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Every year at our Rally and World Championship weekend, ElliptiGO riders from around the world gather to celebrate the past year on the GO and the community that brings our brand to life. With so many of us in one place, it’s an excellent opportunity to honor those who not only log miles but inspire others along the way. This past weekend, we honored two riders with the Authentic & Inspiring Award. It’s a pleasure to introduce this year’s winners and our October 2021 Riders of the Month, Lewis “Lefty” Leftwich and Katie Blau!

The wheels on the GO and the bus go ‘round and ‘round! Katie Blau is known for having a sweet ride. Whether she’s turning heads riding on her ElliptiGO 8C or rolling in her tricked out GOzilla bus, Katie gets noticed. We first honored Katie with Rider of the Month back in 2015 when she participated in the Bike Northwoods Tour along the scenic shore of Lake Superior in Wisconsin. Since then, she’s established herself as the queen of multi-day events. From the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI), which Katie has completed five times, to riding the Natchez Trace Parkway (over 444 miles,) Katie inspires the community with her positive attitude and her impressive endurance! 

We asked Katie how it felt to find out that she had won the award and she told us, “I was so surprised!  What a great honor considering all the great members of this community of riders.”

Katie has been a member of our community for nearly a decade. She is always showing her ElliptiGO pride and spirit (especially in her favorite color, orange,) and we’re thankful for her dedication to spreading the world and showing how capable and fun our products are.

“I’m so thankful I accidentally discovered ElliptiGO back in April of 2012. I was so bored with my normal bike and was tired of the pain involved when riding longer distances,” she said. “ElliptiGO was the perfect answer for me and has taken me places I never dreamed of going and I know I would not be as fit as I am today without it!”

One ride and you’ll be hooked – just asked Lewis “Lefty” Leftwich who is always there to greet the newest owners on the ElliptiGO Facebook Group Page with, “Welcome to the GO addiction!” We honored Lefty back in September of 2019 for his incredible dedication to fostering community. You can find Lefty handing out ElliptiGO trinkets at different events like coins with inspirational quotes, stuffed donuts, and mugs. This passion for making the ElliptiGO family a fantastic one to be a part of has continued to grow, and Lefty does this by being so helpful and encouraging to all.

Lefty has always been about bringing riders together for events. In the last 12 months alone, Lefty has participated in over 25 group rides in seven states! He also led his team the Stand Up & Go-Getters to win the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club September team challenge in 2020 as a co-captain. Bringing your team together from around the world in a year when we all had to be apart – now, that’s an amazing victory in itself. Plus, have you seen Lefty’s epic and iconic beard?

We asked Lefty about how it felt to win the Authentic & Inspiring Award.

“When I was informed of the award, I was honored and appreciated that people thought that much of me to be selected,” he told us. “To me, the ElliptiGO Community symbolizes friendship.  I’ve met some of the coolest people going to various rides and it doesn’t matter about any differences we have, we have that common bond. The group ElliptiGO rides are fun to go to and do, but it’s all about the friendships you make. I hope to do more in 2022 and meet more new friends along the way.”

Up next for Lefty is the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal Trail Ride, where he’ll be riding 350 miles on the MSUB while pulling a trailer with camping gear and supplies!

When we caught up with lefty, he even took a moment to invite folks to come out and ride: “I hope that we can have big GO turnouts next year for the 5 Boro Ride and Donut Ride.”

While Lefty and Katie were unable to join us in person for Rally Weekend, they popped in via Zoom to receive their awards during our celebration. 

Want to catch more highlights from Rally Weekend? Check out the 2021 recap post here.

Contact ElliptiGO with nominations to Rider of the Month or share your own story. It may just be the next feature!