Let's talk about training. The beauty of biking is that you can pick your own level, much like skiing. Start with flat land. Begin on even trails. Like every sport, your enjoyment is going to increase with your mastery of it, so do what the smart folks do and build mastery wisely.

Begin with an experience that's easy and enjoyable. Once you get more comfortable, you can always up the intensity just by changing the terrain. As master trainer Terry Kerrigan says, "Mountain biking becomes intense anyway because of the terrain. The road can control the amount of intensity." So start with easy roads and build up from there.

Kerrigan suggest you begin training by staying at a fixed gear and riding 30-60 minutes. Even 30 minutes three days a week is fine. Terry calls this the "adaptation" phase of training. You should spend at least three weeks in this phase. You want to get used to your knees pushing in that range of motion. If you have access to a gym, a stationary cycling machine is a perfectly acceptable substitute for a training session on the road.

Pick a gear at which you can "spin" comfortably. Look at the odometer: You'll probably find it will read about 90rpms (revolutions per minute). Another way to calculate the target intensity is by heart rate. You should be training at about 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate, less if you're not in shape.

Moving on to the kind of training that will help you get in condition for more serious biking, let's look first at the kinds of skills you need for the sport. High on the list -- as with many athletic activities -- is flexibility and strength (no surprises here!). In particular, you need shoulder and neck flexibility, and strength in the lower back. You also need good postural alignment as well as tricep, forearm and hand strength.