"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Even Olympians and world champion road racers, mountain bikers and gravel experts were new cyclists once.

Hint: It’s not just your sock height. Here are some other indicators that you might be slipping out of cycling beginner-dom.

What is it about cycling that drives many of us to measure our performance, either against ourselves or other riders? How fast should I be riding? Who has the latest QOM up my local climb? Is my heart ...