When the weather gets rainy, I usually keep up my regular training rides, but sometimes soggy feet and stripes up my back just get old. When I desperately need a change of pace, I head right to my favorite class for intense spinning.
The first time I went to Flywheel Sports, I hated it. My instructor turned the lights down, ramped up the booming base, and yelled at us to work for our bikini bodies — not my ideal inspiration. After a few months, and a nudge from a friend, I tried again. This time, when the music blared and the lights were low, I hit my stride. My heart raced out of my chest, and things started to click. For the first time in my life I steadied my breath during sprints, and instead of thinking about the pain, I got out of my legs’ way. And they went.
I’ve tried quite a few other spin studios in the past — some that looked more like yoga studios with huge windows and wooden floors and some that were in tiny, claustrophobia-inducing spaces — but the combination of the dark room, loud instructor, fun beats, and precise data in Flywheel creates classes I can go to again and again.
If you’re thinking about getting some early-spring riding in without the wet weather, I’d highly suggest trying out a spin class near you.
Pro Tips:
- Bring water! Doing fast intervals inside a hot room leads to buckets of sweat, which leads to dehydration.
- Towels are a must. “A towel… is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have,” says the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. That is equally true of a spinner.
- If you have cycling shoes, bring them along too. If not, borrow some from your studio. Being able to pull up and push down improves your cycling cadence and ups your power.
- Remember to ride your own ride — if you can’t follow the instructor’s suggestions (and they are only suggestions) feel free to ride the ride that works for you. Turn your dial up if you feel like you need more, and certainly back off of the resistance if you aren’t feeling your best.
See you in class!
Just keep spinning. –Arielle