By Ilana Williams

In a secluded corridor on the ground floor of the University of Maryland’s Regents Drive Garage is a plain white door.

Open the door, follow signs on the wall and keep walking, and you’ll find a surprise: UMD’s state-of-the-art cycling studio. Inside are rows of bikes, a small stage for the instructor and a TV. 

There has been more of a demand in cycling classes since the pandemic started, said Sarah Grace, RecWell’s coordinator for fitness programs. RecWell has yet to see the numbers drop, so they’re trying to provide more opportunities.

However, themed cycling wasn’t always in a garage. 

The location of the cycling studio has moved several times since its opening in 2000, said Brianne Rowh, the assistant director of business services and communication & marketing at RecWell. Classes were first held in the Eppley Recreation Center West Gym, then in the School of Public Health studio, then in Cole Field House and now, in Regents Drive Studio. 

“It’s a little more centralized to where Ritchie is across Route 1 and where Eppley is on North Campus,” Grace said. “It’s about as central as we could get.” 

Paige Andrus, a sophomore marketing major, is an instructor for the themed cycling class on Saturdays. She also teaches high-intensity interval training cycling.

Andrus has been cycling on and off for a few years. The sophomore said she went to a cycling class during the pandemic and fell in love. 

“We kind of bring the community together,” Andrus said. “Just like making campus happier and making people feel good.”

Andrus makes a different playlist for each class depending on the weekend’s theme. It takes her between an hour and an hour and a half, depending on what vibe she chooses, she said. 

“My favorite theme is probably the boy band theme,” Andrus said. “I’m a big boy band fan, and the energy in the class was just amazing. Everyone else really enjoyed it too. It was hard not to sing along, but it was really fun.” 

Before classes, Andrus practices her choreography and prepares a mixture of different cycling techniques such as runs, clumps and tempos. 

“Probably the toughest part is keeping up with the class,” Andrus said. “Obviously I’m teaching, and I have to speak during the class and tell people what they should do. It’s hard for me to not go all out. It’s hard to find that balance sometimes.” 

Stella Zodet, a junior chemistry major, said she has only attended the themed cycling class once but really enjoyed it because it was high energy.

“When I speak about the energy, it’s mostly about having something to focus on,” Zodet said. “At the gym, if I’m just running on the treadmill, I can run for a few miles, but I get bored in a minute or two.” 

Zodet said themed cycling was engaging. 

“Usually when I go to the gym it’s not for a fitness class,” Zodet said. “It’s just me doing some cardio. I’ve always wanted to try a fitness class here at Maryland. I thought I’d start with cycling because I’ve never really done cycling as a form of cardio.” 

Since opening Regents Drive Studio, RecWell has been able to add a variety of programming in the multipurpose studio to complement cycling. 

RecWell got new bikes in 2019, Grace said. The bikes have different modes of technology such as color coaching. They also added a TV that shows a virtual bike path and has fun light settings. 

“I really liked the stage lights,” Zodet said. “They were just fun. If I was like ‘oh I’m so exhausted.’ I would just look at the stage lights and be like ‘yeah we can keep going.’”

Zodet said she likes the way the class was formatted and would like the instructors to keep the class energized. 

Andrus said she wanted to emphasize that cycling is all about becoming a better person. 

“My goal is to motivate people and just remind them that they are so strong,” Andrus said. “They came to this class for a reason, and they’re making themselves better. It’s not about how much you sweat or how many calories you burned. It’s how you feel, and it’s listening to your body.”

Featured photo: According to a fitness sign-up sheet, up to 20 people can sign up for the themed cycling class. Photo by Minnie Stephenson.