Has Peloton ever made you wish you could leave your day job behind and go full-time fitness? The Clip Out Podcast recently had the pleasure of interviewing Bonnie Smith, who (perhaps fueled by Rage Against The Machine) took the leap and opened her spin studio, Cyclepath Fitness, less than a year ago. She credits Peloton with a lot of the inspiration that it took to take that step, saying, “I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to manifest or write down things that they need to do. You’ve got all this positivity coming at you. You can do anything.”

The Journey Begins

Everything started with a nudge from Bonnie’s father-in-law, an avid cyclist, who suggested that she and her wife try Peloton. The recommendation was a game-changer. Soon, Bonnie fell for Ben Alldis, and his playlists- and as an EDM and metal lover, she kept branching out. Fast forward a bit, and two Bikes and a Tread had found their way to the Smith household.

Being sidelined by an injury slowed down her spinning, but walking to rehab eventually spiraled into running and training for the Shamrock Half Marathon, where she was able to meet Marcel Dinkins, who had become one of her favorite Tread instructors. Incline training on the Tread also helped her to PR despite the wind tunnel and “sneaky 4 to 5 mile” slight upslope at the Virginia Beach race. (Author’s note: I have done this race and can 100% confirm that very slight but very long upslope is not fun.)

A Spin into Entrepreneurship

Once the world started spinning at a somewhat normal pace post-pandemic, Bonnie felt a pull back towards the cycling world. Inspired by the rush of positive vibes from Peloton, she took a leap and got Schwinn certified while juggling her corporate gig. Using her Crossfit background, she brought a bike bootcamp to her YMCA (where she managed not to be fired, despite the frequency of explicit lyrics in her favored genres of music.)

The game changed, though, when she and wife Corry returned to Crossfit and eventually invited their Crossfit coach and gym owner to her spin class. That class sparked conversations about blending spinning with the CrossFit community, and by August 2023, Bonnie was setting up shop above CrossFit HUI in Newport News, Virginia. In December, Bonnie opened the doors of Cyclepath Fitness to the next wave of fitness enthusiasts (including the occasional Peloton rider bravely venturing outside their own house.)

The Beat Goes On

For Bonnie, life now is a blend of beats, bikes, and Jess King-led walks with her dog. She tells us that, “I like to say this to my classes: you are the greatest project you will ever work on, so restart- reset- refocus as many times as you need, just never give up! Get up every day and work on the best version of yourself.  There will be days where the hardest part is just showing up . Surround yourself with people who want to see you achieve your goals and inspire you.”

Bonnie is welcoming fitness enthusiasts and dreamers alike at CyclePathFitness.

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