I Came. I Cycled. I Conquered.

I’ll admit it, I too get nervous when trying new things. Maybe not with CrossFit because I’ve been doing it for so many years but when my friend Kendall mentioned cycling my palms got sweaty. A matter of fact she didn’t invite me to the class. I invited myself. She had been telling me how much she loves this new cycling class at City Cycle in Greenwood. She said it helped turn off her brain while burning a bunch of calories. SOLD!

I remember texting her and asking her what time her class on Saturday was and where. I did a little research, found the location, and realized the first class is FREE! Sign. Me. Up! Here’s the thing though, I thought this indoor cycling class was going to be a quiet little spin class. Boy was I wrong.

I walked in and immediately was greeted by some of the friendliest people I’ve met. Maybe they were pitying my soul. Jk. The girl who helped me with the check-in actually walked me thru the whole process. She even walked me to the bathroom and waited for me outside. She was probably just making sure I wasn’t going to escape. After putting my things in the locker, she walked me over to my bike. Just a few adjustments and I was ready to go.

It was at this point that I totally felt like Amy Schumer in the movie, “I Feel Pretty”. The music starts blasting, the instructor is SUPER peppy, and everyone is ready to ride. Um expect for me. Yeah….this newbie. I keep feeling like I was going to fly off this bike. The instructor is circling and bouncing her head and I’m wondering how the hell this girl is keeping her head on. More music. More up & downs. On the saddle. Off the saddle. Yikes! For a few minutes I was hating my life. WTH did I get myself into? I mean did I miss the memo. I totally felt like I was at a club but in my gym gear. Ok ok I got this. Take a sip of water. Don’t look at the time. Just one more hill. One more song. And seriously after 45 minutes it was over. It was all over.

I look over to Kendall and whisper, “What the hell just happened?”. I towel off. Told her I wish there was a warning sign and was totally undecided. I didn’t know if I loved it or if I hated it. The one thing I did know is that the next day my legs felt great. After all the squats and deadlifts in CrossFit maybe this cycling class helped break up all the lactic acid in my muscles. Ok I gotta try it again.

I went back. Ok one more time. This time the music was Cardi B vs. Nicki Minaj. Say what? Totally up my alley. And just like that I realized I actually liked it. I was glad I gave it a second chance. I’m not saying that this will replace my love for CrossFit, but sometimes I want something different on a Saturday. Sometimes I don’t feel like lifting and I just want some cardio that doesn’t involve running. City Cycle filled a void and I can pop in whenever it works. I will gladly suggest it to anyone looking to do something challenging and different. Vary your workout. Your body will thank you. Mine did!