New SoulCycle Doc Puts Co-Founder’s Ouster Back In The Spotlight

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The documentary “Spin Wars,” about SoulCycle, Flywheel and Peloton, is scheduled for release on Amazon and Apple TV on Dec. 22. It features SoulCycle co-founder Ruth Zukerman recounting how, she says, Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice told her she was no longer a partner. The film brings fresh attention to a split Zukerman has discussed before, though the other founders’ account is not included in the supplied reporting.

The documentary “Spin Wars” is scheduled to arrive Dec. 22 on Amazon and Apple TV, bringing renewed attention to SoulCycle co-founder Ruth Zukerman’s account of being removed as a partner in the company she helped build. The film revisits the rise of SoulCycle, Flywheel and Peloton, with Zukerman describing a meeting in which, she says, fellow co-founders Elizabeth Cutler and Julie Rice told her she was no longer a partner.

Greenwich Entertainment acquired North American distribution rights to “Spin Wars,” the directorial debut of Philip Byron, according to the source report. The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Festival in June and later screened at the Hamptons International Film Festival. It also features Marion Roaman, a Peloton co-founder. Greenwich describes the film as a high-energy account of indoor cycling’s growth and the less appealing side of its “mind, body, soul” culture.

In the documentary, Zukerman says she was blindsided by her removal when Cutler and Rice told her she was no longer a partner. She said she signed an agreement after leaving, but described its language as “a bit loose,” according to Page Six’s account of the film. These are Zukerman’s recollections; the supplied reporting does not provide responses from Cutler or Rice to her account.

Zukerman has previously discussed the split, including in her 2018 memoir and a 2023 essay for HCM. She also spoke about it on The JWE’s “Inspired to Lead” podcast in March. The documentary, however, gives her a new venue to recount the experience and connects the founders’ story to the broader competition among boutique indoor-cycling brands.

A Founder’s Exit Reenters the Conversation

The film arrives as SoulCycle faces a changed business landscape from the one depicted in accounts of its early growth. The brand is now owned by Equinox. Its former chief executive, Evelyn Webster, announced in June that she would leave after nearly six years to lead podcast company Audiochuck; the company has not publicly named a successor, according to the source report.

The documentary also makes the story relevant beyond one company. Zukerman’s account concerns founder relationships and control—who has a say in a company after it grows, and what happens when partners disagree. Other boutique fitness founders have described losing operational authority after acquisitions, but those cases are distinct and do not establish what happened in SoulCycle’s founding dispute.

For readers, “Spin Wars” offers a documentary account of an influential fitness business and a dispute that Zukerman says shaped her departure. The film’s release may bring wider attention to that history, but it does not by itself settle the disagreement or establish the other founders’ perspective.

How the SoulCycle Partnership Split Developed

Zukerman’s earlier accounts provide some background to the film. In her 2018 memoir, “Riding High: How I Kissed SoulCycle Goodbye, Co-Founded Flywheel, and Built the Life I Always Wanted,” she wrote about leaving SoulCycle. In a 2023 HCM essay, she said the three founders never signed a partnership agreement despite her requests. She wrote that after the business gained momentum, Cutler and Rice decided they no longer needed her as a partner, while suggesting she remain as an instructor.

Zukerman said she was a single mother of two at the time and accepted the instructor role. She revisited the account at length on a podcast episode released in March. The details in “Spin Wars” therefore extend a story she has already told publicly, rather than mark her first discussion of the split.

Byron has said he knew the boutique cycling industry from experience: after moving to Los Angeles in 2012, he began taking SoulCycle classes and later taught early-morning spin classes from 2015 to 2020 while working in television. His former colleague and the film’s executive producer, Naomi Wright, proposed a SoulCycle documentary in late 2020. Byron said he thought of Zukerman and then pursued Roaman, bringing figures connected to SoulCycle, Flywheel and Peloton into the project.

““It’s been very cathartic, obviously, to finally tell the story.””

— Ruth Zukerman, speaking at the Hamptons screening, according to Page Six

The Other Founders’ Account Is Missing

The supplied reporting does not include Cutler’s or Rice’s response to Zukerman’s description of her departure, nor does it establish the terms of the agreement she says she signed. SoulCycle, owned by Equinox, did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the source report. It is also unclear whether Cutler or Rice appear in the documentary or offer their own account of the partnership dispute.

The film’s release details are reported as a Dec. 22 launch on Amazon and Apple TV. The available material does not specify whether that date applies to every territory or provide further information about the release format. The documentary’s portrayal should be understood as an account that includes Zukerman’s perspective, not as an independent ruling on the competing founders’ recollections.

The Film’s December Release

“Spin Wars” is scheduled to be available on Amazon and Apple TV on Dec. 22. The distributor has acquired North American rights, and the film has already screened at Tribeca and the Hamptons festival. Any additional release arrangements or public responses from the former SoulCycle partners have not been stated in the supplied reporting.

After the film becomes available, viewers will be able to assess how it presents the founding dispute alongside the histories of Flywheel and Peloton. Until then, the central unresolved issue is whether other participants will publicly address Zukerman’s account or offer a different explanation of how her partnership ended.

Key Questions

What is “Spin Wars” about?

“Spin Wars” covers the rise of SoulCycle, Flywheel and Peloton, including the competition and tensions surrounding boutique indoor cycling. It features SoulCycle co-founder Ruth Zukerman discussing her departure from the company.

When and where will the documentary be released?

The film is scheduled for release on Amazon and Apple TV on Dec. 22, according to the source report. Greenwich Entertainment has acquired its North American rights.

What does Zukerman say happened when she left SoulCycle?

Zukerman says Cutler and Rice told her in a meeting that she was no longer a partner. She has also said the three founders never signed a partnership agreement, despite her requests. Those statements reflect Zukerman’s account; the supplied reporting does not include the other founders’ response.

Has Zukerman spoken about the split before?

Yes. She wrote about leaving SoulCycle in her 2018 memoir, discussed the partnership in a 2023 HCM essay and spoke about it on a podcast in March. The documentary gives her another opportunity to recount the experience.

Source: rss