Sweat rained from pores as riders pedaled to their commands.
Over upbeat music that floods the room, Melissa Baker shouts “The finish line is yours, push it.”
Heavy breathing signals the end of the ride. Bikers, flooded with endorphins, descend from their spinning bicycles. A stationary bike provides plenty of adrenaline.
The popularity of indoor cycling, also known as spin, has taken over Gainesville. Many residents and students have taken it up as a hobby.
People try out cycling because it’s trendy but ultimately stick with it because of the community aspect, Lauren Fox, a 21-year-old UF animal science senior said. “Everyone’s on their own bike, but you ride together as a team, hitting the beats and doing all the fun choreography.”
Fox has cycled since March 2019. She picked up the hobby in Tampa, 25 minutes from her hometown of St. Petersburg. She recently enrolled in classes at CycleBar, located at 3597 SW 32nd Court Suite 40.
CycleBar Gainesville’s soft opening was Feb. 10. Its grand opening and ribbon-cutting have yet to be announced, however, the studio is open for classes.
Co-owner Henna Diaz said CycleBar is unique because of its music-driven rides.
The facility offers a different experience than going to a traditional gym, she said.
Diaz said “We really want to create a community. It’s not just a workout.”
The ride isn’t strictly a cardio workout as CycleBar incorporates high-intensity interval training into its rides, she said. It also includes an upper body segment with weights provided on the bikes.
CycleBar is beginner friendly and all fitness levels are welcome, Diaz said. Riders are encouraged to go at their own pace.
After class, riders are emailed their statistics and the music playlist. CycleBar also provides complimentary biking shoes, lockers, snacks, showers, and cold, lavender towels are given out after completion of the workout.
“We want people to walk through the doors, and we want to know their name,” Diaz said. “We want you to get to know your instructors.”
Noemi Martinez, a 21-year-old UF marketing junior began classes at CycleBar in January. Indoor cycling is a great way to socialize and stay fit, she said.
“The cycling classes are really fun because of the instructors and loud music,” Martinez said. “They’re also a great way to get a full-body workout in.”
Cycling studios are more comfortable than a traditional gym, Melissa Baker cycling instructor and GroupFit manager at Gainesville Health and Fitness (GHF) said.
Baker said GHF places a projector at the front of the class that displays scenery from around the world.
“It takes them out of their own head,” she said. “It puts them into this thing that they can really focus on which makes the workout go so much faster.”
GHF recently added a Les Mills program, fitness classes and high-intensity interval training workouts, called ‘the Trick,’ she said.
The Trick is a choreographed routine that’s immersive, Baker said. It turns the ride into a cinematographic experience.
At GHF, the stationary bikes tell riders their speed, rpm, watts, gears, heart rate, time and miles completed. Classes last anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes, she said.
Baker said cycling is easy on your joints. The ride is a total body workout.
“You come out of the room feeling good, sweaty and feeling like you really accomplished something,” she said.
Isabella Bahr, a 20-year-old UF political science sophomore, takes classes and works at Define Carrollwood, a spin studio in Tampa.
“I like to call it a dance party on a bike, which makes it a fun and efficient workout burning hundred of calories in only 45 minutes,” she said.
Bahr said she began cycling the summer before her senior year of high school and hasn’t stopped since. She’s thrilled to have a CycleBar studio in Gainesville.
For some, indoor cycling is a journey of self-discovery.
“I honestly use cycling as a form of therapy,” Fox said. “It is such an effective way to relieve stress and get out any unwanted emotions.”
45 minutes. That’s all it takes.
Contact Karina Wilson at kwilson@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter @kk_rinaa
Karina Wilson is a second-year student at the University of Florida within the College of Journalism and Communications with a specialization in sports and media. She aims to produce engaging, accurate and current content for all types of sports fans. Currently, Karina is The Alligator's lacrosse beat writer.
