BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A local spin class dedicated a special ride to Kobe Bryant, one day after he died in a helicopter crash.
Rush Cycle Bakersfield held their normal spin class Monday night at 5:30 p.m. in Calloway Drive, but instead of normal workout gear, instructors asked riders to wear Los Angeles Lakers memorabilia, Bryant memorabilia or just purple and yellow.
The, nearly full, class showcased riders in Bryant jerseys, Lakers t-shirts and the classic Lakers colors.
Scrawled on the large mirror at the front of the class was a quote by Kobe Bryant, "Rest at the end, not in the middle" along with the numbers "8", "24", and "2". Number two was in memory of Bryant's daughter, Gianna, who also died in the crash.
Most of the bikes were filled except for number 8 and number 24 which were intentionally left without riders in memory of Bryant.
"We just felt like it was something we could do to help our community heal," said studio manager Tori Bennett.
Instructors encouraged riders to embody "The Mamba Mentality" and they dedicated a special song at the end of the class to Bryant.
"With being so close to L.A. we wanted to allow people to come in here, mourn, deal with any issues that, or feelings, that they're having about the passing of Kobe Bryant yesterday and his daughter," said Bennett. "We hope that we were able to help in any way, whether it was just our members feeling a little bit better when they walk out of that studio, we're just blessed to be able to do something like this."
