Roberta Walker’s Story: It’s never too late to ride again

HUB Cycling’s StreetWise Manager, Alexis Thibeault, sat down with Roberta Walker to learn about her experience with HUB Cycling’s adult StreetWise cycling courses.

Roberta Walker, a 66 year old retired social worker, never learned to ride a bike as a child. It wasn’t until her 20s that her friends offered to teach her how to ride a bike one summer, when she learned the basics on the Seawall. Eventually, she got busy and didn’t have the time to fit cycling into her life, until her husband came across the Women’s Summer Cycling Program and the rest is history.

ALEXIS: First things first, what course and program did you take with HUB Cycling’s StreetWise Programs?

ROBERTA: Well, the first one I took was the cycling program for women, given for women by women. My husband actually saw it on a Facebook post by a friend of his and he mentioned it to me very casually and said, “Gee, babe. Do you think you'd be interested?”

I said, “Absolutely. I've been waiting for that sort of thing forever.”

On the last day of the women's cycling program our instructor Maxine mentioned that the Seniors Cycling Course, sponsored by Lime, was starting in Richmond the following week.

I remember going, “Oh really?” And I turned to two of the other ladies that I'd formed a really nice connection with who were in my age group and I said, “Seniors course, Richmond, starting next week. Are you in? We're the three amigos. We have to do this.”

Both ladies were down.

ALEXIS: That is really perfect. I'm so glad! So for the women's program, overall how did it go? What did you enjoy? In particular, what's, like, a core memory maybe?

ROBERTA: I guess I have two core memories.

The first one was from the very first class, where even at my age, I was so nervous just showing up to Trout Lake and looking around for other women carrying bicycle helmets. I thought, “Okay, I can do this. I've accomplished a lot in my life. I can certainly do this.” And as soon as the instructors began to show up, I immediately felt comfortable. I could see that 90% of the other women were kind of in the same boat as myself. They were nervous too and didn't know what to expect. But the instructors were so positive and so reassuring. It was just a very, very comfortable experience from that very first class.

Then the second most memorable moment was, when I could actually be on the bike pedaling by myself. Because in my head, that was the part that I couldn't seem to imagine. I used to ride a bike over 30 years ago but I was single at the time, I lived in the West End, and all I would do was ride the Seawall before I went to work. That's the only route I felt comfortable riding.

Then fast forward 30 years and I met my husband, and he's like “Mister Cyclist” Like, he lives in his kit. And it's wonderful and amazing. And I thought - I want to be like that! So I tried to get back on the bike with him, and I just couldn't. I'd lost my confidence and just panicked. Fifteen years went by and then I found this course.

“And these teachers, these instructors were just so supportive and so was the environment of being with other women in the same boat. I think there were 4 or 5 other women in this women's course who had never been on a bike before. And I thought, “Oh my god. I'm not the only person on the planet [who can’t bike].”

Up until that moment, I swear to God I thought I was the only person on the planet who'd never been on a bike, especially at that age.

ALEXIS: You’re not alone. It’s common that people think like that; I've seen that.

ROBERTA: It's a terrible thing to carry in the back of your head that there's something that it seems like everybody else on the planet can do, and I can't do it. It's a hold back.

So I got on the bike, and after a few very rudimentary little exercises that the instructors did with us, I laughed to myself and I thought, “Oh my God, I can do this.” And then within the first session, I started pedaling. It wasn't great. It wasn't elegant. But by golly, I started pedaling and I started to cry. You have no idea how huge that was for me.

I went up to our instructor Kristen, and I said, “I did it. I did it!”

The tears are streaming down my face. She's like, “Good for you. I knew you could!”

ALEXIS: Oh, that's wonderful to hear. That is a beautiful story. Now how about we move on to the seniors program? What is a core memory from that program?

ROBERTA: One of the core memories from the Seniors Programs was arriving 45-minutes early to the first class because I loved it so much and didn’t want to be late. When I got there, one of “my three amigos” was already there and early like me. She's like, “We're doing this, aren't we?” And I said, “Yes, we are. By God, yes, we are”.

And it was just at that point, I really trusted HUB to have really good instructors. Like my experience from the first class was so positive that I just knew we were going to have good instructors and that it was going to be a supportive environment. So thank you. HUB, Thank you.

ALEXIS: So one of the core things that we're wondering is, have you cycled more since either of the programs?

ROBERTA:  Yes. I never took the courses with the intent of being able to commute anywhere. Which is my way of saying you don't have to take these courses just to be able to commute back and forth. If all you wanna do is be able to get out and ride with friends occasionally because you have friends who go riding and you can't go with them, then these are perfect courses to take for that. Because you can develop your skills gradually.

So what I've been doing is, my husband and I go out. I ride his nice, big, sturdy commuter bike. It's nice and slow, kind of like a big old mare that just plods along. I'm good with that.

I’m also riding with one of the ladies from my three amigos group. We went to Port Coquitlam and rode our bikes on the De Beauville Slough Trail. My husband and I have also gone out and scoped out other paths and other trails, like Central Park in Burnaby and Tyne Head in Surrey.

I'm committed to try and cycle through the winter as well to keep my skills up. And that's the other neat thing. Every time I ride, I get a tiny bit better. And that is really encouraging, especially at my age. I can still improve in skills like this. But I realize that each time I ride, it's almost like your body knows what to do. And even at my age, my body knows what to do when I'm turning a corner and when I'm doing this and when I'm doing that. And that helps with my confidence, and it helps with my self esteem and and just so many things. I've been retired for six years, and you think, okay. I've pretty much learned what I'm gonna learn. But no. You can still learn. “But wait. There's more!” So that is another benefit to having taken these courses.

ALEXIS: That's really lovely to hear. We're coming close to time. Do you have any other comments at this time?

ROBERTA: One more comment, but I think this is really, really important. There are so many layers of benefits for people taking the Seniors Cycling Program. I now have two new friends because of this. This course helps get people out of their apartment or condo, especially if you're alone. Meeting new people stimulates cognitive activity. And if you look at the research that shows what leads to dementia and a lower quality of life for seniors, it includes isolation, lack of activity, and lack of stimulation. But getting out to the seniors' course, I mean, you're socializing. You're getting fresh air. You're either learning a new skill or practicing a skill that you haven't kept up. It builds your confidence, which is great. And the cognitive stimulation of being able to have something to look forward to each week is amazing.

Actually, two more things! I also want to thank HUB for having all of those bikes available for us in so many different sizes and varieties because if I had to bring my own bike, I wouldn't have been able to do it. Most of the women in my course didn't have their own bikes.  

ALEXIS: That's great to hear. I wanna say thank you for that, and for doing this interview.

ROBERTA: Of course. I don't have that fear of cycling hanging over me anymore. I'm no longer that little kid who couldn't do something that every other person could do. I mean, you have no idea how huge that is and how life altering that is. I guess it happens when it's supposed to happen, and I'm 66. I had to wait until I was 66, but I'm still grateful that I had that opportunity. And I got to meet so many nice people and these other two ladies, and, hopefully, it'll continue to grow and bloom.

I just want to send a big heartfelt thank you to everybody who supports these courses, and please let them know how they changed my life forever.

Are you interested in taking one of HUB Cycling’s StreetWise Cycling courses? 

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