Pedal to Mettle

'How are your tires?"

It might be one of the oddest pickup lines ever. But it launched a love match 21 years ago that also led to an entrepreneurial partnership balanced on two wheels.

Brian Walton, an Olympic silver medalist in cycling, uttered those heart-melting words to Dana Gyory, holder of multiple Master's World Championship cycling titles, the day after she bought spare tires from his friend for a tournament near Allentown. A Vancouver resident at the time, Walton was in the region to compete that weekend, too - in the same race that drew nearly 300 cyclists to Philadelphia last Sunday.

"It was love at first sight," Walton recalled recently, unapologetic for that cheesy icebreaker.

Not that an apology was necessary. And nearly 18 years of marriage and three children later, the cycling couple are in business together, peddling pedaling as a means not only of physical fitness, but of corporate health.

"Corporate leaders recognize there is a direct correlation between the success on the bike and success in the boardroom," Walton said. "Each takes commitment, planning, training, and you have to put in the work to get results."

The couple formed Walton Endurance Inc. in 2012 at their home in East Norriton to offer bicycle-based professional training services to individual athletes. Now, they are pivoting to a more corporate focus, riding on promising trends - including, they say, that cycling has replaced golf as the outdoor activity of choice for C-suite dwellers.

While hundreds of pedaled miles most assuredly will lead to rock-solid quadriceps and impressive butts, Walton Endurance is emphasizing a less-cosmetic strengthening: teamwork, goal-setting, motivation, employee engagement and retention, and charitable fund-raising.

A fitness-oriented rallying strategy is a worthy corporate pursuit, said Victor Tringali, a former champion bodybuilder who is now executive director of a program at Drexel University promoting healthier choices among students, faculty, and staff.

"Team goal-setting has been shown to be an effective team-building tool for influencing unity," Tringali said. "Therefore, if group physical activities are set as collective goals, they may offer improved social acceptance or group cohesiveness."

Of course, there are wellness-related bottom-line benefits from all that physical activity, he added.

"Research suggests exercising in a work-related group may not only improve adherence to an exercise program but may also result in engagement in similar activities outside of working hours," Tringali said. "It could have a magnified impact on reducing sedentary exposure and affect overall health, worker productivity, and health-care costs."

Among Americans in general, biking ranked ninth in 2014 among sports/activities participated in, down from eighth in 2013 and 2012, according to a report released last month by the National Sporting Goods Association. The study also found that male participation increased 6.5 percent, while biking by females declined 7 percent, according to Bicycle Retailer & Industry News.

"The lackluster trend doesn't make us nervous," Dana Walton said. She declared biking back on a positive course after the "negative impact" of Lance Armstrong, the onetime king of the sport, being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping.

Brian, 49, and Dana, 44, whose children are age 9, 11 and 13, are Walton Endurance's only full-time employees. They said the shift to serving more corporate clients than individual athletes is not a sign of failing at the latter, but rather following market demand. They would not disclose financials but said gross revenue had grown 41 percent since 2012, with fees depending on the style and duration of the training program.

Walton Endurance's corporate work has involved leading a team of Bristol-Myers Squibb employees in 2013 and 2014 in the 3,000-mile Race Across America, a coast-to-coast relay; and training a sales team this year for the Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer charitable ride in September.

"Cycling provides a personal challenge to demonstrate our individual resolve, enhances our teamwork, and offers a way to give back to cancer patients across the country, said Teresa Bitetti, senior vice president of U.S. oncology at the pharmaceutical company. "Many of our riders from last year described the event as a life-changing experience - one that had a profound effect on themselves, the team, and others living with cancer."

Brian Walton said he generally gets cooperation from his clients - once he establishes that when it comes to their time on the bike, "I'm the boss."

"I'm a straight shooter . . . even if they are executives," he said.

__________________________

Walton "whys" on cycling at work:

The bike is an equalizer. Titles are nonexistent.

Team building/group dynamics. There is nothing like setting a hard, physical team challenge to determine the dynamics of how a group works most efficiently to accomplish that goal.

Employee engagement and retention. Employees want to know their company cares about their interests and well-being. A company-supported cycling program keeps employees excited about their job and more likely to remain with the company.

Corporate wellness. As employees age, cycling is a healthier sport, with lower impact than running or tennis.

Community relations. A cycling program is a natural fit to drive corporate community-relations goals and charitable fund-raising initiatives.

215-854-2466@dmastrull