the pathways the cerebellum lays down tend to last. Once you learn to ride a bike, you can stay off bikes for decades only to get on again and ride off with hardly a quiver. Hence the expression “It’s like riding a bike” to describe a skill you need to learn only once to have learned for life. Anyone deeply engaged in an endeavor that requires split-second decisions out of nowhere is relying on the vestibulocerebellar system to kick in: a concert pianist, a brain surgeon, an airline pilot in an emergency landing.
