Transitions

Last night some of us took a spin class in advance of the 90-minute charity ride that is occurring at the Vanderbilt Planetarium on Thursday May 5th.  The sponsoring entity is Image Cycling run by a man named John Hinrichsen who is a Life coach, mountain guide, indoor spin instructor for 16+ years, ultra-marathoner and former hockey player. I could go on but you get the idea. 

The setting of the Planetarium would have any instructor equipped with all the tools to make a ride even more exciting, but I suspect John would not need the theatrics of surround sound or compelling images of a beautiful rain forest or a revolving starscape on a dark night. He would be most at home even in the Lavender Palace playing the top 10 from Billboard. As it was the music was eclectic but motivating and when we ended our ride to Ravel’s “Bolero” I was intrigued to find out that it had lyrics.  

Someone asked me familiar with the Planetarium just how did they get bikes in there? Simple enough although the seating is permanent there was plenty of room on the periphery of the theater and a void in front of the image control console for about 26 bikes. We had about 17 riders and the number 26 is the number we are hoping will attend next weeks charity event to fill the house.  

The bikes not being Schwinn’s took some getting used to but once the questions of how would this work out were answered we all slipped into our normal ‘gear’ and rode what I and others thought was a not only compelling ride but a unique one as well. John talked about the new millennium and his take was that he felt that more advancements were ahead for us in not in the way of technology but they would come in the most compassionate way of cooperation instead of competition. Being a student of Humanistic Psychology this continuum of thought made so much sense. He made a great point about how we are so obsessed with the latest equipment, the newest fad of exercise technique and even HR monitors. He concluded and I concurred that these things are just not working. 

Titling this entry was easy, as I will call it “Transitions.” Transitions was a phenomenal under theme to his ride because as John moved in and out of the saddle (and this struck Debbie particularly) his movement was almost imperceptible. His grace and strength were magnificent to behold and ultimately one we could try to emulate as we advance along our own timelines.  I did not have to mirror his positions each time because I could set my own transitions like in the saddle by surging and pulling back as opposed to getting in and out. It gave a less structured element to the ride that was refreshing. 

For those of you that are taking the ride next week, we can tell you beforehand you are in for a great experiential 90 minutes and for those of us present this past Thursday night, we will all have something to add to our daily experiences with our favorites back home in Equinox.

P.S. 

I think there are a few open bikes for May 5 and if you can check this experience out, I highly recommend it.