I overthink for sport.
I can intellectualize almost anything. Build the framework. Argue both sides. Make a case for why now is the wrong time and somehow also the only possible time.
I know how to construct an argument and deconstruct it at the same time. What I’m less good at is sitting still once something feels real.
For as much as I like structure, most of the decisions that actually shaped my life didn’t come from thinking longer. They came from moving.
Cycling did that first. You don’t get to overanalyze once the music starts and your legs are turning. You’re in it. You adjust resistance. You breathe through it. You embrace it.
Strength training sharpened it. You can’t philosophize your way out of a heavy set. The bar doesn’t care how articulate you are. You either lift it or you don’t.
That’s been a humbling education.
When I started building Spoke as a cycling and strength training studio, I wanted certainty. A complete model. A polished explanation for why cardio and strength belong in one workout.
Instead, I had conviction. I had experience. I had a sense that combining cycling and strength training into one group fitness format makes people stronger in a more honest way.
And I had people.
If this were just my idea in isolation, it probably would have stayed in my Notes app. It took community to sharpen it. Conversations that challenged it. Early believers who saw what I saw. And Shawn, who has the rare ability to hold my big-picture thinking while grounding it in something executable.
I can run ten theories before breakfast. Shawn asks the one question that actually matters.
Spoke lives somewhere between analysis and instinct. Between structure and vibes.
Movement has always been the bridge for me. When I’m stuck, I train. When I’m unsure, I show up for the workout. Cycling clears noise. Strength training builds steadiness. Group fitness reminds me I’m not doing any of this alone.
Clarity usually arrives after effort.
If you’re waiting to feel completely certain before starting a new workout routine, or before committing to something that matters, I understand that instinct. I’ve made a career out of it.
But in my experience, certainty isn’t the prerequisite.
It’s the byproduct.
You move.
You adjust.
You build the meaning in real time.
That’s how I train.
That’s how we’re building Spoke.
Olivier
