By Rachel Galvin
Owner Ana Gajardo shows off the Stages bikes.
Workouts are good for you but they also can get dull real fast. Ready to illuminate your workout and try something a little different? Well, if indoor cycling is in your wheelhouse, then you might want to try the newly-opened Ride Element.
This locale offers indoor cycling with a kick. Not only do they feature Stages bicycles, the crème de la crème of indoor bike technology, but also a light show with every ride. The stream of lights is sure to pep up your energy at just the right moment to keep you going. Lights otherwise are kept dimmed so that the focus becomes on the rider, not the people around him or her, making for a true judgment free zone. The bikes also have a “SprintShift™” shifter that helps to more rapidly increase or decrease the intensity. Each click equates to an intensity change of 1 ½ twists on a normal bike.
You can have statistics on your progress emailed to you so you can rate your performance, or you can take a class that focuses on unplugging from technology and just enjoying the ride. It is a great way to unwind and take out the stresses of the day.
TRX anyone?
Besides bikes, they also are a designated Premier TRX facility. Besides bands, they have kettlebells, ropes, slam balls, medicine balls and other ways to do functional training.
For owner Ana Gajardo, Ride Element is more than just fitness; it’s also about the community. She does her best to create an atmosphere that makes people want to not only workout, but also stay awhile, to sit in the lobby, buy some merchandise, drink a kombucha or other drink and meet fellow fitness lovers. She also likes to give back to the community and is looking for ways to partner up with other businesses in that endeavor. Her business focuses on four elements: music, energy, passion and community.
Before opening Ride Element on Feb. 3, Ana had been doing indoor cycling herself for 10 years and loved it and decided to get certified.
“I took the first class in college at FAU and fell in love with it. It’s the only thing I could stick with. I never got bored. It is always different. I 
am always improving and challenging myself.”
She knows education is important, which is why she offers continued education to her instructors. In addition to the certification they already have in indoor cycling, they will be getting Stages certification so they will be experts on their bikes. She will be hosting TRX classes as well.
Ride Element is located at 3496 NE 12th Ave. in Oakland Park, FL. They are open Monday through Friday 5:30 to 11 a.m. and then again at night from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.to noon. For more information, call 954-280-RIDE or visit www.therideelement.com.
