Ruth Zukerman

Zukerman at Ozy Fest in July 2018

Ruth Zukerman is co-founder of indoor cycling businesses SoulCycle and Flywheel Sports, where she is creative director.

Early life

Zukerman grew up in Roslyn, New York to a family of Polish, Russian, and German-Jewish heritage. Her father was a physician and her mother a psychotherapist.[1] She was a cheerleader and dancer in school, and majored in dance at Mount Holyoke College. After a few years trying to find dance work in New York City, she decided to give it up.[1]

In the early 1980s, she was offered a job teaching aerobics on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.[2] Years later, after a divorce in 1996, she was introduced to spin classes.[1] She was drawn to physical and mental aspects of the exercise, which she credits in helping her through the time of the divorce.[3] When her instructor moved away she took up teaching at the Reebok gym, where she worked for six years.

SoulCycle

One of Zukerman's students, former football player Tiki Barber, proposed going into business together in 2006, creating a new studio based on Zukerman's teaching style and techniques. Although Barber withdrew from the business before opening for personal reasons, the idea led Zukerman to co-found SoulCycle with Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice.[2][3][4]

Flywheel Sports

In 2009, Zukerman left SoulCycle to start Flywheel Sports with Jay Galuzzo and David Seldin. Flywheel opened in 2010. The companies are now competitors, with different marketing strategies, styles, and use of technology.[2][3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Miller, Gerri (July 11, 2018). "Ruth Zukerman Spins Cycling Into Success". Jewish Journal.
  2. 1 2 3 Ogunnaike, Nikki (June 16, 2016). "How One Woman Single-Handedly Changed the Indoor Cycling Game". Elle.
  3. 1 2 3 Schlossberg, Mallory (September 9, 2015). "One of Soul Cycle's founders turned on the brand and started its biggest rival". Business Insider.
  4. ↑ Saint Louis, Catherine (October 8, 2010). "In New York, a Rivalry Shifts Into High Gear". New York Times.


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