Flywheel instructors are mourning the cult-favorite cycling brand as its remaining studios shut down

• The fitness chain Flywheel Sports is shutting down its indoor cycling and barre studios as it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy Tuesday.
• Former instructors have been sharing public social-media posts reflecting on their years of teaching at Flywheel Sports and thanking their "#FlyFam" and devoted class attendees.
• In March, Flywheel Sports laid off 98% of its employees due to the coronavirus pandemic's impact on in-person boutique fitness experiences.

Flywheel Sports is shutting down its remaining indoor cycling and barre studios as instructors around the US said their goodbyes to devoted fans on social media.

At its height, Flywheel Sports, which was founded in 2010 and obtained a cultlike status among riders for its competitive leaderboard system, had 42 indoor cycling and barre studios around the United States, including locations in California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Washington state, and Washington, DC.

In March, the coronavirus pandemic caused boutique fitness studios around the US to temporarily close. That month, Flywheel Sports temporarily laid off 98% of its employees.

And on Tuesday, Flywheel Sports filed for bankruptcy, saying in court documents it would permanently close all of its locations and lay off 1,200 employees.

Many instructors and devoted riders appeared to find out Flywheel's fate through social media.

A source close to the matter, who asked to remain anonymous, told Insider that "most instructors heard for the first time through someone else's [Instagram] posts" that Flywheel would shutter its remaining locations.

Mike Piscadlo, Flywheel Sports' vice president of operations and people, told Insider in a LinkedIn message on Monday that he no longer works for the company and declined to provide further comment.

Representatives for Flywheel Sports did not respond to Insider's requests for comment on the status of the company and its studios.

In recent days, several Flywheel Sports instructors have shared public Instagram and Facebook posts tagging the official @FlywheelSports Instagram handle and using the hashtag #FlyFam to write about their journeys with the fitness studio.

January 2019 @al.marie.lyons reached out to me and asked if I wanted to audition for @flywheelsports , and honestly I almost said no. I had a lot going on, but something in me said just do it and decide later. Well I said yes and March 2019 I was on the floor teaching classes. It was my first time teaching barre and boy did my body whip even more into shape. Thank you @flywheelsports for welcoming me into the #flyfam and my clients for being SO supportive (I’ll never forget my Thursday 4:30pm UES crew for welcoming me with the BIGGEST arms). I always thought @flywheelsports had some of the best clients who loved it and truly made it their point to come back every week (if not everyday). I was teaching until the last Sunday we were allowed in the studios in March 2020 and guest what everyone still showed up! Cause that’s what the #flyfam did! It’s so sad to know that many businesses will truly suffer during this tough time, but for a inkling of hope it is teaching us to be resilient and adapt. Life will constantly throw us curveballs and what truly matters is how you respond to them. Nobody expected 2020 to hit us the way it did, but so many people are making the best and finding ways to thrive with the new hands they’ve been dealt and it’s amazing to see. Keep moving, keep pulsing, keep riding, #nevercoast

A post shared by S h a i n a M c G r e g o r (@shaina.mcgregor) on Sep 14, 2020 at 12:28pm PDTSep 14, 2020 at 12:28pm PDT

There are no words and no amount of pictures to capture how Flywheel, in a matter of 10+ years, changed my life. Thank you Ruth, David and Jay for scooping me up after being “exited” from Soul Cycle on 11/17/09. Over the next few months, what an honor it was to literally build Flywheel from the ground up. Legitimate home-grown with blood, sweat and tears — we were a family and everyone who came through our doors starting in February could sense that. Everyone we hired had to “feel flywheel.” I, personally, had the privilege of leading our expansion into markets like Atlanta, Charlotte, Seattle, DC, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, etc — I was able to hand pick instructors and build our family, one employee at a time. Naturally, our team of amazing instructors brought along the hard-working, dedicated riders and pulsers that turned our little home-grown business into the FlyFam we all know and love to this day. From instructors to clients to studio coordinators to the facilities team — people that came to Flywheel CARED. We wanted to work hard. We wanted to go the extra mile. We wanted community. We were authentic and we wanted to be better. It’s no coincidence I’ve met the most amazing people, including my fiancé @karaliotta (the literal face of Fly ) and I hold dear the thousands of rides and classes we shared. With its’ official closing, I’m taking all the memories (good and bad!), lessons, friends, bad playlists, noise complaints, vocal issues and amazing clients and friends into the next chapter. Thank you Flywheel for everything. circa summer 2010 Bridgehampton, NY @sarabethturner

A post shared by Kate Hickl (@katehickl) on Sep 13, 2020 at 6:28am PDTSep 13, 2020 at 6:28am PDT

Thank you to the place that helped me rekindle my inner athlete post open heart surgery, was my first opportunity in the world of teaching fitness, and blossomed a community of amazing riders, family, and friends. 10 pictures and 20 tags (IG is corny sorry to those not tagged! You know I love y’all!) is not nearly enough to encompass my 4 years here. Truly an end of an era. #nevercoast #gardnergang #flywheelsports

A post shared by Alanna Gardner, MFT (@_alannagardner_) on Sep 13, 2020 at 10:07am PDTSep 13, 2020 at 10:07am PDT

My time as a @flywheelsports instructor was such an incredible honor. Mind Body Music Community those 45mins (60 if you’re lucky) were transcendent. I hope everyone has the opportunity to find something that makes you come alive. Thank you Flywheel for some great friends incredible lessons and an unforgettable community of athletes. It was my honor to guide you to your goals! ❤️

A post shared by Samantha Farrow (@sam_farrow_official) on Sep 13, 2020 at 1:39pm PDTSep 13, 2020 at 1:39pm PDT

—Dr. Rachele Pojednic (@rachelepojednic) September 14, 2020

At the time of writing, Flywheel Sports has not shared an announcement regarding studio closures on its official social-media pages.

However, some apparent Flywheel Sports class attendees have written on Twitter that their studio locations are closing.

—Jill Riley (@jriley94) September 14, 2020

—Vivek Ramgopal (@VivekRamgopal) September 14, 2020

—Amanda Brooks (@BrooksAD) September 13, 2020

And on Sunday, a Flywheel Sports location in New York City's Williamsburg, Brooklyn, neighborhood shared an Instagram post thanking its attendees for "the last three wonderful years."

"Every rider, instructor, manager, and studio coordinator played an important role in making our studio home. We will miss your smiles, your PR's, your running in last minute (thanks L train) and all the fun memories you have given us since we opened in April 2017," the post read.

The Instagram account for the Flywheel location also updated its account's bio description to say "2017 - 2020."

In August 2019, Flywheel Sports closed 11 of its locations due to mounting competition with at-home cycling products, such as the Peloton bike.

"We decided to take a look at our national footprint and close studios that were under-performing," a Flywheel spokesperson previously told Bloomberg of its 2019 studio closures.

Flywheel Sports was launched in 2010 by cofounders Jay Galluzzo, David Seldin, and Ruth Zukerman, who also co-founded the competitor studio chain SoulCycle.

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