learn, inspired by his friends. We booked a kids’ session with the local leisure trust, which offers lessons and free bike hire. Within 20 minutes, he was pedalling. Just like that.

Then came the surprise: “Shall Mummy have a go?” my husband said.

And why not?

I’d watched every YouTube video to help my son, so I copied the steps—long strides like frog legs, gliding, then feet to pedals. This time, I stayed on. This time, I was doing it.

Since then, I’ve gone all in. I’m hiring a bike three times a week—sometimes with my son, sometimes with an adult confidence group. I’m still learning, still wobbly sometimes, but I’m riding. And smiling.

Here’s what learning to ride a bike (again) in my 50s has taught me:

1. Confidence is everything.

I’ve met so many women in my lessons who could ride as children but haven’t touched a bike in decades. We were all a bit unsure, maybe a bit embarrassed at first. But by session three? We’re laughing, riding, chatting. It comes back quicker than you think when you’re in the right environment.

2. It’s never too late to learn something new.

Whether it’s cycling, career change, or learning to rest, midlife is not the end of learning. It can be the start.

3. You’re probably not “bad at it.” You just need better tools.

A lot of us carry old stories—“I’m clumsy”, “I can’t do this”—but sometimes, all we’re missing is the right technique or someone to explain it in a way that clicks.

4. You’re not alone.

It’s easy to believe we’re the only one who doesn’t know how to do something. We’re not. You’d be surprised how many adults are just now learning to ride, or swim, or take up something they let go years ago.

So no—riding a bike didn’t come straight back. It wasn’t “just like that.” But what came back was something more important: my willingness to try.

And that’s the message I want to share with you.

Whatever “your bike” is—whatever thing you think you can’t do, or missed your chance to learn—maybe now is your moment.

You just need a bit of space, a bit of courage, and someone to say, “Shall Mummy have a go?”