Tidal Wheel has cruised into Richmond offering challenging, candlelight rides in spinning studios designed specifically for that purpose.
Up until now, indoor cycling offerings in the Richmond area were generally limited to those at large gyms and some triathlon-training facilities. Now there are places just for spinning.
The first local Tidal Wheel opened last month at 5807 Patterson Ave. in Henrico County, in a former barre studio. The second one opened this weekend in the Innsbrook area of Glen Allen. And Boho Cycle Studio, another stand-alone spinning shop, opened this weekend at 714 N. Sheppard St. in Richmond.
Stand-alone spinning studios have been gaining popularity in other parts of the country for the past several years. For instance, Soul Cycle, started in New York City in 2006, now boasts more than a dozen locations in the New York area and has recently expanded to the West Coast.
The founders of Tidal Wheel, which opened its first studio in Virginia Beach last year, have patterned the company after success stories such as Soul Cycle in that they have created a full-body, indoor-cycling fitness option. Classes use core-engaging positions, light weights and sometimes resistance bands to achieve a full-body workout along with cardiovascular fitness.
“We take what we love and put our own spin on it,” said Emily Ainsworth, manager of the Richmond Tidal Wheel studios. Tidal Wheel was founded by Mike Timms and Ryan Kelly, both University of Virginia graduates who live in New York.
Ainsworth started her indoor cycling journey at Soul Cycle, taking classes when she lived in New York. From there, she became an instructor at Joy Ride, a Connecticut-based operator of spinning studios.
When her husband’s job moved them to Richmond, she was a natural fit for the expansion of Tidal Wheel.
Ainsworth said she tried Zumba and other choreographed exercise formats before taking to indoor cycling, which she found much easier to master.
“I tell people, ‘If you are challenged in coordination, this is for you.’ ”
The Tidal Wheel on Patterson Avenue has 19 bikes, lined up side by side in a fairly small space behind The Shops at 5807.
The tight spacing is purposeful, Ainsworth said. “We find that there’s more group motivation when people ride next to each other.”
The Innsbrook studio is larger and will hold up to 40 bikes, Ainsworth said. It is closer in size to the Virginia Beach studio.
The traditional Tidal Wheel class is a 45-minute combination of pedaling and muscle toning. The day I visited, we used hand weights (2- and 3-pound varieties) for upper-body segments sprinkled throughout the class. The room is generally dark except for candles placed around the elevated stage that holds the instructor’s bike.
Riders don’t need a membership at Tidal Wheel. It’s a pay-as-you-ride system; individual classes cost $18 and a series of 20 classes costs $260. You can pick from several options of bundled classes, depending on how much you think you’ll ride.
Because the classes are fairly advanced, incorporating leaning moves on the bike to engage the core and upper body, Ainsworth encourages newcomers to indoor cycling to meet with an instructor for some one-on-one training before taking a class.
She advises newbies to drop back on intensity when necessary.
“For instance, you can always drop the weights and just use your towel,” she said. And you can skip some of the up-and-down moves if they are too difficult.
Tidal Wheel has a unique niche here, she said. “It’s new enough that people don’t have any expectations coming in but familiar enough that it’s not too intimidating.”
Still, the goal of Tidal Wheel instructors is to “make it a little uncomfortable” so that riders see a benefit and return for more, she said.
Information for Boho and Tidal Wheel can be found at www.bohocyclestudio.com[1] and www.tidalwheel.com[2] , respectively.
Maria Howard is a group exercise instructor for the YMCA of Greater Richmond. Her column runs every other week in Sunday Flair.
References
- ^ www.bohocyclestudio.com (www.bohocyclestudio.com)
- ^ www.tidalwheel.com (www.tidalwheel.com)
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