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“I like the change for these events,’’ said Lorenz, who will be among the spinners Sunday at the event’s new location, at the Imperial Lot in Westport. “It’s important to keep it fresh and new. Most Spinning is done inside, so it’s a cool experience for riders to get outside. It draws so many people from the community, and brings people from different towns together. It raises the level of uniqueness by taking it out of the gym.”
The new site is alongside the Saugatuck River, in the parking lot for the Thursday Farmers Market. In previous years, SpinOdyssey had been held at Intensity, a tennis and fitness club, in Norwalk in March.
Organizers pushed the event back in the calendar and moved it outdoors. Everything else is the same for SpinOdyssey, which raises money for breast cancer research. Since 2000, the event has raised more than $4 million.
Lorenz has been a big part of the event, often working as a presenter (or lead rider) during the six-hour event. She also recruits members of her studio to form a team. Nine members and/or instructors will participate for JoyRide on Sunday.
“I got involved because I was attracted to it as a Spinning instructor and loved the idea of a group of hundreds of riders banding together for a the common goal to beating breast cancer," Lorenz said. “When I heard about it, I thought it was the perfect combination of what I was passionate about and giving back to a good cause. I have several friends who have undergone treatment, and some who are going through it now.
"It was also very group based. It just creates this positive energy and vibe, and there’s something tangible about the power to affect change.”
Lorenz said she’ll ride for nearly four hours Sunday.
“I’m just blown away by the community aspect of it, bringing such a wide variety of people together,’’ she said. “There are people who work on Wall Street to people who work at the desk of local gyms, to instructors who spend a lot of time putting music together. There are men and women of all decades and generations. The energy and inspiration is amazing.”
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