Wounded Warrior Soldier Ride

Another great Long Island summer has come and gone. I even got to take my outdoor bike for a spin a few times. In fact, I took one of the most scenic and unique bike rides I’ve ever taken in my life this past July. Each summer, The Wounded Warrior Project hosts a 25 mile “Soldier Ride” in the town of Babylon. It’s a rare opportunity to actually bike across the Robert Moses Bridge while helping wounded veterans. Fitness Incentive trainer and instructor Eileen Jacinth formed a team and invited anyone who would like to join her. FI member Diana Gorman was the first to sign up. Diana takes a Cycle class at FI at least twice a week. She is always trying to improve upon her performance on the Matrix bike by changing her Functional Threshold Wattage (FTW), pushing higher percentages in each color zone, and perfecting her form on the bike. I was not surprised at all that she joined. What did surprise me, though, was how nervous she was about the ride! I was shocked to find out that prior to The Soldier Ride, Diana had not taken her bike further than the 2 miles between her house and Fitness Incentive. I sat down with Diana to find out why she had so much hesitation about the ride, and I learned that it was actually Indoor Cycling that gave her the confidence to take her ride outside.

Diana

Diana is 28 and has been a member since she was 18. She has spent the past decade enjoying group fitness classes like Kickboxing and Step. At first, she would often supplement her workout routine by taking long runs outside. About 5 years ago, Diana suffered an injury to her piriformis and could not run. It was at this point that she decided to try a Cycle class. She was nervous about taking her first class, but she felt amazing afterward. She was so impressed that she could get such a great workout from cycling that she asked for an outdoor bike for her birthday. She received a beautiful 7-speed beach cruiser that October. She would often think about doing a charity ride to get some mileage on the road. She had first heard of the Soldier Ride from former Cycle Instructor Liz Lenox in 2014. However, there was always an apprehension that stopped her from signing up. Diana always had some insecurities about her athletic ability even though she was always successful in team sports. Each year the ride would come and go, and Diana was left with a severe case of FOMO (“fear of missing out”). After really focusing on her indoor cycling ability over the last year, she felt like she was finally ready to sign up for the ride. She told me that she would never have signed up for a ride like this had she not been involved in indoor cycling. Having her instructors ride alongside her was incredibly inspiring and really motivated her to push forward. Diana cannot wait to do another long outdoor ride. She continues her indoor cycling training at least twice a week, paying close attention to her FTW. She is signed up for our 25 mile Rodman Ride Fundraiser at Fitness Incentive in September, and she is even considering an indoor cycling retreat in Guatemala in 2020!

I am always surprised when I hear that some of my Cycle students do not ride a bike outside. The two go hand in hand! Take a cue from Diana and get out there this fall. All of your indoor cycling training will pay off! And if you are an avid outdoor cyclist but have never taken a Cycle class at Fitness Incentive, what are you waiting for? Bring your ride INSIDE and discover all of the benefits of indoor cycling and our incredible cycle program.

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Theresa Christensen

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