Today was the day - I got my "training" from Cycling Without Age, riding alongside James, the pilot, who was himself chaperoning around two very animated, friendly seniors who were quite insistent on saying, "Hi, how are you? Happy Friday!" to virtually everyone we passed on our way around East Harlem and then Central Park. With Gina as my test subject, this was a white-knuckled ride from start to finish for both of us! The configuration, with up to two passengers up front, and the pilot pedaling from behind, is a very unstable one. Having two wheels doing the steering makes it feel as if the vehicle would tip over at even the merest of turns or on sloped pavement. And James was not the best of trainers, rarely mindful of my progress, hardly ever looking back to see where I was or my level of discomfort. Navigating the route on the way to the park was another challenge, trying to fit a very wide cycle on the narrow side streets leading westward. Sidewalk riding was another thing I was not too fond of. At least the electronic assist, along with the electronic gearing, eased what would otherwise have been a very arduous cycling effort given the outsized weight of the conveyance and the added mass of the passengers. In spite of Gina and I having been considerably shell-shocked at the end of this otherwise revelatory ride, I came away feeling that this is something that I ought to be doing. There's a dire need for volunteers on Thursdays, as the senior centers close at 4pm and most pilots are tending to their day jobs. And the very enthusiastic nature of the seniors is quite infectious. So, I expect to see more of "CEO" Chris Lawrence, James, Miguel, and Eric (riding a LeMond bike) in the future.