Can you swim and ride a bike?

[Ferne88]

I kind of assumed that most adults (save for those prevented from doing so by health reasons) could swim and ride a bike, but my friend reckons not.

So can you swim (so by that I mean at least a 50 meter length) and ride a bike?

I had some sporadic swimming lessons at primary school in the mid-70s, and eventually managed to swim a width, doggy paddle, which has always been the pinnacle of my swimming prowess. I am, in my defence, dangerously short sighted without correction and can only see clearly four inches in front of my face, so me in the water isn’t safe for anyone.

I am very good on a bike, though - learned when I was 4 and have always had a bike since, apart from a few years when I lived in central London, before anyone had thought of cycle lanes.

I can do both well, as can DD. DP can do both badly but chooses not.

I have attempted riding a bike in a swimming pool, it doesn't really work

Yes of course. Swimming is a basic life skill and all my kids and GC's were put in lessons at aged 4

Not all kids had bikes. My parents weren't particularly skint (both worked full time) but they bought second hand bikes for my brothers as presents (1970s). And I didn't really have one until I was about 15.

Yes to both , all my children can too . All did swimming lessons as I was pushed into a pool by someone being stupid when I was little , and I still remember how much it scared me

I can do both, so can DH. My Dad and one of my BIL can't swim.

Yes. However, after covid, 2/3rd of my daughters class couldn't.

They'd missed 18m of lessons and then were coming to the last couple of years when they had to do it in school. This meant that for the Yr 6 lessons, she had sit on the side of the pool as only 8 of them could swim proficiently and the teachers needed to help the other 20 who couldn't.

So I'm guessing there is going to be a rise in young adults who can't swim well in the future.

I can't swim. First school lesson aged 10 (had never gone prior to that) ended up being life saved by the swimming teacher who jumped in fully clothed because I was one gulp away from drowning. It was horrific. And completely shameful having that happen in front of the entire class.

It was the early 80s so was never mentioned again and I had to go back to the pool for the rest of my school days absolutely terrified. I've tried so many times to overcome it as an adult but I think I have PTSD. The panic response is so deeply ingrained, it's been impossible to fully get over. (If anyone has any tips, I'd be very grateful 🙂)

This scenario is more common than you think. Having done a couple of intensive swimming courses, I'm reliably informed that the majority who go are older adults who have had an 'event' as a child in water and never managed to get over it.

No-one likes to admit to not being able to swim, so most people keep schtum.

Yes, but I don’t think it’s a given. DH doesn’t cycle and is one of four siblings - the only one that cycles is his bro as he was ‘the only one daft enough to go anywhere on a bike because where we lived was very hilly’ NB mountain bikes only became a thing after all of them were adults.

My DC doesn’t really cycle as he never really took to it.

We all surf 🏄🏽

Yes as can DH and DC, but my parents can't swim - grew up very very poor and my DM can't ride a bike either.

Yes

I can swi 50 meters.and ride a bike. But not at the same time

So can dh and all our 4 children

Yes plus DH and both our DD's. We always said swimming lessons first, other interests second, third etc. Both learnt to ride bikes with stabilisers etc from an early age

Yes I can do both (neither very well).

I swam my first 25m at 16
I learned to ride a bike at 19
(I learned to run at 32... maybe I'll do a triathlon one day)

DS is dyspraxic... I suspect there is a genetic link going on.

He can do both, but he's had swimming lessons since 4 (plus baby/ toddler lessons before that) and I've kept him going into his teens and is now Stage 8. Sibling rivalry helped with the bike riding- DS2 got the hang of it at 4 and motivated DS1 to not be beaten and they both cracked on the same day. After going through teen years not being able to swim/ ride, I didn't want my children missing out.

I decided to go to adult lessons at 16 for my DoE sport which took a bit of courage and was very much an outlier amongst the pensioners there. There was an instructor in the water who could actually show me how to swim rather than yelling into the echo and flailing limbs like the 5 years of school lessons that achieved nothing.
It took 4 months of 1:1 lessons to get my 25m badge, and 11m after that I could swim a mile.

Bouyed by the swimming, at 19, I spent my first week of salary at my student job, bought a bike, walked it home and spent the weekend throwing myself off it until I cracked it. It was easier on an adult bike than children's bikes had been with their small wheels.

I remain a strong swimmer and can swim a mile in open water. Cycling I can do for basic function and fun.

DM didn't like either activity so never put any extra into facilitating learning either skill. Cycling wasn't instinctive to me and playing on other people's bikes wasn't enough to crack it.

I'm so glad I learned!

Yes I could do both by the age of 6.
I love to swim and see it as an essential life skill.

My 6 year old can swim really well but is still in the process of learning to ride a bike.

Yes, I don't know anyone who can't do both. Pretty basic life skills.

Yes, although I look like I might be drowning when trying to swim butterfly. I went swimming with a friend and wanted to show her how silly it looks - I had to warn the life guards not to jump in and save me before having a go at it. Regular breaststrokes, I can do about 2000 meters in a hour, then I'm usually too bored to continue.

And yes, I can ride a bike reliably and further than I care to. I'm fairly out of shape, though.

Bonus points to the first poster who went, "but I can't do both at the same time." 😆

Both, I am not a strong swimmer but I am excellent at floating. Haven't ridden a bike in years but can.

Yup, though I really struggled to do both as a child and was lucky to have parents who a) persevered with teaching me to cycle and b) threw money at remedial swimming lessons. I can’t drive (that was a step too far!) so if I couldn’t ride a bike I’d really struggle to get to work/anywhere else

Yes, me and DH can do both. My DM can do neither.

Good enough swimmer, go in the sea on holiday etc. However I’ve never ridden a bicycle in my 44 years. My parents were pretty strict and I just didn’t have a bike as a child. Local kids would go out on their bikes which my parents considered very unsuitable. By the time I was a teenager I was too embarrassed to admit I couldn’t cycle so avoided any potential cycling situations!

I can ride a bike but not swim. I'm too uncoordinated and panic if my face goes in.

Yes but not at the same time

I can ride a bike but I can’t swim. Wasn’t on the curriculum in my country, parents can’t swim, no money for lessons, or, in fairness, any sense whatsoever they were in any way necessary.

I can’t drive, either. And I’m practically innumerate. I have a DPhil, but don’t know my times tables.

But I have other accomplishments, I can hand milk, speak five languages well, have an extremely accurate memory (to the point where I have to pretend I don’t remember everything someone told me the only time we met, several years earlier, because people often find it creepy — but if you told me it, I haven’t forgotten), speak well in public, ride bareback confidently, and am a good writer.

I’m also a gifted liar when necessary.

But will drown if you throw me into water.