Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Cooney. He and his team shared their story with us below:
Torrent Cycle has been voted Utah’s best indoor cycling three years in a row. Founded in 2018 by husbands and business partners Daniel Cooney and Michael Barney, we caught up with Dan to learn a little more about Torrent Cycle and how it got started.
Dan had a career in retail merchandising (working with JLo) while Mike’s career was in finance. After meeting in NYC, a shared love of fitness inspired them to create a community based on acceptance and love. As a BYU alum, Mike had connections to Utah and after a few visits to SLC, Dan could see the opportunity to bring their shared vision out West.
Quitting their jobs in NYC in March 2018, Dan and Mike set out on their adventure to bring Torrent Cycle to Salt Lake City (they also got married along the way in July 2018 at the Utah State Capitol!). Torrent Cycle Downtown opened in December 2018; Sugarhouse followed soon after in August 2020.
Torrent Cycle is wholly owned by Dan and Mike. Every dollar spent at Torrent Cycle goes to support the over 50 instructors and front desk staff that make this place so special.
From knowing your shoe size before you have to ask, to playing your favorite song in class, to letting you blow out the candle (we love a good candle moment), it’s the people at Torrent Cycle that make us the Best Indoor Cycling Studio in Utah. We have the best community of riders and we’re so grateful to be a part of the growing fitness community in SLC.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
We have had some ups and downs in our journey so far. When you own your own business, the buck stops with you. You’re ultimately responsible for everything that happens. So for us, we spent (and continue to spend) a lot of time focusing on our people and the culture of our studio.
How we do things makes a big difference and finding the right people who share this passion for detail (and kindness) is what we believe sets us apart. We see each employee (whether it is front desk or instructors) as a vital part of the culture of Torrent Cycle and invest a lot of time and love into these relationships. We have seen this make a big difference in our community.
We’ve also struggled with soundproofing our Sugarhouse studio (we’re on the ground floor of the Vue Apartments in Sugarhouse) – which was new to us (we didn’t have this issue at our first studio Downtown). So that was a real learning experience (I can tell you all about creating a “box within a box” to mitigate sound transference).
COVID had a HUGE impact on our business (we opened Sugarhouse in August of 2020 – right in the middle of the pandemic). We pivoted quickly and leased out 45 bikes to our community and started doing online classes. We still (!) have an On Demand platform where subscribers can take our classes wherever (and whenever) they want. We learned a lot about what community means when we had to go remote.
We’ve been impressed with Torrent Cycle, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
While we are an indoor cycling studio, we are most proud of the community we have created after five years in Utah.
There is no attitude at Torrent Cycle. There is no prerequisite to come to our classes. Our rides are designed to be accessible for first-time riders AND challenging for seasoned athletes.
You are welcome here no matter your background, experience, age, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Everyone here is a part of something greater – we come together to challenge and support each other in the best possible way.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Organization, time management, vision, and communication.
Pricing:
- Drop-in classes are $20, but our intro pack is 2 classes for $20!
- 4-class pass (4 classes per month, or one class a week) for $69
Contact Info:
- Website: www.torrentcycle.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/torrentcycle
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/torrentcycle
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/torrent-cycle-salt-lake-city
Image Credits
Kelly Sansom
