The Evolve apartment complex has a new neighbor. Purvelo, Auburn's newest cycling studio, opened two weeks now and is set on a course for success.
"(The opening) was fire, it was phenomenal, it surpassed our expectations,” said Purvelo manager Dani Dean.
Dean is the manager of Purvelo a lively upbeat woman, encouraged me to come down to the Purvelo studio located in the Evolve building at 215 W. Glenn Avenue to try a class. As a beginner with only a few cycling classes under my belt I was hesitant, I was even more hesitant when I was told the class would be at 5:45 a.m. on a Friday morning.
Friday morning came, and I lugged myself out of bed and down to the studio. As soon as I walked through the door I was greeted with a “hello” and given all the required materials for the class. I walked in and the class was full except for six spots, most of which were directly in the front row. I had never used the type of shoes that had to be clicked in before, and that was obvious. Before I even had time to look around for help a member of the Purvelo team was offering to assist me. The instructor was eager to engage each participant in the cycle experience.
After the class, that consisted of upbeat music, challenging rounds of push-ups, and sprints on the bike, I sat down with Dean. We talked all things studio and a little about her passion for Purvelo. Dean, a former athlete who sustained “three ACL tears and a meniscus tear” said that her career as a cycling instructor/manager began with her taking classes from, “encouraging, inspiring, motivators” and then teaching at the Auburn University Recreation center.
The class truly embodied Dean’s description of Purvelo’s mission statement in that they use, “the beat of the movement to drive the momentum of the class as well as the energy of the participants...to create an epic experience.” The lights were dimmed and the music turned up, allowing clients to lose themselves in the world of cycling for an hour.
Dean elaborated on Purvelo’s opening two weeks earlier saying, “...it was fire, it was phenomenal, [the opening] surpassed our expectations.” The studio had all types of people coming in the first week, students and adults alike. She emphasizes that Purvelo is for every person, “Anyone can get on the bike and that’s the beauty of the bike, it doesn’t matter what color, what size, what demographic, it’s for anyone.” Though they predominantly see women in their classes they encourage men to come out, saying she thinks “...they’re just a little timid, but we can change that.”
Dean wants the people in the Auburn community, whether they be student or citizens to know “they are loved here, they are welcomed here... without judgement, expectation, or competition.” Dean and the whole Purvelo team have won me over, and I encourage everyone to go try a class, you won’t be disappointed.
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