Imagine being on a racetrack through a city of the future with glimmering skyscrapers towering overhead. Imagine going down a rabbit hole. You’re not alone. There is competition in The Trip, of the virtual sort: cycling avatars on the screen are leading rigorous laps ahead.

The aim: To leave reality behind and become fully immersed in animation and music to achieve a better workout and indoor cycling experience. Welcome to THE TRIP now in State College only available at FITOLOGY, located at 542 Westerly Parkway.

“The benefit of training in an immersive environment is the heightened sense of anticipation and reward,” said Jinger Gottschall, a FITOLOGY partner and instructor.

Gottschall, an associate professor of Kinesiology at Penn State, also conducts research utilizing the New Zealand-based Les Mills International programs.

“Riders stop thinking about the duration of the workout as well as life distractions and maximize training intensity.”

IMMERSIVE FITNESS is an experience that projects quality video content onto a cinema-size screen while instructors synchronize the ride with music and graphics. Les Mills and Reebok first unveiled the IMMERSIVE FITNESS experience in the summer 2014. Now being rolled out globally, THE TRIP is only available in 3 US cities: Santa Monica, New York and, State College to give indoor cycling enthusiasts the sensation of riding up steep glaciers, sprinting around digital velodromes, and cruising into peaceful sunsets.

The concept draws on video innovation from music concerts, using entertainment to suspend belief and push riders to their physical limits. The futuristic graphics create a different world on THE TRIP. Riders could be traveling in a spaceship, leaping over laser fire, or cruising into a futuristic city. The potential for IMMERSIVE FITNESS is limited only by imagination.

Classes are offered free for members and $12 per ride for visitors Saturday at 8:30 a.m.,  and Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Riders of all ages are welcome. For more information and a full schedule of classes, visit www.fitology542.com or FITOLOGY542 on Facebook.