Six things you need to know before doing your first indoor cycling class

Indoor Cycling is amazing. It's the one class where a beginner can ride next to a pro and each can have an equally invigorating, sweaty, calorie crunching time. Here's everything you realistically need to know before you cleat up, clip in and ride off (without going anywhere, obvs). 

1. Your bum will hurt: Sorry cycling friends. It's true. Your bum will hurt when you sit down, it will hurt when you stand up and the day after class you will wish you didn't have a bum. BUT. DO. NOT. WORRY. Within a few classes your derrier will quickly become best friends with the saddle. If you're tempted to invest in a padded seat, in all honesty, it's not really worth it. Trust me when I say your peachy double will survive. 

2. You will 'phantom' turn. When the instructor says 'turn on' you will fake it. It happens. But you don't need to. Honestly, as long as you feel that you are working your hardest, then don't add any more resistance. We instructors can tell when someone is giving it their all. We salute you.

3. You will probably be a bit sick in your own mouth.

4. You will wonder 1. How the heckings am I going to get unclipped from these pedals? 2. Why has this class been going on for four hours already? 3. Why did I come to this place? 4. How will I manage to stand up when they release me from this hell cart? 

5. You will compare yourself to everyone else. DON'T. They're not looking at you. If you can't ride on the beat, it doesn't matter, no-one can in their first class, if you can't stand up, it doesn't matter - sit down and give it time, if you can't move your feet as fast as the next guy,  it doesn't matter, go at your own pace. No-one is interested in you, they're all looking at themselves in the mirror or at their bike screens, and most of the time it's far too dark in a studio to see anything at all. One chap ate a good part of his packed lunch in a class a couple of weeks ago without anyone noticing. 

6. You will come back. It's addictive. The music, the lights, the atmosphere, the camaraderie, the feeling of riding alongside a whole room of people to the same rhythm is unbeatable.