U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice turned down requests to witness her ice-skating talents and warm up frosty U.S.-Russian relations during a visit to a rink in Russia, Friday.

In a report Rice said that it had been 10 years since she last put her feet inside ice skates.

"There is this theory that ice skating is like riding a bicycle: you just get back on it, you immediately know how to do it," she said.

"I'm not going to take that chance -- just in case it's not true!" Rice told AP as she explained her decision not to demonstrate her ice skating skills for the public.

Around 30 young ice-skaters met Rice at the Russian Army Sports Club rink who gave the top U.S. diplomat a demonstration of their skills before posing for photographs.

Rice was a competitive ice skater between the ages of 12 and 17.