Meet Cassie Piasecki of GritCycle in Long Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matt Bourne and Marisa Wayne.

GritCycle was founded in 2013 by Matt and Marisa, and the first studio was built in Costa Mesa. Their name is a tip of the hat to Marisa’s father, John Wayne. GritCycle specializes in 45-minute, high-energy, heart-pumping indoor cycling classes that are taught to the beat of the music. It was important to Matt and Marisa to be able to give back to the local community through Karma Rides. A Karma Ride is a “donation-based” class where all of the proceeds are donated to the organization of the month. In addition to the monthly rides, GritCycle hosts the Gritty Up to benefit the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. To date, this annual Silent Auction, Party, and three-hour ride has raised $1.27 million dollars to fight cancer. In 2016, Matt and Marisa brought on a third partner, Joe Pham and opened their second studio in Monarch Beach. This summer, they welcomed two more studios in Anaheim Hills and Long Beach. The Long Beach GritCycle is in the new Long Beach Exchange. It is their first studio in Los Angeles County, and they feel so welcomed by the Long Beach Riders!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Our first studio in Costa Mesa was such a hit right out of the gate! Matt and Marisa had a strong presence in the Costa Mesa/Newport Beach fitness scene, so it didn’t take long before classes were sold out. In fact, within the first few months, our website was crashing when our schedule went live, and Matt’s classes were selling out in 33 seconds. It was crazy. We quickly changed the way classes were booked in order to handle to the influx of people to the website.

Our community was so supportive; it seemed natural to open a second location. Our Costa Mesa studio is a free-standing building with a welcoming outdoor patio. We took our time to find the right location that would allow our clients a luxury experience and that same community-building space that we had in Costa Mesa. We found the ideal location Monarch Beach, but it took quite a bit of time. Other than scouting the best locations, finding the best of the best instructors can be difficult. Our instructors are the stars of the show, and each of them come to us with their unique style and personality. We are always looking for the next rock star!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about GritCycle – what should we know?
GritCycle is a collection of boutique indoor cycling studios. While potential clients might come to us thinking that they want to “get into shape” or “lose weight,” once they are in the Saddle Room (what we call the room where the classes take place) and experience the classes, they realize that our classes do so much more. We’ve heard the words “therapy,” “my happy place,” “my escape,” “family.” In fact, we rarely use weight loss or getting into shape in any of our advertising or marketing. GritCycle is SO much more.

We are incredibly proud to have raised over $1.27 million for the John Wayne Cancer Foundation. Marisa often recalls the words her father, John Wayne, said to her and her siblings before he died. He said, “If my name is good for anything, use it to save lives.” In our corporate headquarters, we often remind her how proud her dad would be to see what she has accomplished. The thing is, we couldn’t have done it without the GritCycle community of Riders. Every year, they register for the Gritty Up ride and go out to solicit donations for their team. Every year they raise more and more money. The team up. They work together. All in the name of beating cancer. We have riders that donate items for the silent auction. Many local companies step up as sponsors of the event. It gives me goosebumps to recall just how many people come together for this event. It’s magic.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We’ve got GRIT. The quick definition is “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” We couldn’t have come this far and have accomplished SO much without passion for what we do at GritCycle. It starts with us.

Pricing:

• We have a new client special! 3 classes for $45. Best deal ever!

Contact Info:

• Address: GritCycle Long Beach
  (located in the Long Beach Exchange)
  3850 Worsham Avenue, Suite 430
  Long Beach, CA
• Website: ww.gritcycle.com
• Phone: 562-420-4748
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @GritCycle
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GritCycle/
• Twitter: @GritCycle
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gritcycle-long-beach-long-beach?osq=gritcycle

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