Have I told you how proud I am of all the ICI/PRO members who have taken the leap and started their own Indoor Cycling Studios? Well I am, and it's so awesome to see when the local media recognizes them!
Kathy Ehrlich-Scheffer opened Cycledelic Indoor Cycling Studio this fall in Rochester, NY. Her studio features FreeMotion s11.9 indoor cycles with power. I see that Kathy is offering Winter Training from Cycling Fusion, which should be a big boost to the cyclists in her area.
She lost everything, then she got back on the bike
Kathy Ehrlich-Scheffer and her husband bought a modest ranch house in San Diego in 2006, expecting to settle there for a long time. But when they grew disenchanted with the area and decided to move back to the Rochester region, they couldn't sell their home and ultimately lost everything in the 2008 Southern California housing crisis.
“It was humiliating, it was humbling and it was definitely game-changing to go through something like that,” she said.
But in three years, Ehrlich-Scheffer went from being down on her luck to the owner of the Cycledelic Indoor Cycling Studio in Brighton, which features state-of-the-art equipment with special effects, a club-style lounge area, towel service and showers.
“I figured I'd use my failure to fuel my fire instead of having a pity party,” she said. Read the rest here.
When I fired-up my microphone and recorded the very first episode of the Indoor Cycle Instructor Podcast back in August 08, never in my wildest dreams would I have believed this would happen; an Instructor in Staffanstorp, Sweden would be walking into his class with an ICI/PRO Instructor gear bag that I shipped him. No way that would ever happen…
But here's ICI/PRO member Ove Eldstahl in his studio 🙂
In mid-March epicPLANET Producer/Director, Allen Jones and Production Manager/Wife, Liz Jones, headed across our southern tier of states to film some new epicRIDES titles for their growing customer base.
Their first stop on the trip was Houston, TX, were they visited and rode to Epic Texas Hill Country with Vivian DunlopanepicRIDES devotee and Spinning® instructor at Lifetime Fitness at CityCentre. Vivian leads a great virtual cycling class at an amazing new facility.
Leaving Houston and driving the LONG way across Texas through El Paso and then on to Tuscon for a couple of days. Here Allen visited with Spinning® Master Instructor Lori Pro, another epicRIDES enthusiast.
Then on to San Diego to hook up with epicRIDES customer/collaborator Mike Henderson and cyclists that were going to star in two epicRIDES productions filmed there.
Mike and his wife, Crystal, were kind enough to host a great pre-production dinner for the San Diego Epic Riders the Saturday before filming commenced. Thanks to them both and particularly Mike for organizing the cyclists and routes!
On Sunday, March 27, Mike and Allen filmedParalympian David Lee riding a gorgeous California coastal route from Oceanside to La Jolla along a busy but gorgeous coastline. David Lee, is a world-class hand cyclist and has competed extensively, including in the Beijing Olympics.
The next day Allen “Spun” with epicRIDES customer, Kimberly Hicks, the owner of Cycle City Studio in Vista, CA. Kimberly led the class on the Epic Tucson – Saguaro East ride. Allen loved the class and Kimberly's AV setup!
Then on Wednesday, March 30, the crew filmed San Diego's Great Western Loop with cyclists Ginger Crutchfield, Adam Beck and Brian Brillo. This iconic ride in the mountains and canyons west of the city is extremely popular with locals and for good reason: it's gorgeous, most of the route is on quiet country roads and, with many great climbs and technical descents, it's quite challenging and epicPLANET can't wait to get to editing this one!
epicPLANET put this ride together with the terrific encouragement, assistance and support of Mark Beckett (husband of Spinning Instructor Shirin) of Claremont, who not only recruited a great group of cyclists but also hosted a wonderful pre-production dinner at their house on Sunday, April 3rd.
epicPLANET filmed the Mt. Baldy climb starting in Glendora on Tuesday, April 5, on what proved to be the best weather day of the several days we were in the area. The riders included: Priscilla P.C. Calderon, Elia Meza, Andrew Bosco, Josh Kerr, Gary Tran and Ernest Villalon. A great team of cyclists!
They are now editing this ride with plans to release it in time for the actual Tour stage date of May 21.
Later that week Allen spun with Shirin Beckett and class at Pedal Spin Studio in Claremont. What a terrific class Shirin leads! Great music, great guidance and great people!
