I have briefly mentioned CycleFierce and the badassery it promotes in another post.  (If you haven’t read it, you can check it out here:  mykitchentable2017.wordpress.com.Strong Not Skinny? #goals.)  Please humor me while I spell out the true strength and greatness of this place and why it is so important to so many of us Seacoast dwellers.  I hope I can do it justice.

CycleFierce is a boutique cycling studio located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and owned by two badass women, Jen Sebeny and Kat Moulton.

               It is the only one that is strictly for cycling, although some of the badass instructors offer push-ups, squats and other painful challenges after the ride (#morepainfromsandyandangie).  

Most of us who exercise regularly will say that once you are finished with any workout you feel great.  You believe that you can conquer the world and that no problem is too big for you to solve.  That is likely because of the endorphin rush you get from a good sweat.  But there is something different here at CycleFierce.  The positive vibes are greater and I think the reason is the people and the culture they have created.  All of the instructors are fabulous in their own special badass, sweat provoking way.  But a couple of them are really special on an intuitive level.  This might sound a little too “whoo whooish” for some people.  But the truth is that there is a certain connection that these instructors make with riders.  Sometimes it is through the music and sometimes it is an underlying message from the instructor.   However it happens, I can assure you that on some days the positive energy circulating the room is palpable.

A lot will happen in this room once we being to ride.  We will sweat (a lot), laugh, cry, yell and even dance.  All on a bike.  Many of us will work some things (a/k/a shit) out – both big and small – during this hour because we will feel empowered and strong.

One thing is for sure, CycleFierce embodies camaraderie and support.  Once you ride with them you become part of a “tribe”.  A tribe of badass people who probably have vastly different lives but one thing in common.  We all belong to this amazing community of riders who support each other.   We all bring our own special but similar vibe.  This is the energy that brings such strength to the room.

This is how I felt at CycleFierce today . . . .

The studio radiates a bright light even when it is 5:45 am and the sun has not yet risen.  Although we are almost all still asleep, there is a feeling of camaraderie that immediately emerges as we enter the bike room.  Our instructor is one of the owners.  She has already lit the candles that sit among the bikes, illuminating the space.  Music has begun and I feel our combined sense of anticipation rise as we all adjust our bikes.  As she takes her bike at the front of the room, the lights dim and the music rises.

We all fall silent as we begin to ride and I notice that there is a sense of something else in the room with us.  As we head into the next song this “something else” becomes apparent to me.  It is the energy beaming from 32 intense souls taking flight.  I do realize that this might be, again, a bit too “whoo whooish” for some, but I can tell you that all 32 of us would agree – there is something powerful swirling around that room.

As we ride, the sound of gears on the flywheel combines with the music and is somehow instantly in sync.  The room gets warm almost immediately from the effort emanating from 32 bikes in action.  Once again, I am amazed when I look up and see the mirrored image of all 32 riders rising and dropping back into the saddle, together in rhythmic harmony.  It is almost like a dance.

Sometimes the lights are turned so low that you can only see what is in your mind and heart at the moment.  And although the calories burned don’t hurt, for me this is the real purpose – the introspection that I get throughout the workout.  I think it is the combination of the music, the sweat, and the endorphins, together with the instructor’s energy, that makes me feel empowered here.  Sometimes this can fuel me throughout my entire day.

Jen and Kat have created a very special refuge here in this little studio on the New Hampshire Seacoast.  I think the world needs more CycleFierce vibes – especially now when feeling empowered and strong can be difficult.  Life is complicated and hard.  I highly suggest that you find a CycleFierce or its likeness in your own hood.  If you do, it just might bring you a sense of positivity and greatness.  And who among us doesn’t deserve that?