Off Road Indoor Cycling in Washington, D.C., allows locals with a passion for cycling to experience an exciting workout within a studio environment. In addition to live instruction, the studio boasts virtual rides brought to members by The Sufferfest. Here, Tammar Berger, the co-owner of Off Road, shares why she was drawn to the virtual cycling program.
CS: How were you introduced to The Sufferfest, and why did you decide to offer it at your studio?
TB: I was first introduced to The Sufferfest through a friend who was an avid cyclist who raced locally. He would tell me about his “suffering,” and eventually I had to see what all the fuss was about. As soon as I saw The Sufferfest, I knew we had to add it to the Off Road line-up. We were just about to open when I came to this realization and we had already planned on equipping the studio with an HD projector and 10-foot screen, so it was going to work out perfectly. We also knew that our clients would welcome the opportunity to challenge themselves and this would appeal not only to our regular indoor cyclists, but would also likely bring in some outdoor enthusiasts during the more unpleasant months in D.C.
CS: What are the main benefits to your business (and members) of boasting The Sufferfest?
TB: The addition of The Sufferfest to the Off Road line-up has had several major benefits on our business. The first is that it is a unique offering in D.C., allowing us to market the class as something that can only be found at Off Road. Washington D.C. has a huge variety of fitness choices and options for indoor cycling, so The Sufferfest sets us apart from our competition.
CS: Any other benefits?
TB: Also, as I mentioned above, The Sufferfest helps bridge the gap between indoor and outdoor cycling. One of the most surprising things about this benefit is that it ended up running both ways. Our Sunday Sufferfest has definitely brought in some outdoor cyclists, but it has also peaked the interest of some of our indoor cyclists to try riding outdoors. Off Road prides itself on being the only cycling facility in D.C. that stays true to cycling indoors or out — we do not do any of the extra movements, weights, or any other add-ons. What we focus on is teaching and riding right, and The Sufferfest helps not only show that riding indoors can translate to the outdoors, but, perhaps more importantly, you can ride right and still get a ridiculously difficult and challenging workout.
CS: Is there anything about working with The Sufferfest that pleasantly surprised you?
TB: Oh yes. We started offering our Sunday Sufferfest well before the official “licensed facility” program had been rolled out. I reached out to David and the team early on to let them know what were doing at Off Road and they were extremely supportive, even asking for any feedback or thoughts on how to make The Sufferfest more club-friendly. I can’t say enough about the team and the people I have worked with thus far. I would also like to mention that their videos just keep getting better and better.
CS: What would you like other club owners to know about partnering with The Sufferfest? How can they benefit from offering the program?
TB: I think this depends entirely on the type of club/studio. For us, this was a natural fit and the benefits from the relationship stem from the fact that our intentions (to train cyclists, athletes, provide a tough and smart workout) line up perfectly. The Sufferfest is a top-quality product run by an amazing team of capable, knowledgeable and passionate people, and club owners could only benefit by partnering with them.
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
