When my wife decided to give cycling a try a few years ago, I attached my Bob trailer to my bike and threw in a case of motor oil. I let her set the pace as I toiled along pulling the extra weight. This made it much easier to stay behind her and truthfully it reminded me of how hard she had to work as a beginner. Every week or so, I'd remove a few quarts of oil as she slowly got stronger. I always let her know when I needed to lighten the load to "keep up" with her. This really spurred her on!
I also used the "Code" that engstrom suggested earlier in this thread. Lots of "you might want to", "you might try", "you ever thought about", along with "good job", "nice work", etc., etc., etc.
A few months or so pass by, and now on days I can't ride, this female cyclist in full kit is rolling her bike out the door saying "I'll see you in a few hours", as she leaves to go hammer some of her new riding girlfriends. And I think, damn, that's my wife!
Of course nowadays when we go out for a spin I drop her like a cheap prom dress.
