Have you ever met someone who lived up to his own dreams so fully that he created magic for others along the way? That was Charly Dunsmore. We in the Spinning® community are deeply saddened by the loss of our dear compatriot, friend and fellow teacher. Though we take solace knowing that he lived as large as his global reach expanded. Here’s a little bit more about our dear friend…

A cultured man, Charly was born in Lincolnshire, England in 1970 then moved to Argentina at the age of five. Self-described as a 'very intense kid' always full of energy, Charly’s parents decided the best way for him to work off that energy was through sports. Thus, Charly developed a strong affinity for a life in motion. In fact, one of his all-time favorite jobs was zipping down the slopes as a ski instructor in Klosters, Switzerland. Charly’s athleticism also took root as a professional football (USA soccer) player. Quite naturally, Charly checked off his dream of becoming a Division I player.

As fate would have it, Charly suffered from a serious injury though and was forced to refocus his life. Multi-talented Charly then poured his energy into academia in fast pursuit of a profession as a chemical engineer. However, Charly’s love for sports was unbreakable, so he also became a Physical Education Instructor.

Charly’s destiny then led him to discover road cycling. Unsurprisingly, he competed in several national endurance cycling competitions in Argentina. In due time, Charly doubled-down on his ultimate passion for cycling by becoming a Certified Spinning® Instructor.

But Charly didn’t stop there… In a Spinning® biography from that point in this life, Charly said, "Something started to change in my life, so I took all the continuing education courses (I could) to be better for my students."

In one of those additional trainings, something really clicked for Charly and he knew he wanted to become a Spinning® Master Instructor (MI). “Years ago during a marvelous Spinning® course in Chile, I felt deep in my heart that I wanted to be an MI. My dream started that day! I wanted to teach more Spinning® instructors, as well as keep learning to be better for my students and (other) instructors."

Charly realized his dream of becoming an MI in October 2018. Master Instructor Rodrigo Vilches was a great mentor to Charly during the MI process, helping him to prepare to conduct his first Spinning® Instructor Certification. So fierce was his dedication to his craft that Charly also pursued advanced knowledge and skills by taking public speaking courses.

Shortly thereafter, Charly homed in on his next goal… He was accepted to the Power Specialist Master Instructor (PSMI) Camp in 2019, and under the mentorship and guidance of MI and PSMI Nestor Salinas, Charly officially became a PSMI for the SPINPower® program in February 2020. Working very hard against all odds, Charly was a massive force behind opening the first SPINPower® facility in Argentina in March of this year.

If you knew Charly, you felt his exuberance and love for the Spinning® program and its global community. He was an avid Spinning® event attendee – travelling to Italy, Miami, Jamaica, Spain, Chile, and the list goes on. Charly has been with all of us – here, there and everywhere!

Charly loved big and he lived out-loud. He was unabashedly authentic and vulnerable, and we can all learn from this. He was gentle, endearing, supportive to all, and brought us so much joy! He was devoted to his role as a Master Instructor, and often expressed how blessed he felt to be of service to others. After Charly's first event taking the stage as a presenter, he remarked, "...presenting is something magical and it comes from one's soul."  Without a doubt, the Spinning® community has a new guardian angel in Charly. 

To take a walk down memory lane, watch this video of Charly’s class from 2013. If you knew him well, you’ll recognize the song ‘One’ by U2 as one of Charly’s featured favorites in the ride. It’s no surprise – even upon his passing, Charly has brought all of the Spinning® community together as One to celebrate a precious life.

Finally, watch this tribute to Charly that the MI Team recently compiled: