Intrepid Exerciser and Pelo

The Intrepid Exerciser on Pelo Cycling, 

We don’t have Soul Cycle –we have Pelo.https://www.pelofitness.com/ It’s a new Spinning studio near Trader Joe’s at Montecito plaza. 

It’s got state of the art bicycles and instructors all lined up to offer you one of your best workouts ever.  If you ride the roads you’ll see your fitness improve, and if you don’t you’ll feel like, well, maybe you just might …

In a previous life the Intrepid Exerciser (IE) rode “with” the BBC –the Berkeley Bicycle Club. Simply by virtue of drafting and hopping on the back wheel I got to experience just a little bit of the thrill of a pace line, slicing thru the air so fast the sunlight and the shadows blended into the pavement gliding by. So when Living Social offered five classes for $30.00 (IE’s sweet spot $$) she jumped... ready to draft for dear life.

So first thing these bikes are special:  listen to what Alan, the owner, has to say:” ..Pelo bikes are all fitted with sensors to measure the actual power that each rider is generating. It’s a baseline of your fitness and it will regulate how your bike is set up for you.” 

What does he mean? Well Alan does a little look up of you, you tell him how often you exercise, and what types of exercise you actually do (do people really know what “dancing” means? Oh well) Then he goes behind his desk, Wizard of Oz-like, and assigns you a power number. this number is what your bike will be set to each time you come in. 

Well for my first class, Alan was a little too optimistic--or sadistic?? I just about killed myself keeping up: drenched and noodley, but exhilarated.  Meagan took pity on me and put me down a few notches so I could keep up.

Here’s a snapshot of Alan in class:

"Ok everybody, pedal with the beat and adjust your resistance till you're in zone 3. Let your shoulders soften, core strong, toes spread and feet making circles.”  When you do get out of the saddle for an attack, which is a relief after all that sitting, don’t bounce around, stay low and let your butt graze the seat, keeping your core even tighter, hello abs!!

Back to our Alan demo: “ Bikers get 90 RPM, add two gears, ok up for an interval: 105 for two minutes –or 110 for 30 seconds.” The music is Mc Yogi http://mcyogi.com/  "Take off two gears and go down to 90. Be in zone 4 or 5 bikers..”

Right about now, dripping and shaky, Alan reminds us, “This is fun, you don’t have to worry about cars or other riders. Concentrate on your form and how hard you’re working.”

Ah yes, this is the all-important- Pelo-point.  All these dials, and the power number system are in place to let the IE gauge just how hard she is working. Now the dancer in me at first rebelled against these “regulators” and especially the three flat panel screen that projects my dial—my workout--- across three sides of the studio.  A dancer is supposed to know how hard she is working: it’s her instrument, and she has to be totally in control of it, handing it over only to a teacher or a choreographer but that’s it. Not to a bunch of dials, one of which is put up on a huge screen for everyone to see!!

However those dials and their readings and their public display all contribute to getting you to work harder and for an hour, that’s a good thing. 

The intrepid exerciser heartily recommends a sprint at Pelo. Jump on the back, who knows you may fly off the front and no one will be able to catch you—Besides, the Tour is up for grabs…