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From October 20 to 22, 2023, the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club (GERC) and ElliptiGO HQ hosted the 14th Annual ElliptiGO Rally and World Championship here in Solana Beach, CA. The annual gathering is a celebration of all things ElliptiGO: our customers, our athletes, our team, our products and the amazing community we have all created together. With riders from the Netherlands, the Bailiwick of Jersey and all over the United States, this weekend was memorable as always. Let’s relive the weekend highlights! 

Explore photos from the weekend here, and dive into the unique stories from the events below.

Coming Together
Throughout Rally and World Champs Weekend, attendees found chances to connect with one another, whether it was to eat, drink or get sweaty. We clinked glasses at Tower 13, cruised down the Pacific Coast Highway, joined group rally rides and indulged in lunch at the beloved Fidel’s. The main events of the weekend never disappoint: the World Championships up Palomar Mountain, the Rally rides and the Awards Dinner. These are the events that gave attendees the opportunity to relish in camaraderie and the joy of the ride!

Hello Again, Palomar!
The Elliptical Cycling and Stand Up Cycling World Championships were held on Saturday, October 21! We had a small but mighty group of 28 athletes this year come together to conquer the climb: an 11.69-mile route that climbs 4209 feet at an average grade of 7%. This year we added an eBike category and had several participants who buzzed up the mountain. 

Here are the podium finishers!

Men’s Elliptical Division
1st – Josh Sealand 1:33:59
2nd – Britton Brewer 1:40:34
3rd – Wes Sealand 1:42:50

Women’s Elliptical Division
1st – Teresa Fukumoto-Beebe 2:00:57
2nd – Anna Thatcher 2:06:49
3rd – Anissa Andres 2:21:39

Men’s SUB Division
1st – Billy Grace 1:10:59
2nd – Doug Hanna 2:02:49

Men’s eBike Division
1st – Ron Critchley 48:47
2nd – John Burmester 51:11
3rd – Billy O’Donnell 1:23:17

Women’s eBike Division
1st – Keri Cleeremens 45:42

Here is a full list of the 2023 World Championships results. 

Delightful Dinner
Another big thanks to ElliptiGO rider Erik Korevaar, who once again opened up his home above La Jolla Cove for our Awards Dinner. It’s a beautiful house that overlooks the water and offers a classic Southern California backdrop.

GERC came through again by booking a tasty food truck, Taco Love Mobile Catering, for our hungry attendees. Guests raved about the quality and variety of food, which included a choice of tacos from their eight offerings, along with sides, salad and tortilla chips. It was so good that we plan to have Taco Love Mobile Catering back next year. 

And the Award Goes To…
During the dinner celebration, both ElliptiGO HQ and the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club gave out special honors and awards. Here’s a roundup of the 2023 winners:

ElliptiGO Awards
2023 Authentic & Inspiring Award Winner: Benton Runquist. Learn more about Benton and why he was selected for this special award here.

Global ElliptiGO Rider Club Awards
It’s no surprise to participants that GERC wouldn’t be what it is without the tireless work of the Club Board of Directors, Officers and Committee members. Thank you for all you do and for volunteering your time. 

Special thanks to the Board of Directors: Walt Baldwin, Frank Blaisdell, Katie Blau, Jim Cremer, Clint Greenbaum, Steve Hughes, Jane LeGore, Bryan Pate, Didi Schenck and Lamorna Swigart.

The GERC awards ceremony kicked off with recognition of the GOGO Committee, which included Walt Baldwin, Steve Hughes and Didi Schenck.

Another recognition given was to the members who helped organize the 18 ElliptiGO Day events in 2023—that is the most to date. (The prior record was 12 days.) Those members included Steve Hughes, Eric Korevaac, Pete van Nuys, John Burmester, Albert and Anissa Andres and several others not present.

Every year we honor the GERC community members and teams who participated in the September Get Out and GO Challenge. For the first time, we had one team win all four categories: Team RadiGOactive. Team members included: Didi Schenck (captain), Andy Chan, Bob Rowden, Doug Hanna, Erin Sterenson, Jeff Wiedemer, Jeff Hines, Patricia Klein, Ron Critchley and Ton de Bruyn.

Here are their overall results: 

• They totaled 7,353 miles and 330,343 ft over the 24 days!
• Together, they rode a cumulative 240 days, with everyone riding every day of the challenge, something that has never been done!

Get Out and GO Challenge Top Individual Point Earner
Each year this award is given to the GOGO participant who earns the most points over the full eight-month GOGO season.

With about a week remaining in October, the top point earner has not been fully determined. However, after looking at the numbers in detail, the GOGO committee was confident that Eric Korevaar will be either sole top point earner or tied for the most points. Eric was presented his award at the Dinner.  

However, depending on how things go during the final days of October, it is reasonably likely that Allen Kilpatrick, currently in second place in GOGO points, will tie Eric for #1 for the year. If so, we will recognize Allen as co-GOGO Top Point Earner for the year.

Both Eric and Allen will finish with more than 2600 GOGO points. 750 are needed to earn the Bronze-level GOGO award, 1500 for Silver, and 2000 for Gold. Eric has earned Gold in every one of the seven GOGO seasons. No other rider has accomplished this.

GERC Rookie of the Year Award
This is the Club’s third year awarding a GOGO Rookie of the Year. The winner is chosen from all new, first-year Club members who participate in GOGO. This year, Britt Brewer earned the most GOGO points of any new member. At the time of the Awards Ceremony, he had amassed 1890 points. After including his participation in the ElliptiGO World Championship race up Palomar and the weekend Rally rides, plus an organized ride planned for the final weekend of October, Britt expects to exceed 2000 points and earn Gold.

Notably, Britt’s very first ElliptiGO ride took place in January of this year at the Winter Classic. He and his wife came to the event while moving from Massachusetts to Sedona, AZ. They had already purchased ElliptiGOs but had not yet taken possession of or ridden them. Since the Winter Classic, Britt has ridden a lot of miles and a lot of hills and has become a supportive, enthusiastic member of the community. He is currently #5 on the GOGO season elevation gain leaderboard, a very impressive feat for a new rider. Britt also had an outstanding 135-mile ride at the 12 Hour Challenge of Sun City, averaging 15 miles per hour in heat and darkness over his nine hours of riding. It was Britt’s first ride over 80 miles!  Britt wrote a fun story about his time in Solana Beach this weekend; read it here. 

Sunday Funday
After our Sunday group rides, in which three routes were offered along the PCH northbound, about 50 attendees gathered for lunch at Fidel’s. This is our fifth year at Fidel’s. They always graciously accommodate our large group and reserve the outdoor patio for us.

It’s a great end to a fun weekend together—good food, good drinks and better company. 

See You Next Year!
There’s never been a better time to get involved with our community and put next year’s Rally and World Championship Weekend on your calendar. Here’s how you can take part:

• Get the scoop on qualifying for the World Championship climb on Palomar here.
• Check out the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club for more information on the Rally and many other events throughout the year.
• Start engaging with fellow riders in our customer-run Facebook group to get tips, find riding buddies and root for other ElliptiGO riders as they chase their goals.