A Cycling Studio Built for People Who Want More
From a public school classroom to her own Ballard studio, a founder helps people find out what their bodies can do on the bike and off it.
Seattle Fitness Magazine · 3 Nov 2026
From the Classroom to the Studio
Stacy Vinge's path into fitness began with a move to Italy in 2007.
There, she says, she lost 45 pounds with the help of a personal trainer and a nutritionist, and the experience sparked a passion for health and for helping others make lasting lifestyle changes. She traded teaching in a public school system for teaching in a fitness studio, and she went on to earn certifications in cycling, Pilates and nutrition.
Cycling became the heart of it all. She fell for the mix of strength, endurance and mental resilience it builds, and coaching felt like the natural next step: a way to help people build confidence and push past their perceived limits while having fun. She has been training clients for 19 years.
A Studio She Had to Build
Vinge moved to Seattle in 2017 after ten years in Italy.
She kept up her cycling, strength training, Pilates and holistic nutrition, but she could not find the traditional, performance-focused cycling studio she wanted, so she created one.
The Cycle Sanctuary in Ballard pairs power-based cycling and measurable results with strength, mobility, recovery and lifestyle support. A first visit includes help with bike setup, cycle shoes and understanding the performance metrics, followed by a music-driven ride where each rider controls their own effort. No cycling experience is required.
What Clients Walk Out With
The results she is proudest of are the ones that give people confidence.
She recently worked with an older client who had trouble with balance, and together they reached a milestone of 15 seconds balancing on each leg. Another client wanted to keep up on outdoor rides, and through intentional training on the bike she increased her speed by 1 to 3 mph, which gave her the confidence to stay with the pack.
Her approach looks at the whole person, not just the workout. She combines power-based cycling, functional movement and practical nutrition coaching, and she says clients come for individualized guidance, accountability, honest feedback and encouragement.
The Hard Part Is the Heart of It
The hardest part of coaching, she says, is that she cannot do the work for anyone else.
Goals, schedules and motivation differ from person to person, and progress does not always move in a straight line. Coaching, Vinge says, turned out to be about far more than designing a great workout. It is about listening, building trust and helping people believe in themselves before the progress shows. She also found how invested she becomes, and says her clients' wins feel like her own.
A Full Week, Her Own Training Included
A typical week is full, energetic and built around movement.
She teaches approximately 8 to 12 classes each week at The Cycle Sanctuary, and she works with 10 to 15 personal training clients along with 5 to 10 nutrition coaching clients.
Her own training stays a priority. A normal week includes 3 strength sessions, 3 to 5 cycling sessions and mobility work woven throughout. Vinge believes in practicing what she preaches, and she says it keeps her motivated, challenged and learning.
What Comes Next
What is next is growing The Cycle Sanctuary as both a business and a community.
She wants to bring more people into the studio and develop new programs and coaching opportunities across cycling, functional movement, strength and nutrition, all while keeping the personal connection that makes the place special. "We're just getting started," she says. Founder of The Cycle Sanctuary in Ballard. Certified in cycling, Pilates and nutrition. Training clients for 19 years.
