“Aquacycling” (or “aqua-cycling”) is an exercise bike that is submerged in water. The bottom part of a person’s body pedals the bike under water. “Aquacyling” has been cited in print since at least August 2008, when an article described the new exercise at Club Med Gym in Paris.
 
AQUA in Tribeca (78 Franklin Street, between Church and Broadway) brought aquacycling to the United States and several articles appeared in the media in 2013.
 
   
Club Med Gym
Aqua Cycling
Activité ludique et unique en son genre, l’aqua cycling vous permettra de bénéficier des bienfaits de l’aquagym et du vélo. Il vous apportera bien-être et légèreté...
   
AQUA
TRIBECA STUDIO
78 Franklin Street NY NY 10013
(btw Church & Broadway)
(212) 966-6784
AQUA is a high-end boutique fitness club located in the heart of TriBeCa, offering aquacycling classes in a unique and peaceful environment. Not only is this new sport activity good for your health, but it also has amazing effects on shaping your body and fighting cellulite. Thanks to its positive impact on people’s lives, aquacycling has now turned into a massive trend all over Europe.
     
Site des marques
Les dernières tendances du cycling font leur rentrée au Club Med Gym !
Le 30.08.2008
Si les bienfaits du vélo sur le coeur, la silhouette, la musculation et les articulations ne sont plus à démontrer, de nouvelles pratiques tendances, ludiques et très efficaces font leur apparition dans ce domaine au Club Med Gym ! Aquacycling, Cycling tonique ou zen révolutionnent aujourd’hui la pratique du vélo en salle et lui apportent une nouvelle dimension. Adaptées à tous, quels que soient le niveau d’endurance et les possibilités physiques de chacun, ces nouvelles activités sont l’occasion de garder ou de retrouver la forme tout en conservant la notion de plaisir. S’effectuant sur des équipements de pointe, elles remettent à l’honneur une discipline plébiscitée et motivante !
 
Twitter
azzed‏
@aZZed  
Rentrée de l’Aqua-Cycling. Même pas mal. Dfaçons je sens plus rien…
2:25 PM - 18 Sep 08
 
Twitter
Humedia
‏@HumediaNL  
Campusblog: Waterfietsen, maar dan anders: Aquacycling, voor veel mensen een nog onbekende sport, win.. http://tinyurl.com/5jn7ub
9:56 AM - 15 Dec 08
 
Encore sur le net (English translation)
My day at Club Med Gym: Zumba Aquacycling
Posted in live sport on the net! January 25, 2010  
(...)
Aquacycling ‘s.  I must say that we were only seven in the water ... The teacher did not let us down for one second!  30 minutes were more than intensive, pedaling against the force of the water in front or back, hand on shoulder, thinking posture.
 
Twitter
Brèves de filles
‏@Brevesdefilles  
New blog post: Ma journée au Club Med Gym : Zumba et Aquacycling http://bit.ly/8epkyr
7:44 AM - 26 Jan 10
     
The Huffington Post
Sarah Klein
We Tried It: Aquacycling
Posted: 05/09/2013 8:14 am
What We Tried: Aquacycling
Where: AQUA, the first aquacycling studio in the U.S., in New York City.
What We Did: Think SoulCycle—in a pool. Same heart-pumping sprints, heavy-resistance climbs and arm-focused interludes, but this time with your bike at the bottom of a pool.
For How Long: Classes are 45 minutes.
How’d It Feel: Funny! I was sweating and breathing hard like I would be in my regular spinning class, and then all of a sudden the waves from our quick pedal cadence would splash me in the face. Refreshing! I was concerned about the footwear, but the jelly-like shoes fit comfortably into the pedal cages without putting too much pressure on my soles or arches. Unlike with spinning on land, aquacycling calls for a lot of hovering just above the seat for extra resistance and ab work, making the water about waist-high.
 
New York (NY) Times
Urban Athlete
Splish, Splash and Pedal Harder
By AMY KLEIN
Published: June 6, 2013
(...)
Underwater cycling, now popular in Europe, seems to have all the benefits of its landlocked compatriot but lacks some of the downsides. There are no speed adjustments to make to the waterproof bike, so you don’t have to worry about keeping pace. And at Aqua, the first New York studio to offer the class (for women only, at this point), the lighting is dim, the candlelit mood more therapeutic than punishing. Best of all, the whole 45-minute class takes place in a swimming pool.
 
Twitter
His’n'Hers Handbook
‏@HNH_Handbook  
Wanna try the new craze coming out of New York via Europe? Aquacycling is here http://bit.ly/12nRJUd
6:00 AM - 13 Jul 13
     
Business Insider
We Tried Underwater Cycling, The Latest Exercise Craze In New York City
Megan Willett Aug. 22, 2013, 12:29 PM
Move over, SoulCycle — the latest spin craze in New York City is biking underwater.
 
Known as “aqua cycling,” the exercise was invented by an Italian physical therapist years ago. Fans and adherents claim it fights cellulite, burns up to 800 calories in an hour, and there’s no soreness the next day.
 
It sounds like the perfect workout, yet incredibly no one had heard of aqua cycling in NYC until Esther Gauthier brought it over from Europe this past April.