On the theory of relativity, Albert Einstein allegedly said, 鈥淚 thought of that while riding my bicycle.鈥�
Famous brainchildren, we are not.聽 Brilliant physicists, we are also (99%) not (hence the blank stares that so often follow a science joke on The Big Bang Theory; we are all Penny and I'm quite certain we are all okay with it).聽 Nevertheless, we are cyclists in 麻豆传媒映画fortunate enough to have routes cutting all over town as well as bright green lanes on the road to call home.聽 Bike to work week?聽 Locals retort, how about 鈥渁ll year鈥�?聽 Fanatics challenge, how about 鈥渦ntil retirement鈥�?聽 It is no secret (at least in the Lower Mainland) that hopping a saddle achieves significant economy, is environmentally sound, and above all makes one feel some damn good feels.聽 Ahhh Vancouver,聽 you鈥檙e a cyclist鈥檚 forever kind of place.
Until there are hills.
Until it rains.
Until someone neglects to shoulder check before getting out of the car, defining in bruises and blood what it really means to be 鈥渄oored鈥�.
Until rush hour during the work week has bike jams all along Adanac, prompting you to wonder how much time you鈥檙e actually saving.
Don鈥檛 get me wrong, I love to bike and there鈥檚 nothing like the wind in your face.聽 Wait, let me go back: I love to bike and there鈥檚 nothing like the wind in your face when conditions are perfect.聽 Maybe this makes me an adult baby, for it coincidentally happens that I own a onesie (like I mean it) and have been known to wear it in times of complete wakefulness.聽 Maybe this makes me soft, not like real cyclists who grind it out on the roadways, come hell or high water.聽 Or maybe (and I鈥檓 going to go with this one) this just makes me wise to what places like the new Eastwood Cycle Sanctuary are saying.聽 And what Eastwood is saying is the following:
We all need the gentle reminder every now and again by Stephanie Low
So manage your expectations accordingly, but feel free to do so in Eastwood鈥檚 indoor cycling studio that serves as a non-competitive yet passionate and energetic yet comfortable space.聽 And with garb to enjoy post-spin.聽 Eastwood is an enticing answer to that forgotten key to life: the need for a fine balance between sweating heavy and getting your mellow on.
Garb central by Stephanie Low
Leaving your shoes at the door and any worries to the wind, Eastwood welcomes you to try a variety of classes, all of which you can ride to your own pace in.聽 The Icon, a personal favourite, gets you spinning to the beat in the dark while strength training with weights to get the endorphins flying.聽 The Cyclist prepares the experienced rider, pushing endurance to the limit so that you鈥檙e ready to hit the outdoors once the weather turns (and if it doesn鈥檛, the adult baby in me doesn鈥檛 see a problem with sticking to a studio and whirring fans and neither should you, quite frankly).聽 On top of good feels is the donation-based ride in Spin It Forward, a class that gives 100% of the proceeds to Eastwood鈥檚 monthly charity of choice.
Eastwood's welcome by Stephanie Low
Now, spinning is no easy feat but the collective ambiance at Eastwood, complete with clapping and loud cheers from surrounding riders, will undoubtedly keep you moving.聽 Plus, why wouldn鈥檛 you want to max it to the end of class when you can collapse into this right after?
Rest is the reward by Stephanie Low
Another reason to check Eastwood out (besides the first ride being free, no lie) occurred to me after attending The Icon class when, pouring out of the studio in a mad rush for more water, more towels, more air, more light, more anything, I heard someone say exasperatingly, 鈥渄oes anyone else feel like throwing up?鈥澛� It was a question posed to the group at large, one possessing such a brutal but sensible honesty that I had no other choice.聽 Yes, I answered in exclamation.聽 Yes I do.聽 Here it is: the thing that made you feel at once wretchedly out of shape is also, rest assured, the thing that binds every rider in the struggle 鈥榯il the lights come on.
So join a community that fights tiredness with togetherness alongside East-inspired d茅cor and West Coast-inspired informality 鈥� you don鈥檛 have to be a professional or know the mechanics of cycling to spin, just do yourself a favour and forego the routine workout at the local gym where you鈥檒l likely do it alone.
After all, it doesn鈥檛 take a brainchild or a brilliant physicist to know that spinning is a sure-fire way not to get doored in imperfect conditions and that the hard work will have your muscles thanking you (maybe not during or right after, but in good time with full hindsight).
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