Cycling club keeps rolling as gyms forced to close

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This article was published 18/03/2020 (2058 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg gym owners are taking on the challenge of closing during the COVID-19 outbreak, and figuring out a creative way to serve customers and generate income.

Wheelhouse Cycle Club on Sterling Lyon Parkway stopped in-studio workouts Monday, but owner Taylor Renaud, who opened the Winnipeg location in December, didn’t want to leave riders hanging.

A day after closing, the company announced it would deliver 25 of its stationary bikes to people who want to keep their wheels churning. The cost is $135 a month.

The response was so overwhelming that Wheelhouse decided to deliver all of its 44 bikes. The company’s two locations in Regina are doing the same.

Even then, there’s still a waiting list.

Along with the bike, renters can join in a daily livestreamed ride with a Wheelhouse instructor.

“We actually had a couple of riders message us saying they were in tears that they were still able to participate and still be a part of the community,” Renaud said.

Other locally owned gyms are doing similar things. United Therapies Strive on Waverley Avenue is lending dumbbells and kettlebells to their members to take home.

Such options are more important than ever because workout equipment retailers such as Fitness Experience are swamped. An employee at the King Edward Street location told the Free Press they’ve never been this busy.

The province hasn’t ordered gyms to shut down, but most have done so.

One of the gyms that didn’t waste any time closing was Starke Strength & Conditioning in West St. Paul.

Owner Paul Dyck announced on Facebook Monday the gym would close until further notice. He referred to it as “one of the toughest and easiest decisions I’ve ever had to make regarding Starke.”

A member had notified him Monday morning that she was going into self-isolation because she had been exposed to an individual with COVID-19 on Saturday. She didn’t work out at Starke on the weekend, but it didn’t matter — Dyck wasn’t about to take a chance.

“The question I asked myself was would I rather try to stay open a little bit longer or would I rather go to one of my member’s funerals?

“Looking at it from a business perspective, it’s going to suck no matter what and it’s going to hurt in a lot of different ways. But I would rather deal with that than end up at someone’s funeral that I’ve been working with professionally for 15 to 20 years,” said Dyck, who is offering online programming to customers.

However, some of the well-known fitness chains aren’t being as cautious.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Anytime Fitness remained open and was allowing drop-ins and new memberships.

An employee at the Osborne Street location said they usually have fewer than 15 people in the building so it’s less of a risk.

The Free Press also called the Roblin Boulevard location and an employee said the plan is to stay open until the government orders gyms to close.

Some Snap Fitness locations have elected to stay open, but for members only.

Shapes Fitness Centres took some heat on social media for not closing immediately.

In response, the company turned off comments on its Instagram page. On Tuesday evening, Shapes announced locations would close today.

GoodLife Fitness informed members late Sunday night that it was closing its gyms across Canada.

Dyck suggested fitness fanatics support the efforts of small gyms during the shutdown.

“I think that’s the best way to go,” Dyck said. “I don’t know how long this is going to go on for, but I honestly think there’s going to be a handful of places that might not make it.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31