Amaya Woodley is the proud owner of an indoor cycling studio.
Woodley recalled falling in love with cycling after a former coworker invited her to a class in 2017. When the pandemic hit, she purchased a bike for her home but missed being surrounded by the community. That feeling drove her to open Adrenaline+ in her hometown. It is one of the few Black-owned cycling studios in Charlotte, NC, Woodley told AFROTECH™.
She opened the studio in 2023 with her co-founders: her uncle Darrell Harding, aunt Heather Harding, and her husband Theo. Together, they self-funded the boutique studio.
“It was a dream that I had, but I didn’t think it would happen as quickly as it did,” Woodley, Adrenaline+, co-founder and CEO, told AFROTECH™. “There was such a need for a space like that in Charlotte, especially for Black people, people of color, who were seeking a safe space to show up as their authentic self and still get a workout and be seen and have a good time.”
Adrenaline+ houses 15 cycling bikes and offers four signature classes, including Adrenaline Rush, The Pulse, Soulful Spin, and R&B Groove. These classes incorporate classic tunes to invigorate cyclists.
“All the music that you’re hearing during class is centric to Hip-Hop and R&B. A lot of times, you’ll go to a cycling studio or a spinning studio, and it’s pop. It’s a lot of Taylor Swift. It’s a lot of EDM and house music, and that’s just not what I resonated with,” Woodley said. “So, I wanted to create something that was a little bit more encapsulating of the Black community, something that makes the experience a bit more enjoyable.”
Charlotte, NC, locals can opt into three membership tiers: $79 for four rides monthly, $120 for 8 rides monthly, and $155 for unlimited rides. Lower commitment options are also available, such as a $29 offering for two classes or $13 for one class, per the company website.
“Having the gym membership is not always the most affordable thing, and it’s not always somebody’s top priority when considering other bills,” Woodley noted. “So we wanted to make sure that we created an avenue for people to still prioritize their health even if you don’t necessarily have the disposable income to go at a gym membership every single month.”
Ensuring wellness is accessible is a focus of the business, as is building community. Cyclists are encouraged to mingle with one another or tag team with their family and friends.
Adrenaline+ also aims to showcase its community of riders by acknowledging their milestones from their first ride to their 200th. This approach breaks down the stereotype that exercising can’t be fun and promotes a healthier lifestyle, reducing disease rates within the Black community, Woodley explained to AFROTECH™.
“When you have people who walk through your door, and they tell you that they’ve been able to lower their A1C, or you have people who come to their door and they’re eager to show you their before and after picture because they’ve lost 20 pounds. You have people who walk through your door and say, ‘You changed my relationship with exercising.’ That, for me, is a success,” she expressed.
