Karen Billings

My interest in cycling began in 2005.  After completing my Graduate Studies I was ready to get moving and back in shape.  A neighbor introduced me to indoor cycling and I was "hooked".  I started attending every cycle class I could and quickly learned that some cycle instructors were better at doing their job than others.  Feeling that I could provide better instruction than what was available in my community, I asked the people at the YMCA to help me get certified.  After a few weeks I was certified and handling my own class load and schedule.  That was in 2006.  In 2007 my husband and I moved about 60 miles away from Syracuse and I was immediately hired as a cycle instructor at Island Health and Fitness.  We returned to Syracuse in 2010, where I resumed teaching at the YMCA and took on other cycle instructor jobs at the Jewish Community Center and LeMoyne College.  I currently teach six cycle classes a week.  In addition to indoor cycling, I cycle outdoors and participate in charity races and rides with a group that I formed called "Riding for Change."