Christine D'Ercole

D’Ercole grew up wanting to be a ballerina but was told that her thighs were too big.^[1] As a young adult, she wanted to work as a Broadway performer, choosing to attend a performing arts high school, followed by studying theater at Carnegie Mellon University.^[1][2] She used to ride her bike to classes.^[3]

After graduating from college, D’Ercole started auditioning for theater roles in New York City while working as a bartender and bike messenger to pay the bills.^[1] She became a part of the bike messenger community, who encouraged her to pursue track cycling and racing full-time.^[1][3]

While pursuing cycling, D’Ercole has also worked as a model and a fitness instructor.^[1] After teaching at SoulCycle and Equinox, she began working as a Peloton instructor in 2014.^[1]

D’Ercole has won the Masters World Championship in cycling and is a five-time National Champion.^[4][5] In 2021, she won 5 gold medals at the Masters Track National Championships, in the Points Race, Scratch Race, 2K Time Trial, Team Pursuit, and Team Sprint events.^[5] She is the only Peloton instructor who has won a world or national track cycling championship.^[1]

In 2019, D’Ercole was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma after noticing a spot on her nose.^[6][7] The surgery to remove the cancer was a success.^[6]

D’Ercole lives and works in Manhattan, and owns a Dutch Colonial house in Easton, Pennsylvania.^[8]

D’Ercole was in romantic relationships with women for many years and identified as gay. In 2021 she got engaged to a man she had met through a virtual Peloton class.^[9]