By Hannah Barricks
Photography courtesy of Vision & Verve, Brian Kieta and Delaney Johnson
Jennifer Kieta hopes everyone feels welcome at her Near Southside space. Since signing the lease, she’s worked tirelessly to ensure every detail is perfect before opening the doors. First days can be awkward, especially at a gym where the owner’s endgame is community.
As the founder of UNION Cycle + Strength, Fort Worth’s only exclusively rhythmic indoor cycling studio, Kieta blends fitness, faith, and friendship into every ride.
Originally from Spring, Texas, Kieta and her husband Brian — best friends since high school — have called Fort Worth home since the late 1990s. After nearly a decade as a Child Life Specialist at Cook Children’s Medical Center, she discovered her passion for cycling instruction through ZYN22. When that studio closed in 2023, Jennifer took a leap of faith, opening her own.
“I just really believed this part of my life was not over, and Brian felt the same way,” she says. “We just walked in faith every single day.”
That trust paid off. In partnership with longtime friend Brent Hull, UNION Cycle + Strength opened its doors at 201 Lipscomb Street in a restored 1922 building with generous natural light and industrial charm. The gym offers rhythmic cycling, strength training, and fusion classes, all rooted in connection and encouragement.
The studio’s namesake cycling classes push attendees for 45 minutes, while its strength training class lasts one hour. The fusion class equally blends both classes in one 50-minute class.
But for Kieta, it’s about more than breaking a sweat.
“Life can be so hard and challenging,” she says. “We hope that UNION will be a place where people feel welcomed, seen, and encouraged to dig deeper.”
With month-to-month memberships, photo-worthy studio rentals, and a growing community, UNION Cycle is well on its way to becoming a movement.
“Our greatest achievement has been seeing new faces and ones from our past grace our doors. We’re building a community like no other.”
Brian and Jennifer Kieta, co-founders of UNION Cycle + Strength, opened their Near Southside studio in 2024 with a mission to build a welcoming, faith-driven fitness community.
