About
CLOSURE
Dated 24th July 2020
As the country gradually emerges from lockdown, the government guidelines are permitting gyms to open again soon. Which brings us to the question of
Wattbike classes.
Nick and I have thought long and hard about this, and we have decided that Cycling Fitness Centre will not be re-opening in the foreseeable
future.
There are a number of reasons for this.
Premises
We are actually homeless! When lockdown started we were very fortunate in only having a couple of months liability remaining on our premises lease.
So we have redecorated and returned the keys. We already had plans to relocate over the summer to bigger premises, but with the pandemic creating more Unknowns than Knowns, this is not the time
to be entering into new leases on premises and long-term financial commitments.
Safety
Bearing in mind that Covid-19 is primarily a respiratory disease we cannot see how it can be safe to run high-intensity exercise classes until such
time as the disease has been eradicated, or a proven vaccine is in widespread use.
Technological Change
The last couple of years had seen a steady straight-line growth in smart turbos, home trainers and online platforms such as Zwift, Sufferfest, Rouvy
etc etc. But four months of lockdown has seen exponential growth in that sector. For many riders those facilities have replaced group classes and thereby significantly reduced the demand for
studio Wattbike sessions.
Combining all of the above we won't be re-opening at CFC. We are putting everything into a dormant state such that we could re-launch at some point
in the future if and when circumstances dictate.
It is sad to be drawing CFC to a close but we had a great five years, had a lot of fun, and made some bl**dy good friends.
Thank you for your support over the years.
Stay safe.
Best regards,
Rich and Nick
“The Wattbike was created with British Cycling to provide an indoor bike for training and testing that is suitable for everyone from school children to Olympic Gold Medalists. Within seconds
you can be accurately measuring your power output, your pedaling technique and heart rate.”
