Businesses looking to entertain clients or employees have long relied on low-stress activities from spectator sports to steak dinners. But some companies are looking for more physically challenging outings. And they’re turning to Cadence Cycling & Multisport Center, located in TriBeCa.

Earlier this year, Cadence opened a 10,000-plus square-foot facility on Hudson Street that specializes in training and coaching for cycling events and triathlons. The center is home to a cycling room — athletes can hook up their bicycles to a piece of equipment that transforms them, temporarily, into stationary bikes — in addition to a weight-training room, and an “endless” pool.

Businesses looking to give their clients or employees an intense “retreat” have created sessions with pedaling drills, a cycling course, and an evaluation of each rider’s fitness level and cycling technique, according to the center’s director of performance, Mikael Hanson. “We go over the results, individually, and as a group,” Mr. Hanson said, noting that each participant leaves with a custom workout regimen designed by a Cadence cycling coach.

Retreats — which can be tailored to suit the group and usually last about three hours — end with refreshments in the center’s café area, where participants can unwind, socialize, and network with their colleagues. “We’ve seen a very good response,” Mr. Hanson said.

Before clients or corporate groups can use any of the facilities, each person must take a pedal test to measure cycling efficiency. Additional fitness assessments may also be conducted prior to the retreat.

The idea of a work outing that is less sedentary and more competitive reflects the level of serious attention that people give to fitness. “Business is changing. Society is becoming more interested in health and wellness,” the center’s manager, Jed Kornbluh, said. “These people get more out of this than they do by going to a ball game — they are actually learning about themselves.”

In 2008, Cadence will be stepping up its efforts to find cycling enthusiasts within local corporations, according to Mr. Hanson: “We’re definitely making a big push, given our proximity to the financial sector and to many other big corporations.”

Eight riders are standard for corporate groups, and fees start at $25 a person an hour. Participants must bring their own bicycles. Sessions are typically held in the late afternoon or evening, during the workweek.

Cadence Cycling & Multisport Center, 174 Hudson St., between Vestry and Laight streets, 212-226-4400, Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Saturday, 9:30 a.m.–5 p.m., Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m.