Vélo Cycle Amsterdam - V45 (Spin)

Class: V45 (Spin)

Duration: 45 minutes

Intensity: 9/10

Price: €13 (cheaper pricing available with bulk credit buys & memberships)

Locations & Transport:

De Pijp Studio, Albert Cuypstraat 35, 1072 CL.

Amsterdam De Pijp Metro (4 minute walk)

Rozengracht Studio, Rozengracht 231, 1016 NA.

Marnixstraat Tram (30 second walk)

It being the Netherlands, most people cycle to the studio & park up out front!

Website: https://www.wearevelo.com/

Interior at Vélo, De Pijp Studio.

Considering the price of a class (very cheap at just €13), the product offered by Vélo is hard to beat - from the clean and crisp setting, the funky branding, and the multitude of spin classes on offer additional to the standard "V45" sessions (the Florence & The Machine music themed class was probably my favourite!), this was an absolute gem of a gym, especially when you compare to the price points and sometimes cold welcomes on offer at some London studios that I know...

I spent a week in Amsterdam at the start of January and - armed with my OV Chip Bike - I made sure to get to a class a day whilst in town. Vélo has two studios - one west (Rozengracht) and one south-east (De Pijp), each with their own unique charm. The waiting area space at Rozengracht is slightly larger than at De Pijp, and on one of the days I attended, they had just opened up an on-site café, offering healthy smoothies and coffees. I must say that a beetroot shake post-class doesn't really work for me though (even if it was free)... Absolutely nothing to do with the New Year celebrations the night before ;-)

Outside Vélo, Rozengracht Studio"enjoying" a beetroot smoothie, courtesy of @Recover.Food (new, on-site café).

In the 5 classes taken that week, I didn't experience a single bad instructor. The classes themselves followed similar roadmaps, with lots more standing than I'm used to, and quite a lot more double-time on the legs! After a few sessions though, it's amazing how quickly your body starts getting used to the slightly different training regime. Of course, , there was an upper-body weights section, which I enjoyed *but* that's probably because I found it a little quicker and easier than my regular studio - I'm definitely not complaining though!

Christmas scenes at Vélo, De Pijp.

Both locations are fab, and extremely easy to get to. I would say that I preferred De Pijp out of the two because - although the area around the lockers is pretty tight and somewhat hectic straight after class - it's right next to a beautiful canal, and a corner pub, which, in the summer (I also visited last year), is a great spot for a post-spin feed and/or pint (or a walk if you want to keep it 100% healthy!), as you can see below.

Spin done. Next up: Bitterballen and a swift half - cheers!