On July 4, we kicked off the Tour de France (#TourRide) challenge at Hyatt Training studio. The challenge was to follow the idea of Le Tour and complete 10 indoor bike rides over the course of three weeks.
We had 13 brave cyclists take on the challenge and 10 complete it. They received Hyatt Training water bottles for all their hard work and dedication. The daily bike workouts kept everyone inspired, challenged and helped us to be stronger and more fit at the end.
“After two weeks of riding the #TourRide workouts, I was pleasantly surprised to have made some big fitness gains. Not only did my power output increase (average gains of nearly 30 watts per work set on the bike) but I also improved my running speed by shaving nearly :30 per mile off my average running pace. Thanks for great challenge!” – Maja Reynolds
Here’s what I learned during #TourRide
Camaraderie is important for success, and those who took on the challenge quickly had the support and empathy from other cyclists. Even those who chose not to participate encouraged the others to stick with it once they got started. A common goal is a huge motivator and helps bring our community together.
If you do the same thing consistently for even a short(ish) period of time, you get stronger! I hadn’t ridden a bike consistently since my triathlon racing days, which was at least six years ago. My first week of the challenge (four rides in four days) was miserable. By Thursday that week I was gassed. Done. But, by the third week, my power numbers had improved close to 20% since the start of the challenge. Consistent, focused training and muscle memory helped kick things in. By the end of the challenge, I was putting up decent workouts, recovering quickly and doing it again the next day.
Mixing up workouts can be a great way to break out of a rut and recharge both your body and your mind. Taking on these challenges can help push you outside of your comfort zone and engage new muscles in new movement patterns and therefore make workouts more comprehensive. You may even discover a new talent or interest that you can keep in the mix for years to come!
If you want to get good at something, find a community that motivates you and do the activity consistently. There’s no telling what you can achieve with the right focus and support. Let us know how we can help you identify new goals and build the support and structure around you to achieve them!
