OK, somebody has to be the true beginner here, and I guess it's me.
I have a Greenspeed recumbent trike. To the person who wanted to know why all the fuss about recumbents, I say, why put up with a regular bike when you can be comfortable? Everyone I have discussed this with eventually admits that they're uncomfortable.
I am in my late 50s and never rode any kind of bike in my entire life until last summer. I hate exercise, generally speaking, and don't usually do any except walking, but I love my Greenspeed. (I just wish the parking brakes worked! Help!)
The most I can do is about 20-25km in a day. After that, my knees turn to jelly. And I certainly can't do that every day. The rest of me doesn't hurt, however. I live in a big city, and I'm afraid to go out on my own because of bike thefts and attacks and because I'm still too slow to fend them off, so I usually wait til my spouse is available to accompany.
I like to go on paved trails, and there are quite a few in the city. I also go on roads, even main roads, when necessary. It would spoil my fun to try to commute on a bike/trike.
I have managed to get up to the top gear once, and I'm really proud of that!
Everybody has to start somewhere...