Chen Xiuhuan's Daughter Shalynn Is Now A Spin Instructor - TODAY

“I’m one of those crazy riders who goes multiple times a week and for back-to-back rides. It’s my hobby and a way for me to relieve stress. So when I saw that there was an opportunity for me to try and be a spin instructor, I thought, ‘Why not?’” she tells us.

“I first had to attend auditions. After that, we had training and they have assessments for the trainers. If you pass [the assessments], it’s up to you to decide if you feel ready to go ahead to teach a class,” she continues.

As it turns out, Shalynn may have been ready to teach a class at the studio’s grand opening in May, but what she wasn’t prepared for were the tightened Covid-19 measures that would kick in on Aurora’s original launch date.

“Thankfully, the team [at Aurora] really adapted very fast and started holding classes outdoors,” she explains.

Launching spin classes outdoors was practically unheard of. Spin workouts are high intensity indoor cycling workouts done in a clubbing-like atmosphere — a dim room illuminated by flashy neon coupled with high-octane music to up the ante. So, yes, there's a lot of perspiring, even in an air-conditioned room. So the idea of Aurora's outdoor classes held at open-air spaces at South Beach Quarter seems inconceivable, especially in Singapore’s hot and humid weather. But the riders came, and Shalynn got her unconventional start as a spin instructor.

The final week of P2HA was particularly unnerving for Shalynn — and probably the rest of the fitness industry in Singapore as well — as everyone waited in anticipation for reopening updates. “Basically we had a one-week break [at the end of P2HA] where we didn’t teach at all. We tested the lights and prepared the studio [for opening]. Then suddenly, there was a rise in cases, and we were wondering what’s going to happen. Up till the day before we were due to open, we still weren’t sure if we were actually opening, Shalynn reveals.

Thankfully, the government gave the go-ahead for gyms to reopen on June 21. It would also be the day that Aurora would officially open its doors — doors to its actual studios decked out with state-of-the-art lighting and sound systems, and aircon, of course. In the two sci-fi-esque studios are shiny new bikes placed at a safe distance from one another — and according to current guidelines, these studios can accommodate 14 and 21 riders respectively.