Nathan Coppen crowed as he pedaled frantically, driving the exercise bike fast enough to drop the five of diamonds on the four.
"I always play this game," said Coppen, a 28-year-old ballet dancer from the Royal Opera House who's training to recover from an injury. "You can be on it for 20 minutes and not know it -- it just feels like five."
The bike is made by UK start-up company Exertris Ltd, which so far has produced only 60 of the machines that incorporate computerized card games. The bike, which forces users to pedal faster to zap aliens, pulverize giant spiders and score points in interactive games, is the latest weapon some fitness centers are using to attract and retain members.
Coppen had to queue to use the Exertris bike, popular among members of the Jubilee Hall gym across the plaza from the opera.
Manager Rob Jones said he installed the bikes because they offer ``something different'' and will give the gym an edge on rivals.
"If I faced a choice between two gyms, and only one had these bikes, I know which I'd choose," he said. "I was on that bike for 45 minutes trying to win Space Tripper last night -- still haven't managed it."
Using technology to overcome the boredom of training is a key tactic for fitness clubs. While no exercise-bike maker offers a direct competitor to Exertris, machines that monitor heart rates or allow users to watch videos are commonplace.
Incentives like these are essential in London, where some fitness centers are struggling to retain members, let alone expand, Jones said. Financial-services companies in the UK fired 36,000 people in the second quarter, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Chris Attfield is canceling his membership in a gym run by Holmes Place Plc after losing his job as a risk analyst at Bank One. "It's draining cash which could be used for better things," he said.
Of eight publicly traded UK fitness-center chains, only one -- Esporta Plc -- has seen its stock advance this year. It has climbed 24 percent. The worst performer is Topnotch Health Clubs Plc, whose shares have dropped 52 percent in the same period, partly because of refurbishment delays. Many are expanding in continental Europe in search of profits.
The Esporta chain is on a cost-cutting drive. The company had a loss of PD8.3 million (US$12.8 million) last year compared with a profit of PD8.5 million the year before as its clubs drew fewer customers. Holmes Place said sales growth halted in the first half, citing competition from lower-priced rivals such as Fitness First Plc.
Exertris founder Gareth Davies developed the game bikes. The 32-year-old physics graduate got the idea about five years ago because he found cardiovascular training on bikes and treadmills boring.
The machine, which is linked to a custom-made games console, uses feedback from the pedals in a suite of games. If users don't pedal, they can't play. A burst of speed is needed to fire bullets, flee enemies or move cards around in a Solitaire game.
"I love computer games and I love keeping fit, so this was an obvious next step," he said.
The bikes aren't to everyone's taste, Jubilee Hall's Jones said. "Many of our customers are dedicated, serious trainers. They consider anything like this, even the machines with TVs above them, as just a distraction."
Founding a start-up company just as the so-called "dotcom bubble" burst in the first quarter of 2000 meant finding funding was a challenge, Davies said.
"In the end, the bulk of our money has come from private investors," he said. Just one venture-capital firm, Singer & Friedlander Group Plc, is currently invested in Exertris.
Another believer is Reebok International Ltd, the world's No. 2 maker of sports shoes. Reebok plans to open its fourth fitness center in the world in October, a 30,000m2 gym in London's Canary Wharf that will feature two Exertris bikes.
"These stop you getting bored," said the new gym's fitness director, Lorna Malcolm. "Also, this is an area where you have a lot of traders, and they are notorious for having the latest computer games."
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College