Dec 1, 2006

Cycling coach moves indoors
By Dawn Feddersen

Donnie Miller opened a cycling-based gym in Moline for people who aren’t mainstream gym rats. That’s because Miller isn’t one, either.

He has been a competitive cyclist since his teen years in Hampton, Ill. Now the coach and vice president of the Double I cycling team, as well as the race director of the Quad-City Criterium, Miller knows about how to help others get into good shape.

He is at his gym, Donnie’s Indoor Cycling Experience, Monday through Friday from 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., ready to answer questions, help with equipment and give workout advice.

Miller enjoys cycling not only for the competition and the great workout it gives him. He also relishes feeling like a kid again.

“When you ride a bicycle, it takes you back a few years. You can spin like crazy and really enjoy it, like you did when you were a kid,” he explained.

As a workout, cycling has some serious advantages an adult can enjoy.

“If you have balance or weight issues and it hurts to walk or go running, cycling is a great exercise. You’re working your heart, your lungs, and your legs, but you have three things holding you up: the feet, the seat and the hands. So you’re getting a lot of benefit with a low amount of strain,” he said.

One particular challenge faced by athletes in the Quad-City area is the cold Midwestern winter.

“I know that athletes will do so much better in competition after training indoors all winter,” Miller said.

The facility has cycling machines that can suit the needs of clients at all levels, from the beginner looking for an uncomplicated workout to the competitive cyclist looking for a way to train on their own bike.

“You can bring in your own bicycle and ride it on my fixture. That fixture is computer-controlled, like a video game environment. All kinds of courses and it creates the resistance on your bicycle like you’re actually riding that course. It has a GPS device. So you can ride a course outside and download it into the computer trainer and then ride it on the machine,” Miller said.

Laurel Darren, of Rock Island, is just getting used to the compu-trainer, she said.

Normally a runner, Darren has begun cross-training at the facility and soon will compete in her first Cyclocross, a race that combines both running and cycling. The cross training also has helped her overall level of fitness, she said.

“Cross training helps my running, strength, endurance levels, cardio. It’s just a better training regimen,” she said.

The business desk can be contacted at (563) 383-2452.

INDOOR CYCLING EXPERIENCE

Address: 1554 52nd Ave., Moline, the former Harmon Glass building near Southpark Mall

Hours: 4 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.

Cost: $10 for a day; one-month, three-month, six-month or year memberships also available.

What they have to offer: Stationary or CompuTrainer bikes, Yoga and Pilates classes, massages 9 to 11 a.m. Friday, weight training coming soon.

© Copyright 2006, The Quad-City Times, Davenport, IA