Instructors

Victoria Sommers

I sometimes say that cycling saved my life.  

I was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. When I was 19, after months of knee pain, I went to the doctor, who recommended surgery. He also suggested I try light pedaling on a stationary bike. I took my first indoor cycling class and was hooked. Seven months later, my knee was pain-free. I never needed surgery.

Cycling indoors and out became a daily part of my life, both for my knees and for the amazing  mental benefits. A few years later, I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida, where I joined a small cycling studio, first as a client and then as a teacher. (My day job was corporate sales but my passion was the studio.) I was invited to teach as a guest instructor at Equinox in NYC and had the honor to ride the Yellowstone National Park with Greg LeMond. 

The cycling studio had a great community with warm people who became like a family to me, and who stood by me during the hard times that eventually led me to decide to move to California. 

When I landed in Los Altos, I knew I wanted to create my own cycling community here. My parents were small business owners in Buenos Aires, and I absorbed lessons about entrepreneurship around the dining table. From them, I learned the true meaning of grit and perseverance, powerful tools to have when starting a business. 

I opened Momentum in 2013, and have watched it blossom into a strong community that supports its members and brings happiness as well as health to their lives.

I love being a business owner, but I’m still happiest on the bike, leading a class, making that special hour a time to connect with ourselves and with each other. I love to crank up the high beat music, focusing on positivity and empowerment as we all strive to be the best version of ourselves. Find me on Instagram @aftervictoria

Camille Wheeler

Camille is inspired by her clients' commitment to their wellness. Her goal is to help people feel good about themselves, with a focus on relieving and managing stress. She coaches you to work smarter, assisting in reaching personal fitness goals by emphasizing form and providing helpful concise cues. She cultivates a community without judgement and welcomes everyone no matter your place in your fitness journey.

Camille has been working in fitness for over 30 years. She currently works as a Program Manager in corporate wellness for Exos. Exos is a human performance company that helps all people optimize their wellness through mindset, movement, nutrition and recovery. Exos is known for running combine for the NFL, training professional athletes (NFL, MLB, NBL) training special ops/tactical training for the US military and US olympians.

NASM, Certified Personal Trainer. NASM, Corrective Exercise Specialist. Exos Fitness Specialist Certified. TRX Suspension Training Certified Coach. Stick Mobility Certified. Fitness Ambassador National Academy of Sports Medicine.


April McGrath

With over 7 years of teaching experience, April brings a dynamic knowledge of and approach to yoga. While she was initially drawn to yoga as an outlet for physical exercise, she soon experienced its more subtle yet profound effects. April has applied the wisdom and philosophy of yoga throughout her own journey in recovery and in becoming a clinical mental health therapist, and she is passionate about sharing yoga’s healing benefits with others. Physically, April gravitates towards high-energy activities- running, HIIT, rowing, cycling- and yoga helps remind her there’s a time to stay strong and give more, and there’s a time to soften and let go. Whether you’re looking to get a good stretch in and release tension from cycling, to calm your mind and clear your head, or to reconnect with your highest self, you can find these and more through yoga, and April is here to show you how.

Laura Stern

Laura is certified for indoor cycling through both Saris and Stages and has over 20 years of teaching experience at local (Menlo Park, Palo Alto, RWC) fitness centers. Taking up cycling after college, Laura soon found her niche in long-distance events. Some highlights include numerous double-centuries and Markleeville Death Rides, winning the Furnace Creek 508-mile bicycle race, and bicycle-touring throughout the Alps, Pyrenees, and Dolomites… in addition to here in beautiful California. She also loves hiking and cross-country skiing, competing in Nordic skiing for several decades in the Tahoe-Truckee area.
A USGS research geophysicist by day (no, she doesn’t know when The Big One will strike!), Laura likes indoor training to be fun, focused, and challenging, and enjoys drawing on outdoor rides for class design. She looks forward to riding with our Momentum community!

Laura's playlists are typically a mix of EDM, techno, and a bit of classic rock.


Denise Henry

Denise has been a competitive athlete for over 30 years and has over 20 years of teaching experience.  She is a group exercise instructor and a small group training coach for spinning, athletic conditioning, running, core strength and flexibility/mobility.  Denise holds certifications with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Johnny G. Certified Indoor Cycling. Stages Indoor Cycling and TRX Suspension Training.  In addition to exercise and sport, Denise has taken courses on nutrition related to sports, optimal wellness, fitness performance, hydration and weight loss management.  Denise loves to run, swim with Stanford Masters, practice yoga, cook, travel and socialize with friends and family!


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Judson Sickler

Judson began his fitness journey in his mid 20’s when he fell in love with mountain and road cycling. This passion then lead to completing marathons, ultra-marathons, half ironman triathlons, endurance mountain bike races and obstacle course racing. At the time, when he began competing, Jud was working at Sun Microsystems but knew that a technology career was not his chosen path. That is when he pursued a 2nd undergraduate degree (first one was in Political Science from UC Berkeley) in Kinesiology at San Jose State University to become a middle school physical education teacher (so that he could spend a career in fitness) which he has been doing full time for 20 years. After resigning from Sun Microsystems and becoming a college student again, Judson went from taking indoor cycling classes to teaching them. He began teaching Spinning classes in 1999 at Gold’s Gym in Mountain View and eventually was teaching at various studios in the South Bay for the next 5 years- eventually finding his way to Momentum in 2017. As Judson’s family grew, teaching at various locations was becoming more and more challenging and he eventually took a sabbatical from teaching indoor cycling and fitness classes. However, In 2014, he started his own successful outdoor Bootcamp Business in Sunnyvale which he was doing in the early mornings before he started his full day of teaching. Fitness, training and a healthy active lifestyle has been the foundation of Jud’s life. His mission is to continue to learn and inspire others to stay healthy and active.

 

Maria Amren

Maria is passionate about an active lifestyle and loves to challenge herself. She found the love for spinning as she was training for her first triathlon 10+ years ago. She has since completed multiple triathlons, 1/2 ironman, the Death Ride, as well as 1/2 marathons. She found the love for teaching and motivating others in 2008 when she joined and taught Baby Boot Camp classes at Stanford with her first of four daughters. Maria began her certification courses in 1999 and has since then completed the AFAA group instructor certificate in 2011 among other courses to stay current in the field. She resides in Los Altos with her husband and 4 daughters. She enjoys the active lifestyle of managing a household of 4 daughters while running her own management consulting firm. 



Kathi Kaplan

Kathi has been teaching group fitness classes for over 30 years. Everything from high/low-impact, step, body sculpting and cycling.  It was on a cycling trip to New Zealand that she discovered her love for road biking. Kathi is a cardio fanatic who loves teaching and motivating her students.  She teaches early morning classes and then works in high tech as a marketing executive.  She has had the pleasure of working at some of the valley’s greatest companies like NeXt, Apple, Business Objects, Box and more.  On the weekends you are guaranteed to find Kathi on the road riding her bike or spending time with her family.