When I was 6, my uncle tried to teach me how to ride a bike. He held on to the back of the bike and had me start to pedal–but didn’t tell me he was going to let go, and when he did, I lost my balance and promptly fell, scraping my knees and elbows in the process.

The experience was enough to put me off from riding a bike for a long time. For the next two years, I happily plugged away with my training wheels firmly attached. Then one day, out of the blue, I woke up and decided I was going to tr...