A few months ago, I went to my first cycling class at StarCycle Portland after getting out of crutches. My physical therapist told me to take some time off from cardio so I figured cycling could be a good way to start exercising again without doing a high impact activity. I had never been to a cycling class before but they have been very “in” for a few years now. When StarCycle Portland reached out to me to try out some classes, I jumped at the opportunity! Since I had never been to a cycling class before, I was not sure what to expect! A while back I reached out on my Instagram stories and a ton of you requested a blog post about my experience.

I used to think a cycling class was just a room full of bikes where you sat and bikes as hard as you can. While it is still a room full of bikes, a cycling class at StarCycle Portland is much more than that. The first thing to know is to reserve a bike online beforehand and that the classes do fill up fast! Unlike some other cycling classes I have been to, you do not need to reserve a specific bike and spots are first come first serve. Each class is 45 minutes long and the great thing about StarCycle is that while you are booking your class online, you can also book childcare online as well during your class time. It does cost a fee but is right in the same building and is a nice option for any parents.

The difference between the bikes used in a cycling class and those bikes you can just jump on at the gym is that these bikes are clip-in bikes. What that means is you need special shoes to use during the class. While some die-hard cyclers have their own shoes they bring to class, many people just pay the $2 fee to rent shoes for the class. As expected, the bikes are adjustable to make sure you are the correct height and distance from the pedals and handlebars.

Once the class starts, the lights are turned down low and the room is almost completely dark except for some candles near the front platform where the instructor is. There is also a mirror along the front wall behind the instructor platform. Part of the class is spent sitting down and biking and part of it includes standing up and pedaling. There are also different handlebar positions that are used throughout the class and an arm weight section of the class.

While it can be hard to see once the class starts, I love how dark it is. It is really easy to feel self-conscious in a workout class especially when you’re new and there is a giant mirror running along the whole wall. By having the lights dimmed down low and the music pumping, you can really focus on your individual workout without staring and comparing yourself to others the whole time. Since I started cycling as a way to get back into a workout routine, I had to modify the workout to fit my individual needs and it was not super noticeable since the classroom is so dark.

Cycling at StarCycle Portland has been a fun, new type of workout to discover the past few months. The first time I went, I could barely walk for days afterward and it gave me a lot of respect for the instructors and everyone who go regularly! Now that I have started to exercise more regularly, I will be a little sore after each class but nothing like my first class.

If you are interested in trying out a class, you can search for a location near you here. If you have been to StarCycle before, I would love to hear about your experience or just support each other on our workout journeys!