It’s just like riding a bike, they say.

Once you’ve learned how to ride a bike, the muscle memory is ingrained in you. It’s something you’ll never forget how to do.

But what often gets overlooked is how you learned how to ride a bike. Nobody learns how to ride a bike (or rollerskate or snowboard) from reading a book or watching a YouTube video or taking an online class.

You learn by doing it. Or rather, by not doing it. You lose your balance. You don’t stop in time and you fall. You learn by trying and failing and getting back up. Again and again.

This applies to other areas of life. Anything worth doing well is worth doing right. Which requires time and patience and perseverance to make it through the initial (and often most painful and frustrating) stages of learning.

What we usually don’t remember is falling over in the parking lot when we couldn’t clip out of our pedals in time, or the sting of roadrash on our elbows from our first crash.

Instead, we remember the epic views, the endorphin highs, the deep conversations shared with friends, and the feeling of accomplishment from finishing a long day in the saddle.

Enjoy the ride.