OK, I haven't been following along, but at least this is one thread where no none else will have made the same comment already ...
I got a late start - did not learn to ride a bike until I was in 3rd or 4th grade. I'm sure my mother was terrified that I'd either get killed, or just get on the bike and never come back.
Both things happened, more or less. First bike was the Schwinn Speedster - at least she didn't get me a Huffy. All the cool kids had Sting-Rays with banana seats, etc., but no, I had to have the dorky 24-inch wheel bike ...which I then realized was way faster than a Sting-Ray. Got hit by a car in 7th grade - I'd be short a few fingers right now, but somehow my hands left the handlebar. The right side was bent up at a right-angle. So I suspect it took a bit of force to do that. Had a scrape on my head and shoulder, but came out OK. Mom replaced the Speedster with a green (Collegiate? Suburban?) that had five speeds! Started riding that the 3 miles to school for a couple of years, but then cars beckoned.
Went off to college, realized that a bike would be really good for getting around. Met new friends, one of whom was a bike geek and occasional racer. ("You must learn to sprint!") That's when I discovered that you could do things like 20-mile rides, and tours. Just kind of kept going with it, getting better bikes and riding more. Now it's a lifestyle.