A true form of meditation. A zen state applied to fatigue, the management of effort achieved through concentration. Cycling is the quietness during the storm. A South African boy, born in 1956 in Johannesburg. Athlete, cyclist, martial arts and squash lover. Running and constant training mark his daily search for improvement. His name is Jonathan Goldberg and he moves to Los Angeles as a teenager to devote himself to his great passion: sport. The home of fitness welcomes him while his great technical and relational skills do the rest, leading to success in the environment. In a few years he became Johnny G, one of the most coveted personal trainers in the Californian capital, managing the most important fitness centres.
But it's not enough for him to understand how to manage his body, he starts to take part in extreme events such as races over long distances or in impossible weather conditions. The desert crossings teach him how to manage physical and mental fatigue. In 1986 he took part in his first RAAM. A gruelling race. 5000km, the coast to coast of the United States from California to Maryland. The hardest kilometres are those in the rocky mountains. The temperature ranges between day and night subject the athletes to an incredible biological stress, while the continuous changes in slope of the path wear out legs and morale. Jonathan is forced to retire. A great defeat that keeps him away from physical activity for months and forces him to rework his training in its entirety.
Indoor cycling, music and movement
He needs a new way of training, able to recreate conditions similar to the most difficult moments, in the relationship with themselves, with their skills and their limits. Limits that he had found very clear during the race. Not everyone knows that Race Across America was the reason why indoor cycling was born. He starts training with soft light and musical accompaniment. Inventing exercises, gaits and changes of intensity as if he were mentally walking the streets and reliving the moments of the RAAM, thus structuring all the characteristics of the training program.
In a short time, he obtains great results: mastery of his own reactions, awareness of his own possibilities, self-control and a strong increase in performance according to performance. In 1987 Johnny G returns to Race Across America: he leads most of the race in the lead position and concludes the race. The day after he crossed the finish line, he even climbed onto his bike to make a cool bike.
Train and having fun with indoor cycling
Jonathan is certainly a first-class athlete but also a charismatic communicator. He begins to involve the people closest to him in his new training scheme, from friends to relatives, noticing how each of them benefits from the simple and fun yet exhausting character of indoor cycling. Normal people who in physical activity are looking for an opportunity to feel better, who need to relieve work or daily tensions while keeping their bodies active. People most of all who want to improve their quality of life and rediscover smiling at the end of their training.
The present is a moment characterised by great innovations in the technical field that are completely renewing the idea and practice of cycling to the rhythm of music. Although some still make distinctions the latest technological developments make the performance of indoor cycling increasingly similar to the outdoor experience. The frames are built with lighter and more robust materials, taking on new iconic and elegant designs. The changeover becomes quick and intelligent. It allows for increased strength and endurance, maximising efficiency in an engaging way and simulating the climbs and conditions of an external ride in total communion with the origins of the stationary bike. The new computational supports allow you to monitor the roundness and symmetry of the pedals, customise workouts and get immediate and accurate feedback. A true hybrid philosophy - which mixes fatigue with something spiritual - is now complemented by very powerful technological support.
It's no coincidence in fact that, starting from technological progress, indoor cycling have been developed in which you can compete against each other, seeing the curves of the Galibier, the Pordoi Pass or the Stelvio projected on the screen. An incredibly immersive experience that enhances the stimuli and determination of the indoor cyclist.
A discipline made new and perhaps even completed thanks to scientific progress. A sport capable of two natures: a solitary one and a community one.
For those who prefer to work on it and the calm of solitude typical of home, the new geometries and new materials make an exercise tool a real object of worship to approach with respect and determination. An indoor bike requires great concentration and the quiet of the house allows the clear encounter with your inner rhythm. Combating changes in frequency and intensity means keeping the focus on your time and breath. Anaerobic activity through psycho-physical effort. An indoor cycling enthusiast vibrates, transmits control of himself. Whether they are communities or home-fitness, the search for that state of mind is the paradigm of the athlete.