Rochester, We've Arrived!

I recently had someone say to me, "An indoor cycling studio in Rochester?!?  Oh my... I guess we've arrived!" Yes, Rochester.  We have arrived.

Cycledelic is bringing the big city right here to Rochester.  Indoor studios, especially state-of-the-art facilities, are typically dedicated to large metropolitan areas like New York and LA. Well, no longer! It is time, in fact I'd argue it's long overdue, that Rochester (already an active biking community) got its first state-of-the-art, cycling specific studio.

A little about me...
I took my first Spinning(r) class in 1998 in San Jose, CA.  I was severely overweight at the time, hated gyms and disliked feeling out of place in them.  That first class was a nightmare.  The instructor, let's call him Stalin for the sake of argument, never fit me to the bike, never told me about modifications, never took so much as a moment to find out about me.  I lasted 15 minutes into the hellish experience before I fell off the bike, utterly exhausted.  I was humiliated and vowed never to go back to such a sadistic class ever again.

Fast forward to 2003, now living in the Boston area.  I lost the weight after developing high blood pressure before turning 30.   I started going to the gym.  I worked with a personal trainer.  Then a funny thing happened; I started to enjoy fitness.  I never meant to.  It was supposed to be something "required," not enjoyed.  A friend asked me to join him in a Spinning(r) class.  I must have turned him down five or six times before I finally relented.  Let me tell you, it wasn't easy walking into that room after my experience with Stalin.

It was different.  The instructor came right up to me, fit me to the bike, explained modifications and told me to be true to my own body and fitness level.  During class she never looked like a hamster on crack, spinning her legs faster than should be humanly possible.  She never loaded on so much resistance that she couldn't move the pedals.  She told stories from her own outdoor experience and we went on journey after journey.  I was hooked.  I've been indoor cycling ever since.  Eventually, I took up recreational outdoor road biking to boot.  Several years ago I took it a step farther and became an instructor.

I've had the good fortune of being involved in indoor cycling coast-to-coast (San Francisco/San Jose, Boston, San Diego, and now Rochester), attending industry conferences (WSSC, ICI Pro), furthering my education (becoming a Star 3 Spinning instructor and Stages Cycling Certified for teaching with power), and befriending many industry insiders in the process.  I've been fortunate to see the potential of what indoor cycling can be.  I've been horrified to see what indoor cycling has been perverted into, especially the use of contraindications in classes (hovers, isolations, using free weights, doing push-ups on the bike, spinning like a hamster on crack, etc...).

Cycledelic was born of the idea to offer the best indoor experience there is in a cycling-specific way that thereby could meet the needs of everyone.  That means Cycledelic has a zero tolerance policy for contraindications.  If it's not done outside, we don't do it inside.  Period.  It means each of our instructors are outdoor riders; our experience varies, but each of us knows and understands what a hill feels like, what wind resistance feels like, what different terrain feels like, what riding in weather feels like, and most of us understand what training for an event feels like.  We understand that outdoor riding and indoor riding are two different animals but each can compliment the other, especially if approached in a cycling-specific way.  Furthermore it means we can meet the needs of beginners right up to competitive outdoor cyclists.

We also like to have fun!  Who said cycling-specific had to be boring?!  Bring on the colorwash lighting, the projection system and the rocking stereo!  Let's get this party started, Rochester!

That overweight lady on the floor?  Yeah... she's still here.  I reconnect with her before I teach every class.  I remember how humiliated and dejected I felt that day, and I channel that into making sure not a single student of mine ever experiences the same.  Newbies- there really is a place for you at Cycledelic.  That's not marketing; that's just a part of who I am and what Cycledelic is.

So, Rochester... it looks like all that's left to do is to celebrate this arrival of ours!  Enjoy the trip, Rochester; it's going to be Cycledelic!
www.cycledelicstudio.com