Rêve Rider Spotlight: Andy Jenkins!
In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, our Rider Spotlight features one of our favorite Rêve fathers, Andy Jenkins! If you are a weekday morning warrior, you have definitely seen him populating his favorite bikes on the side bars.
We caught up with this Maine native to discuss how he found Rêve (spoiler alert: his wonderful wife, Sheehan, encouraged him to come…and come back after a somewhat disastrous first ride), how Rêve has served as a substitute from competitive sports after several injuries, and what he does when he’s not tackling a double. We also got a little extra info on Andy from Sheehan, herself, and from the sounds of it, they are getting the next generation of Rêvers on board early.
Photo by Leah Fisher Photography
Tell us a little bit about yourself!
I grew up 20 minutes west of Rêve in Gorham, did my undergrad 90 minutes to the north at Colby, and finally settled 20 minutes northeast in Freeport, after a couple of stints in Boston and a year in San Francisco sprinkled in for good measure. Maine always draws me back in; love this state and its people.
What inspired you to start coming to Rêve and when did you start?
My lovely wife, Sheehan, introduced me to Rêve in July 2017. My first class was an absolute disaster, and not just because I couldn't keep up. I stuck my hand in a fan during the on-bike stretch, and tipped the bike over by putting too much weight in the saddle during the figure four stretch. It took me about a month to get the courage up to return, and I'm happy I did. As the recipient of seven surgeries by the age of 34, I have had to retire from or seriously scale back on my other favorite workouts (running and basketball). Getting on the bike allows for a great workout, but most importantly for me there is no impact and the recovery time is so much faster than running or other workouts with excessive pounding.
The other thing I love about the studio is how the community has such a positive and supportive atmosphere. I can tend to dwell on the negatives in my day-to-day life, so time at the studio has helped me minimize the negative thoughts.
Word on the street is that you have been known to do some math problems in your head during class. Does this apply to the type of work you do? How would you describe your job?
This sounds suspiciously like Savannah trying to slander my good name! Okay, I'll admit it. I am a total math nerd (son of a high school math teacher) and work as an Actuary for a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway (always nice to have Warren Buffet signing your paycheck!). What is an actuary you say? Actuaries evaluate stochastic cash flows... quick next question before everyone stops reading!
We can't all be rocket scientists turned brew masters (looking at you Cole).
What’s your favorite things to do outside of the studio—in addition to hanging out with your adorable family, that is?
Fly fishing. Migratory fish control my brain. I just returned from an annual trip to Russia's Kola Peninsula chasing Atlantic Salmon. Next week, I will be sneaking away from some work travel to Miami to chase Tarpon in the Florida Keys. Striped Bass every night all summer long. Hoping to return to Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula for Steelhead next year (think Alaska but with less people).
Do you have any exciting plans with your family this summer?
Absolutely!. We are temporarily relocating to San Diego for ten months starting mid August. It will be nice to skip a winter while my kids are young (currently four and two). I am looking forward to working east coast hours, getting done around 2:00 and having the afternoon to spend with my children. Currently getting home from work at 6:00 for feeding, bathing and putting to bed is a bit of a drag (not to mention their crabbiest time of the day). Rêve's own Meghan will actually be house/dog sitting for us while we’re away—did someone say party in Freeport?
Last thing: If you had a perfect Rêve playlist, what songs would it feature?
I get most of my workout music from Rêve these days. Here's a playlist of my some of my favorites!
We also tracked down Andy’s wife—and fellow Rêver—Sheehan for a few questions:
We understand that you were the reason that Andy first came to Rêve. What inspired you to bring him with you? (And how did you get him to come back after his somewhat debaucherous first class?
I don't actually remember why I asked Andy to come along. Probably because I liked it so much and I assumed he would too? He's had a lot of random health issues/injuries that have forced him to stop playing organized sports, which he played through college. Without those things, I thought he would like to have a low impact, fun work out.
The first time he came he said he didn't like it, which I'm pretty sure meant "I was bad at that." He's super competitive, so I think he came back just to prove he could be good at it. Once he got it down and began talking with people at the studio, he was hooked. Also, his back has stopped bothering him and he gives Rêve credit for that!
Do you and the kids have a special Father's Day message for Andy?
Just that we love him! He’s a great, attentive, and playful father. Also, sometimes the kids pretend to be Andy while they're playing, and I'll say "Where are you going?" and Henry (age 2) will say "I'm going to spin class!" which is hysterical coming out of a tiny person’s mouth.