Rider Spotlight: Cole Corbin
It’s no secret that we are constantly amazed by the members of the Rêve community. We love learning about people’s backgrounds, jobs, and passions; about what inspires them as they walk into our classes. If we gave out a superlative for our most consistent rider, Cole Corbin would certainly be a frontrunner. It’s hard to believe that he had never taken a spin class before coming to Rêve for the first time a bit over a year ago, but now you can find him in a class (or two!) nearly every day. Outside of Rêve, Cole has one of the most important—and enviable—jobs in town: Director of Brewing Operations at Maine Beer Company in Freeport! We caught up with him to chat about what brought him to Rêve, how he made the switch from NASA to brewing, and which bikes he deems his favorites, having tried out each and every one.
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I'm originally from Sapporo, Japan, famous for beer and noodles! My family and I moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan when I was a kid and that's where I grew up. I ended up in Maine to work at Maine Beer Company, and I feel lucky to love both where I work and live! Portland has been my home now for 4 years and I really enjoy all the seasons that Maine has to offer.
How would you describe your job? How did you end up doing this type of work?
I used to be a "rocket scientist" and making beer is my second career. What started out as a hobby of making beer at home became an obsession, and I made a career switch 6 years ago. My favorite part about my job as a brewer is recipe formulation; when I get to use my creativity and palate to come up with recipes with interesting flavor combinations while also using my scientific and engineering background to sort through the variables. It's a perfect balance of science and art.
Joining the Rêve community, with its fun and positive energy, has been a life changing experience! The responsibilities of my job can often be very demanding and stressful (I oversee and manage the brewing operations and team) and at Rêve I discovered my reset button to handle this better. I'm so grateful and proud to be a part of this awesome community that Stephanie, the instructors and all the fellow riders have built! It's truly a unique and magical place. After a year of nonstop riding, I still get excited and look forward to every ride.
What inspired you to start coming to Rêve?
I had no idea what spinning was about before my first class a year ago... I was a little skeptical of the concept based on what little I had heard about it, but I was looking for a way to get a great cardio workout and a friend recommended I try it. I'm glad I did! I did a quick Google search of where I could find a class in Portland and found Rêve. Honestly, I ended up signing up for a class because I liked the aesthetics of the website. I fondly remember my legs feeling dangerously wobbly, unstable, and like Jello walking down the stairs after my first class with Meghan! Savannah's Cycle90 is my favorite and I think it's the best way to start off the new week.
In addition to being found in the studio, you are also a mountain biker. How do the two compare and how do you feel that Rêve prepares you to tackle the trails?
It's a new hobby of mine! Mountain biking is so much fun but the fear of crashing is always there... but, that's what makes it so great! Mountain biking makes me feel like a kid; bombing down hills fast, hanging on to the handlebars for dear life, and getting muddy and breathless. Riding at Rêve has made me fit enough to keep up with my experienced mountain biking friends, especially when climbing hills! I am stronger both physically and mentally after every ride at Rêve and feel ready for any challenge.
When the bikes got their official numbers, you made it your mission to try out each one. Which wound up being your favorite?
Yeah - it was a little fun challenge I tackled in March. I rode on the 37 bikes (#38 wasn't there then) in 22 days. I like to move around but my current favorites are #4, #8, #32, #33, and #36. I've done other challenges like two classes a day for a week... I'm looking for more fun challenges too. Got any ideas?
Finally, word is that you are a big music fan. What is it about music that you love so much?
I love listening to music, and I find a lot of inspiration through what the instructors play at Rêve... I like to create a playlist at the beginning of every month and add to it continuously. It's fun to go back and listen to a playlist from the past and to reflect on what I was thinking and feeling at the time. Funny how certain songs trigger certain memories of the past.
Here's a playlist I made in honor of this post!