Lately, I've been teaching so many Spinning classes that I've barely had time to rest, let alone go out on the road with my bike. So I started to wonder whether I was still doing it out of a passion to train and educate people or had it got to the stage where I'd take any class just for the money (i.e., a job)? Today I got my answer.
After a strength-building and hard-working class, involving an exhilirating 51-minute climb, one of my fairly regular riders approached me and thanked me for an excellent ride. Thank you very much but - and I'm trying not to let my ego push in here - nothing unusual. Then she said that she had been much heavier when she first started coming to my classes but had since lost a fair amount - it was only then that I noticed she did indeed look much healthier... funny how you get used to someone's weight loss if you see them almost every week.
Anyway, she wanted to tell me of her experience of cycling while on holiday. She and her husband went to cycle on a route that included some minor (but not insignificant) climbs. She said that the classes had prepared her to ride at a manageable and steady pace, as well as giving her the strength to finish the ride. She seemed pleased at that and I'm happy that there's yet another convert to the cycling cause! However, then she told me the bombshell: her husband rushed past her on the first climb (typical macho male reaction... sigh!) but, when she caught up with him at the top (by keeping her effort under her threshold), he was still recovering from the effort. It gets better: she then tells me she finished three hours ahead of him. Presuming that he didn't stop at the pub on the way, that is an excellent advert for good old fashioned hard work.
She told me I was "awesome" but I think she's the one who's awesome - chapeau! And tell your husband to come to my classes!
