Whenever I take an indoor cycling class, the instructor always tells the class to increase the resistance so that we can “feel the road” beneath our stationary bikes. Now, that takes a bit of imagination, because I don’t really feel the road, I just pretend that I do. Just like I imagine that I’m cycling uphill as I add resistance and that I’m sprinting downhill as I turn my resistance to the left. All while I’m staring straight ahead at myself in the mirror. But at VirtuRide, that imagination is no longer necessary.“I didn’t want to imagine climbing the mountain, I wanted to see the mountain” says Omer Cohen, founder and CEO of VirtuRide. Frustrated with the typical and static indoor cycling studio, the former Israeli Special Ops and IRONMAN triathlete wanted to create a studio where cyclists could enjoy the feeling of riding on the road, without having to worry about the weather or safety on roads where there is often little to no separation between cyclists and cars. He’d spend the next three years perfecting his vision and VirtuRide, a first-of-its-kind full immersion indoor cycling studio, was born.Bikes are fixed to patented motion platforms with wind simulating fans and airbags under each platform to absorb shock and protect the knees and ankles. A mega screen features ride videos with roads from around the country, spliced with music videos and a playlist specially curated by a DJ for a fun packed ride. The motion platforms’ movements match the road topography in each video and incline and tilt for a realistic resistance and ride that also helps create a great core workout. Riders are given a heart rate monitor at the start of every class and screens display each rider’s heart rate and calories burned. Clip in shoes are also available.
My ride was South Florida themed and had us riding through Indian Creek, Coral Gables, Aventura, the MacArthur and Rickenbacker causeways, and the Overseas Highway to music from artists like Bruno Mars, Calvin Harris and LMFAO, with the very apropos song “Welcome to Miami” opening the ride. It felt like a party where I worked up a great sweat and had a blast while being challenged.Cohen believes that VirtuRide’s model is the future of indoor cycling. New ride videos are constantly being created in partnership with Burbank, CA based production company EMZ Productions. With plans to bring VirtuRide studios to South Beach, Las Olas, New York and Los Angeles, the future of indoor cycling is looking pretty great!VirtuRide is located at 2293 NE 164 Street in North Miami Beach. Classes are offered in the mornings and evenings and your first class is free.For more information and class schedules visit www.virturide.com.
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