STAYING FIT

Co-owners Traci Raitt, Leslee Blatnikoff and Dan Barish took the chance that people would exercise even in a bad economy.

Pedal Pushers

Family-minded partners launch cycling studios.

Judith Doner Berne
Special to the Jewish News

an Barish was looking to invest in
the next "something" — a hot,
fledgling business that could
multiply like Starbucks or Curves or Five
Guys — even in a bad economy.
But it was his wife, Mary, who put him
in touch with Leslee Blatnikoff and Traci
Raitt, personal trainers whom Mary
knew from taking their spinning classes
at a local gym.
Long story short, over the past year
they opened the RealRyder Revolution
(R3) indoor cycling studios in the West
Bloomfield Plaza shopping center at 6716
Orchard Lake Road and in the 555 Building
on South Old Woodward in Birmingham.
They say they've gone from their initial
three bikes to 60, with more than 1,000
active clients. Plans to open at other loca-
tions, including out of state, are in the

works.
"People have to take care of them-
selves, despite the economy:' Raitt says.
"We are so focused on promoting health
and fitness."

Same Wave Length
Blatnikoff couldn't believe it when Mary
Barish approached her with the idea
for an indoor cycling business. "I had
been researching the idea for two years,"
Blatnikoff said.
She wanted to combine her sales expe-
rience (along with a business degree
from the University of Arizona) with her
lifelong love for sports.
"I brought them the whole concept:'
says Blatnikoff, 42, who lives in West
Bloomfield with her children Leah, 13
and Jamie, 9, and grew up in Southfield.
"I was blessed with meeting them. I wake
up every day and I'm so grateful."
Once Raitt was on board, her discovery

of an indoor bike designed to simulate
outdoor cycling gave their enterprise
"legs" so to speak. The RealRyder dif-
fers from the standard indoor model by
allowing bikers to steer and lean to the
right and left, emphasizing a core-based
ride.
"I got on that bike and it was very
humbling:' says Raitt, 37, who had
abandoned jobs based on a master's in
psychology from Wayne State University
in Detroit to pursue her love of physical
exercise.
"I've always been passionate about
the next big thing in exercise says
Raitt, who grew up and still lives in West
Bloomfield with 10-year-old twins Skylar
and Jayden."
"It (the RealRyder bike) forces you to use
all your muscles and it's a little unbalanced.
At the same time, she says, "We cater to all
levels of fitness. A professional athlete and a
beginner can take the same class."

'Not a Gym'
"We're a studio, not a gym:' points out
Blatnikoff who along with Raitt are two of
a variety of instructors who lead the five
to seven daily classes.
To assure themselves of a bike, riders
register ahead on line.
It was just before 9:30 a.m., on what
Blatnikoff calls her "Skinny Jeans Friday"
party ride, that 30 assorted riders mount-
ed their bikes to "Let's Get It Started" by
the Black Eyed Peas.
Illuminated by blue lights, they awaited
Blatnikoff's instructions and whatever
video might appear on the 10-foot screen
in front of them amplified by eight
speakers of surround sound.
Cindy Posen, 57, was among them.
"I'm addicted:' admits Posen, who says
she wasn't a regular exerciser before she
started at R3.
Now, she rides three times a week.
"I'm happy. I can eat whatever I
want. It just feels good:' Posen, a West
Bloomfield resident, says. "I still hurt
afterwards, but it's invigorating. You just
do it at your own pace. I've never been in
this good shape."
"We have riders of all ages:' Blatnikoff
adds. "I have 12 year olds and people in
their seventies who ride with me. We tell
people it takes a good three times to get
the hang of it."
Part-way through the class, she gave way
to Raitt. "Traci is our strongest instructor:'
Blatnikoff says. "We call her the bionic
woman."
The one non-cycler is Barish. "This is
a side job for me says the Israeli-born
financial consultant and Walsh College
graduate who heads Barish Investment
Management in Farmington Hills. He and
Mary live with their two children, Natali,
13 and Gabriel, 9, in West Bloomfield.

Family Atmosphere
"We're all like family," Barish, 46, says.
"Most of our instructors find us. We go out
[to dinner] with people who come here to
ride — people we never knew. They like it
that we're not a big company. Everyone has
our personal cell phone numbers."
Neil and Jackie Rosenzweig of
Bloomfield Hills are among those clients
who have become friends. Neil, 34, has
lost more than 50 pounds since he began
training at R3 last March.
"It's the first time I've ever done a real
workout plan:' he says. "I fell in love with
it — in 45 minutes it burns 800-1,000
calories. I've lowered my cholesterol over
30 points without medication. My doctor
couldn't believe it."
Getting in shape and losing weight was
a "mission" for Rosenzweig, a managing
director at E-Prize interactive promotions

Pedal Pushers on page 44

November 25 2010

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