Hard Work, Shared
At Cloudcroft Fitness, the challenge is real—but you’re never doing it alone.
In the basement of Cloudcroft’s village library, a different kind of community gathering takes place six days a week.
Here, between the rhythms boosting energetic exercisers on spinning bikes and the clink of barbells, instructors Audrey Menzel and Amy Coor have built something that transcends typical gym culture—a fitness family bound by encouragement and the shared understanding that growth happens together.
“We would not have worked that hard if we weren’t together,” Menzel explains after back-to-back spin and barbell classes, capturing the philosophy that drives Cloudcroft Fitness.
In and out of the studio
The studio offers classes for fitness levels from beginner to advanced, led by three instructors with distinct areas of expertise. Menzel, who has taught group fitness for 20 years, focuses on spin and core classes. Coor leads full-body barbell work and high-intensity interval training, drawing on 15 years of instruction experience.
Gail McCoy rounds out the team with classes geared toward seniors, beginners, and those seeking low-impact mobility work—proving that this space welcomes all capabilities.
Coor’s own athletic resume reveals the endurance mindset she brings to instruction.
She’s won the Texas marathon mountain biking series, claimed the New Mexico off-road endurance series twice, quit counting after running over 50 half-marathons, ran several marathons, placed at her one-and-only triathlon (“not my thing”), and once completed a punishing 100-kilometer run at the Capitan 34-hour endurance race. As the leader of Cloudcroft’s High Altitude Mountain Bike team and coach for the school’s cross country and track programs, she understands firsthand what bodies can achieve with proper support.
“Mentality is huge because your body is so powerful,” Coor says. “But you do have to train it properly.”
Menzel says the most difficult competition she’s ever done was the Trails and Rails run, an 8-mile deep dive into the local trail systems and straight back out with serious inclines.
The Cloudcroft Fitness studio’s accessibility reflects its community-first approach. Classes run $10 each, with package options of five or ten sessions or unlimited monthly access for $60. Students receive 50 percent off.
They offer classes both in the mornings and after work, accommodating a range of schedules.
Showing up
Their community extends beyond class sessions. When someone stops showing up, instructors notice. “We do always check on people,” Coor notes.
This network proved especially meaningful for Menzel after her daughter Karter Ann’s car wreck just over a year ago. The accident left the teen in critical condition and a long recovery—which she has made fully, now—and left Menzel struggling to return to teaching. Coor brought her back.
“We just don’t let each other disappear,” Menzel says.
The welcoming culture counters gym intimidation. “Zero judgment,” Coor emphasizes.
Menzel adds the leveling truth: “This is hard for you. It’s hard for me. It’s not easy. We’re just all in it together.” Even instructors attend each other’s classes specifically so they can complain about the difficulty—something they can’t do while teaching.
Classes accommodate ages fourteen and up—“consult your physician,” they both emphasize—instructors show modifications for every fitness level. Beginners can take cycling classes a little bit easier while advanced athletes push harder. The space fits up to nine for barbell work, more for spinning.
They speak not of weight loss but of feeling strong, of gaining a different relationship with their bodies and food. Menzel notes that her own body changes become noticeable only when she focuses on feeling good rather than looking different. “It’s about feeling,” she says.
For those hesitant to enter, Coor offers her personal motto: “If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you.”
In Cloudcroft Fitness, that challenge comes wrapped in community support, making the hard work not just bearable, but something worth showing up for again and again.
This article originally appeared in the February 2026 Mountain Monthly.
Learn more and register for classes: https://cloudcroftcycling.punchpass.com/classes.
Read a previous interview with Cloudcroft Fitness instructor and Village Trustee Gail McCoy at CloudcroftReader.com
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