I can say with 100 % sincerity that the last four months has been a crazy ride – and I wouldn’t have it any other way! The community we are building together at Cadence and how it is evolving each day is more than I could have imagined. Having the great pleasure of meeting all of you has made my goal a reality. Each of you who come through the door every day and get on the bikes are creating this amazing community at Cadence. For me, this is what it’s all about.

I talk about this with someone almost every day. The greatest thing about opening the studio is that I am meeting so many nice, like minded people daily – people I can now call my friends. I love the fact that I can just go hang out chat with any of you before class about your day or weekend. It is so fun for me. It is why I opened the studio – to bring a group of awesome people together in a fun environment and get a great workout while getting to know each other. You guys have created that at Cadence!

It seems as though I’ve blinked my eyes and four fantastic months have gone by. If all I did for the foreseeable future was get up every day to help people enjoy getting healthier and have fun while doing it, than I will be a very happy guy.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone and thank you so much for being such an important part of Cadence.

~ Mike

It started out well enough. A couple of good friends, Donnie and Katie, had convinced my girlfriend,
Cora, and I to try out spin in late October. I got on the bike, took about 5 minutes to figure out how
to clip myself in, and got into the class, lost in the music. The people around me looked like they were in
great shape, and were really enjoying the class. I thought, “I could get used to this”.

About 15 minutes in, I felt my left calf start to seize up, followed by my right calf about 5 minutes later.
I tried to stretch them out on the bike, slowing down to a near stop. At this point, I figured that even if
I looked like a wuss next to my girlfriend (who was going strong) I needed to get off the bike. Of course,
I had managed to pick a bike right in the middle of the studio, so I had to walk by more than half the
people in class with my head down.

Mike was great – he told me not to worry about it, that I probably just didn’t
have enough water and that I probably pushed myself too hard for the first time. He didn’t need to
make excuses for me; I had plenty of my own, since I had decided to start spin without having done any
regular exercise in several months. He followed up with me after the class via email with information
about what could cause cramping, and things I could do to prevent it. I soon figured out (after talking to
Cora, Donnie and Katie) that I also didn’t have the technique quite right. I wasn’t driving down with my
heels, which would have been a lot easier on my calves.

Given Mike’s enthusiasm and follow up, I decided that I needed to give spin another shot. So, a week
later, I showed up for a 6:15am class with Becky, made sure that I was driving down with my heels, and
got through it!

Cora and I are now coming to four classes a week at Cadence. Other than the great workouts, it’s
the sense of community that has us coming back. It’s the fact that whoever greets you at the door –
whether it’s Mike, Tracy or Natasha – knows your name; they can almost grab your shoes off the rack
before you’ve scanned in. It’s the follow up that they do between classes to make sure that you’re
recovering from an injury. It’s the way the instructors remember what it is you are trying to get out of
each class, and ask you about it at the end.

I’m probably preaching to the converted, but I’m so grateful that I was introduced to Cadence a month
ago. Over the past month, I’ve noticed a huge change in my energy level during the work day (especially
after one of Becky’s or Jaci’s 6:15am classes), and I find that I’ve been sleeping much better as well.

I’m looking forward to seeing what positive changes the coming months will bring.

~Chris

Opening morning will stay with me forever. A packed house, music cranking, familiar friendly faces everywhere that were genuinely happy to see Cadence come to fruition. Wow. Getting emotional just writing about this. Crazy.

To be honest the night before and the morning before class I was really nervous that I’d get emotional and struggle through class.  How would that look “alright everybody…” and than  I lose it. Months and month of hard work, ups and downs and finally, finally , finally I had opened myself and my space up to people who mostly I knew, but I was still on edge for sure. Thankfully, I did keep it together and put everyone through a great class. Thanks to everyone for the flowers, cards, well wishes and most importantly support for the last 4 months.

Never would I have thought that running the complimentary classes in the loft would have such an impact in laying the groundwork for the culture and feel I wanted to create in the studio. Its really not much different.  Just bigger. And louder.  I couldn’t be happier with the way things have turned out. People are  just enjoying hanging out there.

I am meeting new people every day who are coming and loving their experience. Nice people. People I want to hang out with and become friends with. That’s very cool.

Last week I went to the Submit party and I couldn’t believe the number of people I knew. And this is all because of the studio. My good friend Darren, who came with me said he was surprised how many people he recognized from the studio as well.  We are creating a community.

What makes me even more happy is I know that in the loft and in the studio, I have gotten people into a habit of living a life that involves a fitness routine that they enjoy. Some people that, before this, did not even work out.  Now they are  actually enjoying it and that is my purpose.

