Cycling Fusion Offers Training, Exercise Alternative for Riders

Gene Nacey never rode a bike until he had to have a hip replacement due to arthritis.

Therapy on a stationary bicycle led to outdoor riding, but then, the winter months came.

"I got tired of the long winters," Nacey said. "I went to a spin class three days a week one winter and had my best racing season the next year. I realized there was a lot more to it, though."

Four years ago, Nacey started Cycling Fusion, a program that joins outdoor riding techniques and training with indoor equipment.

"I put the concept on paper and started a blog," he said. "People responded positively. It grew from there.

"I'm really excited about this. People who are cyclists were stuck in basements on trainers all winter. They didn't really have a good alternative."

Nacey opened a studio along Plum Street in Oakmont last month. The facility used to be located in Lower Burrell, but Nacey said Oakmont's location is perfect.

"We wanted to be closer to the city, and we wanted an open space," he said. "We wanted a place that had a town. Oakmont was perfect."

Cycling Fusion essentially brings indoor and outdoor riding together on a massive scale. Live classes, as well as filming for webcasts and online training sessions—which appeal to an international audience—occur at the Oakmont studio. 

Classes—which have live instructors or pretaped instructions—include virtual sessions in Hawaii, Italy and France where riders train on stationary bicycles while big screens display bike routes at those locations.

"About 10 to 15 minutes into the session, you feel like you're right there," Nacey said. "An outdoor rider wants to feel like they're outside because the winters can be really long.

"People don't fully get it until they've done it. Then, it all clicks. When we do voiceovers for videos, we're actually on bikes so we have labored breathing."

All instructors must be outdoor riders to teach classes at Cycling Fusion. Classes are offered for a range of abilities, including beginner classes and a 12-week rigorous training program for competitive bicyclists.

There currently are about 15 stationary bicycles in the 1,200 square-foot studio.

Nacey said he's hoping to have about 20 bikes available.

"I hope we can get a steady group of folks coming in for the classes," he said. "If our online contact gets strong enough, we can have a regular stream of guest instructors from around the country. That way, people can see some of the best cycling trainers in the country."

Anyone interested in checking out a class schedule or winter training program can do so at www.cyclingfusion.com. Credits for classes also can be purchased on the site.

Anyone interested in watching a class, can do so for free at the Oakmont studio, 367 Plum St.