For many people, walking into a fitness studio can feel intimidating. They face pressure to keep up and assume that everyone else already knows what they’re doing.
Megan Stuart, owner of Train Yard Cycle Studio, is working to change that narrative. Located in Mineral Springs, the locally owned, veteran-owned boutique fitness studio is creating a fitness space built around both challenge and belonging.
“We wanted to bring something different to the table,” Stuart said. “Union County has options for fitness out there, but we don’t have small boutique fitness studios like this.”
More Than a Cycle Studio
While cycling is at the heart of the business, Train Yard Cycle Studio was intentionally designed to be more than rows of bikes and high-intensity workouts.
The studio offers cycle classes, hybrid cycle-and-strength classes, and yoga classes, giving members multiple ways to move and recharge throughout the week.
One of the studio’s most popular Sunday offerings combines a motivational cycling class with yin yoga, a meditative practice designed to help participants unwind and recharge.
“We have an inspirational Sunday,” Stuart said. “You go straight into yin yoga, which is just meditative. If you wanted to kind of wind down on Sunday, that’s the perfect class to do it in.”
A Business Built for Community
After moving to the Charlotte area in 2017, Stuart and her family began searching for a slower pace and stronger sense of community. They found it in Union County.
“We fell in love with the farms and fell in love with the small-town feel,” she said. “I was raised in Louisiana, so the small town is kind of where I feel at home.”
As someone passionate about fitness and cycling, Stuart quickly realized something was missing in the area.
“I looked for a cycle studio, and there wasn’t one around here,” she said. “So I said, ‘You know, I’m just going to open up my own studio and add a couple of extras.’”
Only nine weeks after opening, the response from the community already shaped the direction of the business. Because the studio is independently owned rather than part of a franchise, Stuart has the freedom to adapt classes around what members actually want.
“When I had that cycle and abs class, people signed up so fast,” she said. “That showed me they like the whole hybrid strength training and cycle class.”
That ability to listen and pivot has allowed the studio to evolve organically alongside the community it serves.
Fitness Without Judgment
At Train Yard Cycle Studio, success isn’t measured by how fast someone rides or how much resistance they add to the bike.
“A lot of cycle studios base their classes around the rider’s ability, and I kind of didn’t do that on purpose,” Stuart said. “We want everyone to feel like they can come to any class.”
That philosophy has resonated with first-time riders and longtime athletes alike.
“If the instructor is going hard and you just can’t quite keep up, that’s okay,” she said. “There’s no judgment in our studio at all.”
For Stuart, some of the most meaningful moments have come from watching members regain confidence and strength in ways that extend far beyond fitness.
She recalled one rider who shared her health journey after class.
“She told me she had been paralyzed for a long time and was using us to get her strength back in her legs,” Stuart said. “And I just absolutely love that.”
Stories like that remind Stuart why she opened the studio in the first place.
“It’s become a community, and they feel like they’re family,” she said.
Where Fitness Feels Personal
The name “Train Yard” carries more meaning than most people realize. Stuart grew up near train tracks in Louisiana, later lived in Mississippi in another train town, and now operates her studio steps away from the tracks in Mineral Springs.
“I just feel drawn to trains,” she said with a laugh. “But I’ve also always trained in fitness too, so the name means multiple things to me.”
Creating a personal experience matters to Stuart just as much as the workouts themselves.
“I wanted people to feel like they’re my neighbors coming in,” she said. “I wanted to be very involved in my business.”
So involved, in fact, that members will often find her right at the front desk greeting them when they walk through the door.
Learn more about Train Yard Cycle Studio at their website: https://trainyardstudio.com/.
Last modified: June 1, 2026