Every morning I look forward to coming downstairs and seeing smiling faces ready to get their sweat on. There is no better way for me to start my day.

I have often said to Tracy that I feel guilty because I love this so much that  it really does not feel like work. Her comment to me has always been that I am living the life I love right now.  Enjoy it.

When I teach the classes, I don’t fake it so I am getting a pretty good workout as well. I’ve  been curious over the last month or so where my run fitness was and what the crossover would be from Spinning to running. My body feels great because there has been no impact but you have to run to still run fast, or so I thought. I was curious as to the crossover from Spinning to running and wanted to be able to speak to it with solid data.

I went out on the weekend for what was supposed to be a relaxed run.  Maybe even stop and smell the roses and look at a bird or two.  In the past , every run has a purpose, a targeted pace or a targeted time. So I thought this one would be a little different.

When I got  2 k into my warmup and at the top of the Burrard bridge, I really started feeling like I wanted to run fast. So I got to the seawall and turned it up a few gears, than a few more, and felt I could have pushed up another gear, maybe even two.

I was clicking off  3:55 kms relatively easily. What a pleasant surprise to see I haven’t really lost anything at the shorter distances anyway. Even my heart rate was almost dead on where it should be at that speed. I compared it to a similar run in early April at the height of my training and the numbers are very close when I related my heart rate to speed.  I honestly think right now if I was to race a 5 or 10k I could PB.

I’m sure my longer distance endurance isn’t as strong, or is it?  I’ll go out for 20k in the next few days and find out.

Stay tuned!

Loft Spinning

Holding free Spin classes in the living room for the past four months was, for the most part,  a blast.  Having people that we may or may not know show up at our door at 6am was definitely a different experience.  It pushed me out of my comfort zone and most importantly helped me realize the feeling and experience  I wanted to maintain when we moved into the studio space downstairs.

So many people got to know each other well who were strangers before this whole thing started.   6am workouts in a living room will do that!  Continuing this community is one of the things I am most excited about.  The power of what we have all created became clear a few months back when we went to the Cheaper Art Show with Darren Bold and his wife Leighann. They own are great women’s clothing shop called Oliver & Lilly’s at 13th and Granville.  We were heading there in support of our good friend, Jessica Bell, a very accomplished artist, and her husband Ian.  (Jessica was also instrumental in the design of much of the studio – more to come on that in another post.)

The Bells and the Bolds didn’t know each other before the studio opened. When we arrived at the show, Jessica was wearing something she bought at Oliver & Lilly’s.  It was so cool to see that, though it was so simple.  Over the last few months, the six of us have all become close friends. This wouldn’t have happened if not for those little Spin classes of five people in our living room.

As we opened the doors this past week and I saw people introducing themselves to each other, talking to people they met in the space upstairs, I knew that we are creating that living room feeling I felt was so important.

CADENCE

I have been meaning to write this blog for two months now.

The most common response  I get from people when I tell them I have opened a Spinning studio in Vancouver is either excitement that there is a Spinning specific studio, or fear because they find the idea of attending a spin class scary.

I am not sure where this comes from.  Possibly from seeing instructors in various types of workouts, including Spin, that bark orders or yell at participants ,or seeing people sweat a small lake under neath their bikes.

There will be pools of sweat at Cadence but the drill sergeant attitude doesn’t have a place here. There are no egos at Cadence with instructors or participants. We’ve had many first time Spinners  and even some that have never really done an intense workout.  I always like talking to them after class about their experience and seeing the excitement in their faces. Most of them have become regulars.

Spinning can be a very intense workout, and you can be assured you’ll leave having worked really hard. But, although the instructors give you cues, it is your workout. If you feel the need to back off on tension or cadence, you do it. If you want to push a little harder that day, you stretch your limit. Its all up to you.

By far the most important thing for me to accomplish when I decided to open Cadence was to have a setting where participants will feel zero sense of competitiveness or intimidation from each other or from the instructor.

There will be days you will push your limits, but you won’t be forced to if that day you are not feeling it.

Kristin Lautrup and Nicky Freeman from lululemon Oakridge

back speakers

Powered Mixer

Over a year ago when I started to play with the idea of opening a Spinning studio in Vancouver, there were three key components that I knew were essential for the guests to have an awesome experience – great instructors, great sound and great bikes.

In the initial stages of putting the studio together, I did what most people would do in my situation, not being an expert on sound systems: I went to Future Shop and Best Buy. If I get a Bose system, that has to be the best way to go right?  And that was what I had planned to do.

