Fitness Craze
Austin's hottest fitness craze rides into new Texas market
RIDE Indoor Cycling, the Austin-based fitness boutique that's started a cycling craze in the state capital and counts celebrities like Zooey Deschanel and Brooklyn Decker among its fans, has made its way to a new market.
The new studio, located in the Houston Heights, is headed up by Taryn Woods Burt. “Houston is a great market and a great fit for it. There’s nothing like it here. And I like the sense of community in The Heights,” she says.
The 45-minute high-intensity cycling class burns lots of calories (between 600 and 800), takes little more coordination than being able to stand on your pedals and thrives on the group energy of up to 41 students on Schwinn AC performance bikes, all spinning in unison to cranked up, up-tempo beats ranging from a procured list of British pop songs to a mashup of tunes from Jay-Z and Beyonce.
As the lights go dim with only rays of blue LED lights to illuminate the room, the electricity in the classroom heightens. Now you’re ready to roll. The workout targets your legs, core and upper-body with the incorporation of eight minutes of arm weights while you spin (one pound for beginners and up to three pounds for the ultra fit).
For now, the new Houston studio offers three classes per day — morning, mid-morning and evening. There are options to pay by the class ($22 each) or in packages of five ($105), 10 ($195) or 20 ($360) classes. The first class is free.
RIDE Indoor Cycling opened in downtown Austin in early 2013. The Houston studio is its first expansion outside of the Austin market.