Personal Narrative Essay: How To Ride A Bike

Fresh green grass on a hot summer might smell nice, but it sure doesn’t taste good. I would know because that is exactly what I got a mouth full of when I tried to ride a bike without training wheels for the first time. It was this hot summer day when I was visiting my grandparents across the neighborhood and my day asked my if I wanted to go outside and learn how to ride a bike like the adults. Of course I said yes, because I knew I was nearing the age when most kids started to take the training wheels off.

My dad led me out the door to the front yard where my bike was propped up on its kickstand. I waited patiently as my dad took the training wheels off and set them to the side. Seeing my bike standing there with no training wheels made the bike appear intimidating, for I had

never even attempted to ride a bike while it was in this type of configuration. I had become accustomed to riding with training wheels (since I had been using them for my entire life), and I felt uncomfortable riding with out them.

When I started out, I had difficulty balancing on the bike and controlling the wheels. I crashed and ate the dirt more times than I can remember. Every time I would fall my dad would say, “Get up and try again.” And even though I tried my hardest on each attempt, I would only go for a few seconds until I would fall again. It was a good thing I was staying on the grass and off the concrete, or else I probably would’ve taken a few trips to the hospital. I started to feel like I was just wasting my time on a lost cause.

I was thinking about quitting,l but then I got a few good consecutive runs.

Eventually, a majority of my rides started to get lengthier, and I started to feel like I was starting to get the hang of it. I finally got the self-confidence that I knew I needed if I was going to be able to do overcome this challenge. I hopped on the bike, getting a feeling that this was going to be my lucky run. As usual, my dad gave me a little push start, and I was on my way. I rode through the grass like it was a breeze, and I didn’t fall off at all. I could hear my dad in the distance shouting, “Good job! You got it!” It was at this moment when I knew that I had finally learned how to ride a bike.

As you can see, taking the training wheels off my bike was quite the learning experience. I had to overcome struggles and difficulties in order to achieve my goal of not having to use training wheels. Not only did I learn how to ride a bike, but I also learned a very valuable life lesson. If you work hard towards a goal, overcome the necessary obstacles, and never give up, you will be able to achieve the goal that you

set.