One day my friend Stuart Chatwood and his wife Jill came to one of my classes and Stuart willingly offered to help me get the proper system for the space.  When Stuart came down to help me, it wasn’t as if he had all the time in the world – he has a very young baby and was in the process of getting ready to go back on tour with his band The Tea Party -www.theteaparty.com . So to be honest, I was expecting a few tips and that was it.  Wrong again.

Stuart came down to the what was than an empty space and started clapping his hands in different parts of the room, listening to the echo from the walls and really taking in what was happening. I knew right there I was in really good hands.

The next day he sent me a spreadsheet of what I needed, where to get it and how much it would cost. When a few of the smaller things were unavailable, he researched some more to ensure I had a great substitute.  Well beyond the call of duty for a guy as busy as Stu.

Fast forward a month or so. The system gets installed – a mixer and some powered (and heavy) speakers. I was available to only greet the installer , Jamie Feeney, then I had some running around to do.

At the end of the day, I got back and the first thing Jamie said to me was “I am excited about this thing”.  He put on some music (not necessarily my taste), and it sounded awesome. I can honestly say that I have never heard a sound system sound that good in a room like what we were in. Not the loudness of it, more the clarity.  I was so excited & don’t even know how to thank Stuart.

I just had 21 bikes delivered. They are top of the line and I’m excited about them but to me the sound is the headliner. I have loved taking people down to the space in the past week, having them stand in the middle of the studio, and putting the music on. The looks on their faces and the real excitement is so fun to see.

If you are anywhere in the area this week, drop in & say hi.  And listen.  Or better yet, classes start Friday, so come by for a class & hear the system in action.

Cycling shoes at Cadence

I’ve been spending alot of time lately assembling cycling shoes for the studio.

Offering shoes is another piece to the puzzle that will make the experience at Cadence different from any other Spin classes in Vancouver. I’ve taken the feedback from people who have been to other studios across North America & understand how clipping into the pedals enhances your ride.

At Cadence we want you to get the most from your workout, so cycling shoes are built into the cost of a ride or membership. The women’s shoes are Shimano and the men’s are Diadorra. Both very popular names in cycling.

In the complimentary classes I’ve been offering at our temporary studio (our loft), its been interesting watching people who come in for the first time, and subsequent times after, in relation to the shoes.

Usually the first time they are either shy or skeptical about whether or not they should wear their running shoes (which is fine), or if they should venture into the world of clipping in and becoming one with the bike. Inevitably, the second time they come to class they B-line right for the shoes and find their size.

Shoes add to pedal stroke efficiency, allowing you to pull up on the pedals, especially when climbing and really do make you feel one with the bike. Please share your feedback on using the shoes for your ride with us – we want to ensure your experience at Cadence is amazing!

Lenny in his element.

Finally after months of tweaking, the Cadence website is ready to go and will be launched tonight.

I can’t say enough about my web designer, Lenny Ford from Mad Love Studio, and the work he  has done over the past 3 or 4 months on this.

He has been very patient with me and my apparent indecision on certain things, coupled with my glaring ability to over think.

I was introduced to Lenny by Bev Wong, who is amazing in her own way and was responsible for designing my logo, which I am also very happy about.  Almost everyone that I hand my business card to comments on how much they like the logo.

Lenny definitely started with a blank canvas on this whole project and worked tirelessly with me, not for me, to make sure I was happy with the end product. Whether he knows it or not, he also provided me with alot of insight into my business. Lots of great advice that will contribute to the success of Cadence.

Its also cool that Lenny is an accomplished cyclist and has been to my class a number of times with his girl friend Nicole. To watch Lenny push himself on the bike is a good indication of how hard he would work in other aspects of his life.

He is fighting hard for the “sweat record”, at Cadence and comes to class with the goal of achieving it every time.:)

Its been great to work with so many nice and helpful people from the start of this journey into opening Cadence. Virtually everyone that has been involved has been either a friend or a friend of a friend. The outpouring of support is so encouraging.

Lenny leaves for a month long bike ride to Mexico and is raising money for cancer in the process.

He has worked very hard in the last week to ensure the site was ready to go before he leaves tomorrow, even with the many last minute changes that I requested over the last day or so.

Thanks Lenny. Good luck. Have a great ride.

By the time you get back, Cadence will be up and running and you have played a big role in the process.

I am adding Lenny’s link for his ride for cancer. Lenny’s family was affected by cancer when his father was diagnosed last year. Donations go directly to research that helps develop the treatments such as the one he is now responding to.

Lenny’s Ride to Conquer Cancer

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The Cadence website address is www.cadencevancouver.com.  It will be up this weekend.