In March 2016, busy Dad and Peloton Member Germanico Garzon purchased the Peloton Bike without ever having taken a cycling class before. “I honestly thought I’d be bored and I thought it wasn’t for me,” says Germanico. Motivated by the desire to get back to living a more healthy lifestyle, he decided to just go for it. “I took the plunge,” says Germanico, “I was going in as a novice, a complete novice.” Soon after getting his Bike, Germanico found himself hitting milestones little by little by clipping in several times per week. “Before I knew it, I’m celebrating 10 rides, 50 rides, 100 rides and now I’m at 371,” says Germanico. The benefits that he felt not only physically but mentally were all part of the sense of accomplishment that he had been craving to get back for so long.
When Germanico gets on the Bike he says it’s a family affair. As a father to two young girls, not only has the Bike allowed him the convenience of being at home with them, but when he clips into his workout they usually use this time to be active right there beside him. “Whenever I say I’m gonna go on the Bike they’re like ‘yay!,’” says Germanico. “They do gymnastics in the basement--they pull out their mats and sometimes I’ll have them listen to the music on my ride. Or, they’ll exercise right next to me feeling like they’re a part of the whole Peloton experience.” Being a role model and demonstrating the sense of accomplishment that he feels after his workout is something he aims to show his daughters every time he hops off the Bike. “They’re seeing the hard work it takes to get to your goals, whether it’s being healthier or more physically fit at a certain age, influencing them to think of those values right now as opposed to thinking about them later in life is something that’s so important to me.”
At the root of Germanico’s decision to show up to every workout are his daughters. “One of the main reasons I purchased the Bike was for my girls,” he says, “not directly but I wanted to get my health back, I wanted to get my life back and I wanted to make sure I’m able to see them grow older, see their graduation, their weddings and to see my grandchildren when they have kids,” says Germanico. But when we asked him what was one of his favorite things about being a dad right now he says it’s the true unconditional love that he feels...even after a super challenging class. “I’m all sweaty and they’ll be like, ‘Dad, I don’t care I want to hug you!’--those are the things that you look forward to and push you further,” says Germanico. “The best thing about being a dad is knowing the unconditional love you receive from your kids even after all the sweatiness.”