Fitness platform Peloton is back with a £25 workout class we can all join

Pop music blasts and my spirits soar as I push myself harder, lit by blue spotlights in a studio where cameras film every angle. We’re being watched by an audience of 70,456 — and counting.

I am at Peloton’s first exercise class opened to the public at its state-of-the-art London studios. I’m under the tutelage of star instructor Leanne Hainsby and the class is being streamed live to tens of thousands of viewers at home.

The fitness platform’s popularity soared during the pandemic, when we could only exercise at home. Everyone from Rishi Sunak to Sporty Spice declared themselves a fan, and the glamorous instructors became celebrities in their own right.

Critics scoffed at the cost — its stationary bike with attached screen is priced from £1,345, plus £39 a month to access online classes. But Peloton’s cult-like following grew and the company acquired a whopping 7 million members worldwide.

However, when gyms reopened, Peloton’s share price plummeted and sales of its bikes — which once had waiting lists — stalled.

Perhaps summing up its flailing fortunes, Peloton was even blamed for the death of the character Mr Big, from TV show Sex And The City, who had a heart attack while riding the bike in the cult show’s reboot — And Just Like That — last December.

The firm hopes that opening some of its classes to the public will boost interest — and, so far, the plan seems to be working.

When bookings for the £25 classes opened this summer they sold out quickly, and there are waiting lists for the more popular dates in the coming months.

Of all the UK Peloton instructors, Leanne, 35, a former backing dancer for Taylor Swift and One Direction, is the best known. Her honed physique and 320,000 Instagram followers belie a girl-next-door demeanour. Engaged to fellow instructor Ben Alldis, 29, the couple are Britain’s highest-profile fitness influencers. But call her a celebrity at your peril.

‘Because of the pressure we’re under, it would be very obvious if we were being anything less than ourselves,’ says Leanne.

I am at Peloton’s first exercise class opened to the public at its state-of-the-art London studios. I’m under the tutelage of star instructor Leanne Hainsby and the class is being streamed live to tens of thousands of viewers at home

She has relished the opportunity to meet the legions of fans who say she helped save their sanity during the pandemic.

‘I want people who meet me to think: “Oh, you’re exactly the same”,’ she says. ‘It’s hopefully motivating and inspiring.

‘The difference with members being in the studio is there’s that magic of being able to feel people’s energy.’

I’ve been a Peloton subscriber since February 2021. I’m obsessed with its instructors and take around five classes a week, so I jump at the chance to get a front row (bike) seat for Leanne’s 30-minute Pop Ride, curious as to how the virtual experience will translate to real life.

Can I push myself as hard when I know I’m on camera? Is this just the return of the exercise class, albeit with a modern twist?

Peloton’s Central London HQ is part film set, part fitness palace. It’s open to the public from Friday to Sunday, when bike and tread (running) classes are filmed by producers in glass-fronted control rooms. Attendees must arrive 45 minutes before a class starts.

I’m ushered to changing rooms, replete with designer shower gel and Dyson hairdryers, to get into my exercise kit. We are requested to wear ‘non-distracting’ clothes. Tops must be kept on and attire must be ‘family-friendly’.

I pick some cycling shoes in my size from a rack. They have cleats underneath that attach to the pedals and hire is included in the class price.

When the doors open, we’re directed to our bikes. Mine — gulp — is closest to Leanne.

Excitement has reached fever pitch by the time she is ushered in by security staff. Flawless in a crop top, leggings and make-up, she tests her microphone, beaming at us all as the digital clock counts down and we go live.

‘This is a moment — for me, for you, for all of us,’ she rallies us, rock-star style, as we warm up to Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up. (To her credit, Leanne never claims to be cool.)

I’ve been a Peloton subscriber since February 2021. I’m obsessed with its instructors and take around five classes a week, so I jump at the chance to get a front row (bike) seat for Leanne’s 30-minute Pop Ride, curious as to how the virtual experience will translate to real life

As the ride progresses, she gives ‘shout-outs’ to names on the leader board — some of whom are with us in person, some at home following the live stream — whose milestones are visible to instructors.

When London Mama Bear, in the studio, is congratulated on completing 400 rides, we whoop. I wonder if I’m becoming too American, but the camaraderie is contagious and any plans not to turn into a sweaty wreck are discarded as I pedal harder.

I’m so busy pondering how Leanne stays immaculate mid-workout (later, she tells me she has a ‘sneaky fan’ trained on her) that I miss her call out my name.

‘Where’s AntOnTheBike?’ she asks again.

Waving my hands hysterically in thrilled acknowledgement, I nearly lose my balance.

By the end, I haven’t achieved a PR (Peloton speak for personal record), but I’m not far off.

Leanne is led to the instructors’ green room for a ‘pat down and a spruce’ before meeting us to pose for pictures. Nobody refuses.

Given that I’ve journeyed for two hours today, I’m not sure I’ll be a class regular when I can just hop on my bike at home. But for the sense of occasion, I can certainly see the appeal — and whatever the cynics say, I’d wager the classes will be booked up for some time to come

‘My job is to get people sweaty, but they always apologise when I squeeze them in for a hug,’ she laughs, recalling a mother who brought her two children to the studio last weekend.

‘They know Mummy rides with Sparkly Leanne and kept poking me — I think they thought I was a real-life action hero or cartoon character who’d come to life. It was a lovely moment. They’d travelled for hours to get here.’

Given that I’ve journeyed for two hours today, I’m not sure I’ll be a class regular when I can just hop on my bike at home.

But for the sense of occasion, I can certainly see the appeal — and whatever the cynics say, I’d wager the classes will be booked up for some time to come.

studio.onepeloton.co.uk