Leaving Claremont, Allen and Liz started their journey back with a quick trip to Sacramento and some scouting in the Napa region. Maybe they will film Levi Leipheimer's King Ridge GranFondo route next time?
Then on to Moab, UT for additional ride scouting that area and the two National Parks there, Arches and Canyonlands. Their thinking this could be a possible Spring Tour 2012 location?
After Moab, they “blasted” back to Florida, driving 1,600 miles in three days and managing to skirt the worst of the Texas wildfires!
Allen and Liz wanted to send enthusiastic thanks to everyone they worked with and met along the way. It was an EPIC experience for them both!
You can join the “Epic” conversation, hear about new epicRIDES releases and special offers on their web site.
With all of these very talented Indoor Cycling Instructors available we thought; “why not add a monthly Podcast featuring one of our members?”
Meet ICI/PRO Member Alice Heffner! In this episode Alice shares the steps she took to start and build a new class, at a new club, at a weird time, completly from scratch.
If you are a new Instructor, or maybe looking to add an additional class or two to your teaching schedule, you may discover some ideas that you can use to break into that fancy club where you've always want to teach 🙂
These free Podcasts are provided through a sponsorship from Cycling Fusion
Listen to the Podcast below or subscribe for free using
I can't let this day past without remembering Amy's (the Senior Group Fitness Instructor here at ICI/PRO) birthday. I'm forbidden to mention her age, so please don't ask. I will give you some clues to the year she was born; Cuban Misslle Crisis, Jamaica Gains Independence From Great Britain, the Beatles “Love Me Do” came out and it was the year the first James Bond movie – “Dr. No” hit the silver screen.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!!!
NOTE: I had a technical issue that caused the comments for this post to disappear. Sorry 🙁
On Saturday, March 19, Barbara Hoots and I (along with Spinning Master Instructors; Angie Scott from Vermont and Anthony Musemici from NYC) had the honor of co-leading the 11th Annual Special Olympics Vermont's 6-Hour “Ride for a Reason.” 75 riders packed the Champlain Valley Exposition Center and raised more than $18,000 for Special Olympics Vermont.
This was the third year that I've had the privilege of taking part in this special event, and this was by far my favorite year. The vibe in the room was fantastic, and we fed off that vibe all day long. Many of the event's participants were returning from years' past; 50% of the crowd, however, were riding their first-ever indoor Century. It was overwhelmingly rewarding to contribute in a small way to all of these individuals' experience of profound pride and strength.
We had live performances from local Vermont Brazillian drummer band Sambatucada, and DJ Craig Mitchell mixing live for the final two hours. It was an interesting challenge to improvise up there on stage, contrary to how much time and effort we all characteristically put into our profiles, but a pretty awesome one. The crowd loved the infusion of energy! Equally inspiring, if not more so, was the presence of Special Olympics athletes who spoke to participants, brought them snacks, and let everyone know just how meaningful the day's fundraising efforts were to them and their lives. We also presented a slideshow running in the background throughout the day with photos of Special Olympics athletes competing, along with motivational images and words.
“I never thought of myself as an athlete before today,” said one participant, formerly a casual participant in indoor cycling classes who completed her first indoor Century. “This is probably the proudest day of my life. I feel like I can do anything I set my mind to, now.”
Memories to Cherish from Barbara Hoots
There are some things you have to experience firsthand to know how truly amazing they are: childbirth, fourth-row seats at a U2 concert, and as I discovered on Saturday, March 19, being a part of Vermont’s 6-hour Ride for a Reason. When Melissa invited me to take a seat on stage alongside her team of seasoned instructors, I gladly accepted, armed only with words of encouragement, a healthy dose of positivity and an awesome playlist.
I was prepared for the ride, but not the emotional experience that made an indelible impression on me. The real heroes on Saturday were the countless volunteers and Special Olympic athletes, not the coaches on stage or participants in the audience. Watching these brave young athletes walk in between rows of bikes, serving sliced oranges, apples, and the best homemade Cliff bars I’ve ever tasted, was a moment time stood still and my eyes welled with tears of pure joy.
Melissa and her committee spent countless hours organizing this epic event, and it was evidenced by the ride’s enormous success. Her exuberance, passion, and never ending smile will be in my heart forever.
If you've never volunteered your studio or teaching talent for an organization such as Special Olympics, now's the time – it's an experience you'll never forget!
