Pah, cycling is easy. 10 year old mountain bike with knobbly tyres, me in my baggy shorts and I can still outpace the lycra clad racer types. I only wish I had joined a club when I was younger but there wasn't anything available in inner Glasgow. Never had a problem with alkies getting in the way though. Like every city, they prefer to lie in doorways and not at the side of the road.
Swimming on the other hand, is a bit different. I never really learned to swim but I can swim well enough get back to shore if I fell in and that's about it. I wasn't really keen on swimming as a youngster as I was too busy belting around on my bike. Why I ever volunteered for MIRG is a mystery but I enjoyed it.
My young son is following in my footsteps as a fast cyclist but has easily surpassed my abilities as a swimer. Weekly lessons since he was 6 months now means he can do almost all swimming styles with ease and can put in a number of lengths before complaining of being tired. Not too shabby for a 6 year old.