I have written quite a few posts on my experiences at the gym, especially about my bike #97. If you read that post, you see that I am a bit fanatical about ‘my bike’ and ‘my spot’.  I think we all are creatures of habit in that way.

I usually get to the gym early enough to bide my time in line and wait patiently (wink-wink) for  ticket to ride. In the morning, that would be before 5am and some of the best and funniest conversations of my day occur waiting for the door to open. In the evening, I wait anywhere from 35-45 minutes early and that’s a totally different group.  Not bad, just different. Maybe they have not been able to shake off the effects of the work day that we morning people have not yet been jaded with.

Once inside the inner sanctum of the spin room, things begin to change.  Nice people become territorial; not-so-nice people put on the game face so as not to make eye contact.  Message received.  The early morning classes consist of basically the same group of people and I am so honored to know them.  They are teachers, students, salesmen, lawyers, moms and dads, mother and daughter, professionals of various careers and some of the best peeps I know.  The ‘yogurt club’ is usually me and Terri as we chat about the previous day’s events and eat our yogurt.  There have been one or two here and there that join us but it comes and goes. Clementine season will soon be upon us…yea!

I have seen some pretty funny and not so funny things from my perch in the back row.  I have seen a few wardrobe malfunctions that I would rather not describe here. What has been seen, can never be unseen. I have seen gum spit out over 10 feet, water bottles fly and a few close calls when you push that booty back. One poor woman had her clip stick to the pedal and not come out, that took some serious muscle. We also had the skunk incident and I believe I could still smell remnants of her skunk sprayed t-shirt well into the afternoon.

To the Monday Plank Club: I am in awe– a 9 minute plank after a 45 minute class?  Unbelievable.

I have laughed until I cried and I have cried with my friends over the loss of a loved one or beloved pet.  The 5:30 gang is a society of our own.

But yesterday morning, I witnessed something I have not witnessed in these 3 or so years that I have been spinning. I may have mentioned that I have ‘nicknames’ for my fellow spinners when I cannot remember their names or am too embarrassed to ask them for the 10th time.  There is a nice woman who wears white sox, hence the name white sox. Like me, she is very particular about her bike set up and her morning ritual.  As usual, she placed her things on her bike, set it up and ran to get some weight lifting in before class.  In comes another woman, that someone deemed Blondie.  She began to set up the neighboring bike and when she realized the clip was broken, she proceeded to move white sox’ possession to the other bike and began to spin. Needless to say, she was not amused when she returned.  Words ensued and she left quiet upset and frankly perplexed at the audacity of Blondie to do such a thing.  I myself felt terrible.  I would not do that to someone.  I don’t think, no I KNOW no one else in the morning gang would do it either. I will be curious to see if that woman returns. If I behaved that way, I would not.

So to my spin instructors, (Adrean, Meghan, Michelle, Nikki, Jamie, Kim and Deb) I will continue to hang my junk off the back of the bike; I will keep my shoulders down and elbows in and I will silently curse you when I check my heart rate monitor through the steam of my classes and sweat on my forehead and I will thank you for starting my morning out great or ending my days so my sleep comes easier.