Public can put positive spin on breast cancer at center

A new Martinez fitness center is inviting the community to take virtual rides through scenic and distant locales Saturday to help area women prevent breast cancer.

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The Ultimate Ride and Fitness is holding a Breast Cancer Awareness Spin-Off from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.

The center, which opened this month, builds on traditional spinning classes by offering spinners virtual tours of exotic trails, including the Amazon and the Rocky Mountains, said co-owner Gayle Shafer. Videos of the trails are shown on a big-screen TV.

The event offers the public a chance to try spinning or the virtual rides.

"It is the actual road. Like the Grand Canyon, it shows the Grand Canyon and you are actually riding the trails through there," Shafer said.

The public is invited to come to the fitness center at 3836 Washington Road in front of the West Town shopping center and spin for as long as they'd like for a donation.

"You can come and don't have to spin if you don't want to," Shafer said. "If you just want to come and you want to donate for the cause, that is fine."

Instructors will teach 30-minute classes, then rotate through virtual spinning, cardio pump classes and other spinning classes.

"We have several different types of classes lined up," Shafer said.

Shafer said the majority of the clients of the fitness center are women and many are breast cancer survivors. Shafer said she heard from a local gynecologist about patients who cannot afford the routine test for breast cancer.

"Early detection is the key," Shafer said.

The event was organized in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and all proceeds will go to University's Breast Health Center.

Shafer said the event also will offer family-friendly activities, including music and children's inflatables.

"We encourage ... the community to come by," Shafer said. "It is not about me making money. It is about raising money for breast cancer awareness."

If you go

What: The Ultimate Ride and Fitness Breast Cancer Awareness Spin-Off

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday

Where: 3836 Washington Road, in the front strip of West Town shopping center in Martinez

Cost: A donation to ride. Free for activities.