We've all seen the t-shirts, envied the balloons, and heard the shoutouts. But what does reaching 100 rides on the Peloton Bike feel like?
“I remember being so excited to take the class and feeling so grateful and proud of my accomplishment,” says Kelly Close, 44, from Tonawanda, NY. She celebrated her century ride on February 20, 2016, three months after her bike was delivered. However, it wasn’t until three months after that ride that her performance on the bike truly sunk in.
“My life changed shortly after my 100th ride when I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer on May 9,” she says. “Looking back now, this bike and this community saved my life. It allowed me to continue to exercise through surgery and treatment and have a safe space to be vulnerable. It gave me people in my life that have stood by my side for the last four years that I may have never encountered due to geography – people I am lucky to call my friends.”
Ashok Rai took a bit longer to reach 100 rides – he received his bike in November 2015 and he rode his century ride during that year’s Home Rider Invasion, now known as Homecoming. Over the course of those months, he saw his resting heart rate drop from the 80s to 60s and his waistline from 36 inches to 30. Most importantly, he describes his mental health as going from “don’t even ask” to “happy, motivated, in love.”
“It was an amazing experience because it wasn’t my style to do any type of exercise on a regular basis,” he says. “Like many, I was an off-and-on workout guy. The one passion I did have was road biking, but in Wisconsin that was a summer-only thing for me. Peloton changed all of that for me almost four years ago now. The milestones were huge motivators for me, especially #100.”
Even if you're not at Homecoming, there’s the celebratory aspect of reaching 100 rides. Some riders alert their leaderboard friends and enjoy kudos from those also riding live. Others decorate their bikes and work out areas for the occasion.
Ian Wichman, 48, from Dix Hills, NY, surprised his wife Lisa, 49, for her 100th ride in the studio in November 2015 by placing flowers and a card in a locker and giving Lisa’s friend the code. “I loved it and it was a great accomplishment,” she says. “There weren’t a lot of riders at the time so it was really a big deal because you were no doubt the only one at the time.”
Adrian Cotton, MD, chief of medical operations at Loma Linda University Health says celebrating goals and milestones isn't just for fun--it can truly aid in maintaining your fitness motivation.
“It’s like being in kindergarten and getting a gold star from the teacher — everyone wants to feel successful and appreciated,” he says, “and having milestones noticed and rewarded can help with that.”
David Barnett can relate to that. He describes reaching 100 rides as experiencing “tremendous sense of achievement.” Though Barnett, 63, from Dallas, worked out with a personal trainer, he lacked aerobic fitness. In the nine months it took him to reach 100 rides after receiving his bike in February 2015, he has since reached 1000, 1100 and 1200 in three and a half months each.
“Peloton has given me the tools and motivation I needed to sustain a level of fitness for the last five years,” he says. “I enjoy exercising using my Peloton more than at any time since my youth.”