Kollectiv Cycle spin studio (photo courtesy Ross Lavigne)

By Chantal Wagner

group fitness restrictions

Local spin studio pivots for public health only to close their doors again

Nov 27, 2020 | 4:08 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Kollektiv Cycle re-opened their doors for riders this month, only to close two weeks later due to the new COVID-19 restrictions for group fitness announced on Tuesday.

Prior to opening, the studio took all the necessary health and safety precautions for riders.

The spin studio in the city’s downtown was closed for the last eight months and re-opened on November 12.

Owner & Motivator Sabrina Moore says they received city grant money to help install barriers to create pods around the bikes for rider safety.

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“We wanted to get people back in this room because it’s the energy, it’s the people, it’s the group that really brings out what we do.”

They purchased individual mini bike fans, cleaning products, conducted temperature checks, and health screening forms upon rider entry.

“We felt that we were ready,” Moore said, “But it was one of those things that I was always kind of holding my breath waiting for the next announcement so we did what we could for the time being.”

She says it’s more than just a workout and they did everything they could to stay open.

“The mental health component for everyone just being in this room and being together. Whether it’s divided by barriers or not, that’s the part that people are missing that connection, so it’s heartbreaking,” she added.

Tears were even shed by some of their riders after the last class this week.

“We’re going to do what we can to support our community and our riders. It’s really unfortunate, it’s heartbreaking, and as I said, we did everything we could to stay open, but that’s just how it goes, and it’s devastating,” Moore said.

Prior to their re-opening, the studio rented out their bikes and was conducting virtual workouts.

Moore says online is tough and it’s difficult to transition back to virtual sessions at this point since most of their bikes are back in the studio, but they will look at options.

“It was a difficult time for everyone so we wanted to incorporate it (virtual rides) but I also didn’t feel great about charging people for that because it’s a hard time for everyone. We have lots of people that lost their income, lost their jobs, so we tried to offer it as a free service but there are issues with certain online platforms and music rights.”

Kollectiv Cycle has virtual rides posted on their social media platforms for those who have a bike at home.

Moore hopes three weeks will be enough time to slow the COVID-19 spread so they can get back doing what they love.

“We’re in it together, and we’ll get through it together,” she said.