“REGARDLESS OF YOUR BODY SHAPE, RACE, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR ABILITY, YOU BELONG HERE. BE PROUD TO BE YOU.”
⁃Mitchell Wendland, YEG Cycle Motivator / AKA Edmonton’s very own Honey Dijon
At YEG Cycle, 365 days a year, we are committed to embracing and celebrating everyone who walks through our doors.
Last week was the kick-off to Pride Month, and in light of the Black Live Matter Movement, we are beginning to take immediate steps to ensure we are improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in our policies and procedures within our company for the sake of the comfort, safety and wellbeing of ALL people within our community.
Our very own Mitchell Wendland AKA Honey Dijon wrote us a piece in celebration of Pride month in Edmonton and his journey finding his power as a motivator on the podium.
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MITCHELL:
"My journey with YEG Cycle has definitely been one for the books! For a long time I struggled with fitness and health and being able to find a place that I felt comfortable and accepted, up until I found YEG I thought that was impossible.
My first class at YEG Cycle was at the Whyte Ave location, I had a friend that was doing his first friends and family class for the studio opening it was Greg, love Greg haha. I had absolutely zero idea what I was getting myself into I have never been to a spin class before let alone what I literally thought was a disco rave dance party on a bike. And then just like that, I was addicted.
The feeling that I got when I was at the studio and on the bike was something I had never really experienced before which was just being in a space that I truly felt comfortable. I started to go almost 3 to 4 times a week absolutely loving it, if I wasn’t taking a class I just enjoyed being in the space, every time I would walk by it I would see it and just smile.
Just like any other healthy relationship we had our ups and we had our downs for a while I took a break and started to see other people, which means I started to explore other studios, but with every place I went there was something that was always missing and I didn’t realize it until I left to see what I was missing and that was that feeling of inclusion and family.
When I got on that podium bike for the first time for my tryout something clicked (and not just my knees). The amount of liberation, pride and freedom I got when I was doing those three tracks for the tryout was unreal, it’s the first time I wasn’t thinking about any other problems going on in my life, nothing was stressing me out at that moment I was just living and so present in my own mind it was powerful.
So being a motivator my personal mission has always been to be able to create a space where people feel free to come as they are, get out what they need, and have fun. For me everything revolves around the fun aspect, if you’re not having fun doing what you’re doing I always think: why bother? Fitness shouldn’t have to be a chore, it should be a place where you feel at home, accepted and free of life's issues.
Being a motivator has helped me discover who I am and I hope our studio can provide that for people who walk through the door, it doesn’t have to be life changing but I hope you leave happier then you came in."
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This year, we are celebrating Pride with the addition of a limited edition “RIDE WITH PRIDE” T-shirt, with 100% of all profits going to our friends at Camp fYrefly. It will be available for pre-order purchase online for ONE WEEK ONLY.
We continue to strive to break down barriers and become a safe place for everybody regardless of race, sexual orientation, or ability until absolutely EVERY BODY is celebrated, listened to and accepted.
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Photo-shoot was done 2 meters apart on May 28th, 2020.