Loving Indoor Cycling
A love of endurance sports and and philanthropy fuels CycleBar Culver City independent franchise owner Steph Sklar-Mulcahy. Her experience includes triathlons (including two Ironman distance races), marathons supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and road cycling since her first AIDS/Lifecycle ride in 2005.
Around eight years ago a friend convinced her to try her first indoor cycling class at Body and Soul with Tevia Celli. Her friend said, “You’ll love it, you’ll love it. I promise.” Even though Steph said, “I really only went indoors when the weather was bad. I tried to hate it, but I actually had fun and was very challenged—mainly because most of my outdoor training allowed me to take breaks and ‘coast along’. Not so much with indoor cycling. Since I had an outdoor group that I trained with, I only went that one time to Body and Soul, but I never forgot about that class.”
Steph Sklar-Mulcahy Discovers CycleBar
Fast forward to when Steph woke up on her 40th birthday ready to make a change in her life after 20 years of a successful career in television and digital media. She was ready to own her own company. A search for her next passion led to attending CycleBar’s Discovery Day, reconnecting with Tevia (who is part of the CycleBar team). Steph Sklar-Mulcahy has opened the CycleBar Culver City location.
Steph is a self-described indoor cycling convert. “I rave at the benefits of spin as cross-training. Why not spend time spinning before work versus stopping at a million stoplights in LA? I’m not saying road cyclists should only train indoors, I just think it adds strength.”
When it comes to her instructors, Steph says, “I love taking all of my CycleStar’s classes. They are each so different and bring their personality into their workout. They are such great people, and you want to work for them. The studio is set up in a way where you feel like it is just you and them.”
Philanthropy at CycleBar
In addition to the commitment to the class experience, CycleBar is about CycleGiving, Steph describes it as “a philanthropic endeavor to connect with nonprofits and charitable organizations.” She says, “I had finally found what I was looking for…I could finally turn my passion of cycling and raising money for charities as my job.”
Taking Classes at CycleBar
The 50 high-energy minute classes at CycleBar Culver City are held in a state-of-the-art CycleTheatre® with 49 bikes. Riders track their performance on screens and data is emailed after class. Aromatherapy, fresh fruit, and enhanced water are available. Themed rides are also on the schedule.
For more information, visit CycleBar Culver City at 4130 Sepulveda Blvd in Culver City, call 310-430-0292 or visit: http://culvercity.cyclebar.com
Felicia Tomasko has spent more of her life practicing Yoga and Ayurveda than not. She first became introduced to the teachings through the writings of the Transcendentalists, through meditation, and using asana to cross-train for her practice of cross-country running. Between beginning her commitment to Yoga and Ayurveda and today, she earned degrees in environmental biology and anthropology and nursing, and certifications in the practice and teaching of yoga, yoga therapy, and Ayurveda while working in fields including cognitive neuroscience and plant biochemistry. Her commitment to writing is at least as long as her commitment to yoga. Working on everything related to the written word from newspapers to magazines to websites to books, Felicia has been writing and editing professionally since college. In order to feel like a teenager again, Felicia has pulled out her running shoes for regular interval sessions throughout Southern California. Since the very first issue of LA YOGA, Felicia has been part of the team and the growth and development of the Bliss Network.