And the Winners Are... RydeOn! University 2013 Winners Talk About Their Success

-Dawn Wolfe

RydeOn! University is over for 2013, though the work we started goes on – and fortunately, two of our top winners have agreed to share what they learned during the twelve week indoor cycling program.

Our Second place winner, Victoria Moore of Saline, says that she signed up for her first free spin class with RydeOn! on September 15, 2012 – “...the day before my seventeenth wedding anniversary.”

“I was hooked from the start!,” Victoria remembers. “There was a twenty class special running at the time, and I grabbed it.”

Third place winner Michael Petrous (also of Saline), on the other hand, started indoor cycling with RydeOn! in November 2011, but says he didn't take classes consistently before signing up for RydeOn! U.

While our two victors have some different things to say about their RydeOn! U experience, in separate interviews both talked about a key aspect of the program that every fitness professional knows is vital to real success with health and fitness: RydeOn! U strongly encourages participants to make indoor cycling a regular weekly routine.

Michael, in fact, says he was surprised to learn just how much difference a routine can make. “... [E]ven if you don't see week-to-week results, persistence pays off in the long run,” he says.

Victoria says that getting into a regular indoor cycling routine was the best result she experienced from RydeOn! U.  By the end of the program, she says, “I had developed habits that were not just good for me but ones I enjoyed and that made everything easier, and I had met a whole new group of people who were, like me, just trying to be their best and have some fun while doing it.”

But what surprised Victoria the most? “I didn't need to make any huge food changes. I was already eating well, but by just making a few minor changes, like cutting back on some of my higher-calorie snacks, I was able to see results. This was encouraging to me because I have never liked thinking of food as 'good' or 'bad,', but would rather think about how much and how often I should have a food,” she says.

How much did these little changes help Victoria maintain a healthy weight? “I actually went on vacation to Mexico for a week in the middle of RydeOn! U and didn't gain a pound! And I don't think I went a day without having a margarita or some guacamole!”

As for Michael, he says that taking part in RydeOn! U “...helped me make a huge leap forward in my fitness goals for the year.”

Many congratulations to Victoria, Michael, and everyone else who cycled to their own victories during RydeOn! U!