When was the last time your Spinning instructor commanded, “Turn to the left. Harder.” ? I now give you permission to throw out everything you thought you knew about indoor cycling. Denver, meet the Real Ryder.

Real Ryder stationary bikes were designed to mimic road racing by allowing the bike itself to move with the rider. Anytime your body maneuvers side-to-side on a traditional outdoor bike, the bike becomes a natural extension of you. You turn, it turns. You tip in one direction, it tips in the same direction. You fall over, it falls over. Now you can bring it inside. Without falling over, of course.

Credit: Photography by Demetrius

 

The Real Ryder bike itself is one serious piece of equipment. Weighing in at 222 pounds, it is impossible to tip this thing over. The flywheel alone weighs 66.1 pounds, compared to the average flywheel weight of 30 to 55 pounds on your conventional indoor cycle. A heavier flywheel results in a smoother pedal stroke and a more realistic sensation of climbing hills. Heavy-duty framework holds the bike in position and supports movements to simulate your last Tour de Colorado: banking, turning, leaning, and steering (18 degrees, to be exact). Adding these new dimensions to your cycling only makes for a tougher, more complete workout. Your arms and shoulders, who generally remain dormant or in a perpetually hunched-over position, will receive a wake-up call to engage and control the direction of your bike. Core muscles have no choice but to kick in in order to steady yourself while riding, especially once out of the saddle. All laterally-moving muscles in the legs suddenly become much more active than on a stationary cycle, providing you with strengthening benefits for your knees. The energy required rivals that of any other cycling class you’ve tried, simply because you are treating your body as a whole, thus generating an elevated caloric burn like never before. Crude estimations tack on a 20% to 30% increase in calories burned to account for the instability created.

There really is nothing else quite like it. Want to give it a go? Lucky for you, Qi Denver has got what you need: invigorating, inspiring, and always-challenging classes, every day of the week.

Credit: Photography by Demetrius

Not only that, but you get a whole week free to try any of their classes to see what style suits you best. If you are looking for a classic, more realistic cycling course, Qi Ryder Cycling X is your class. Turn up the heat if you are signing up for Sweatilicious: 90 minutes of hot, calorie-zapping exertion with the thermostat cranked up to test your sweating threshold. If you harbor a masochistic side, get into the Warrior class where anything goes. Slacking off in the back? Be prepared to demonstrate your pull-up abilities for the rest of the class. These workouts are never the same, and you may even find yourself wielding a sledgehammer into an unsuspecting tractor tire out on the sidewalk overlooking Colfax Avenue. Qi’s trainers will encourage you to realize your fitness potential, all while having an absolute blast.

If you haven’t yet taken on the Real Ryder experience, get yourself signed up. Clip or strap yourself in, and go for one hell of a ride.

 

Jodilyn Stuart is the owner of ModaBody Fitness and has been a fitness professional since 1997. She currently contributes to 303 Magazine as a Fitness and Health writer.