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When you create a brand new fitness category, there are bound to be some questions and some misconceptions. As pioneers and inventors, we’re used to it! Sometimes, it’s a simple shout of, “Where’s the seat?” from a passerby. Other times, it’s more technical: “How fast can you go on an ElliptiGO bike?” No matter the topic, we’re always happy to let people know more about our bikes and their capabilities. One of the most common inquiries we get is about distance: are you able to complete long rides on ElliptiGO bikes?

When we designed ElliptiGO bikes, we did so with every kind of rider in mind. They are approachable enough to be enjoyed by someone brand new to fitness. They are also high-performance enough to challenge the most elite athletes and to tackle the toughest distances. Most importantly, we wanted the riding experience to be fun – even rides of 100 miles or more.

Before we brought our first product to market, our founders Brent Teal and Bryan Pate wanted to make it clear that our bikes were built for the long haul. In May 2009, Brent became the first person ever to complete a Century on an elliptical bike. In July 2009, both Brent and Bryan completed the Death Ride, a 129-mile event that included over 15,000 ft of climbing. Their performances settled the score!

Since then, many of our employees and customers have followed in their footsteps, tackling rides of 100 miles and 100 kilometers! In fact, ElliptiGO HQ decided to create a special club for the first 100 ElliptiGO riders to complete an official 100-mile ride on an elliptical bicycle. By 2013, 100 riders had secured their place in elliptical cycling history…but it didn’t stop there. The ElliptiGO Century Club would eventually inspire the creation of another group you might know: the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club! The GERC continues to motivate and inspire riders to tackle all sorts of challenges and distances across the world.

To this day, ElliptiGO riders continue to complete endurance events of both time and distance including century (100 miles) and metric century (100 kilometers) races! We reached out to some of our century riders to find out more about their experience and answer some of the questions we hear from those who are curious about these distances.

What is it like to ride a century or metric century distance on an ElliptiGO bike?

“Riding a metric century on an ElliptiGO bike is the most enjoyable way to accomplish a goal that many cyclists have. Plus, it keeps you in great shape!” said Denise Williams, who has completed four metric century rides on her ElliptiGO bike. “I would imagine the only better feeling of accomplishment would be to complete a century ride on the ElliptiGO!”

Anna Thatcher shared that she never considered herself an endurance athlete before finding ElliptiGO bikes, but she has now completed five century rides and so many metric century rides that she’s lost track!

“…it feels amazing to be able to train, push my endurance, and complete such long rides on ElliptiGO bikes,” Anna said. “The positive, sometimes amusing comments and questions from cyclists make the rides interesting! But mostly I just love the feeling of working out hard and not having any injury pain afterward!”

How do you stay motivated to reach such an accomplishment? 

Many of our long-distance riders told us that our community was key in helping them reach this milestone.

Carol Galgano, who completed the Jersey Devil Century, told us, “The amazing ElliptiGO Community certainly helped advise me on so many facets and continues to advise and support me on top of what the ElliptiGO itself has taught me and continues to teach me today. The ElliptiGO Community is also a lot of fun. I’m better for knowing and being associated with them.”

Amanda Ghent, who just completed her first century ride last month, shared, “The great GOers of the Facebook group and Global ElliptiGO Riders Club gave such encouragement and believed that I could most certainly accomplish the goal I had set out. They cheered me on and celebrated the completion!” 

This one really made us smile. “The community gives me wings,” said Marcel Goudswaard, who has completed over 20 rides of metric century and century distances on his ElliptiGO bike.

Am I capable of completing a century or metric century ride?

If you’re thinking about setting a century goal for yourself, we’ve got all of the motivation and inspiration you need. These riders shared their advice for someone considering an event of these distances, and their responses show the heart of our community.

Ron Richardson, who completed the Party Pardee metric century, has a great reminder if you’re hesitant about giving this distance a try: “Why not? You’re only limited by what you think you can or can’t do.”

Dainah Graham has ridden several metric centuries on her ElliptiGO 11R. She encouraged riders to make it a group activity saying, “…try to recruit others to ride with you; it’s more fun that way.” 

Malinda Walker completed the metric distance event at the Civilized Century just a couple of weeks ago. She encouraged fellow riders saying, “You can do it! Work up to something close to your goal distance, elevation, and practice other factors (wind, temperature, etc). And remember to hydrate and consume calories along the way.”

Anna cheered, “GO for it! Get in some decent mileage and figure out what food and hydration you need during your training rides. Use the ElliptiGO Facebook community if you want to find a riding partner! There are experienced riders all over who will be happy to ride with you!”

“Go for it!” echoed Amanda. “Don’t try to earn your fastest ride ever with these endurance goals. Keep the pace steady, focus on getting the best out of consistent form and effort, enjoy every single mile, and bask in the glory that you aren’t sitting for a single ounce of the miles.”

Kim Calderon, who’s completed three century rides on her ElliptiGO bike, summed it up so nicely: “It can be done. Just put your mind to it and GO!”

Here at ElliptiGO HQ, we see the incredible impact that riders like these have on the sport of stand-up cycling. With every finish line crossed, more and more people across the globe are learning about our bikes and witnessing their capabilities. They are truly ambassadors for our emerging sport, and we’re proud to see them represent our community mile after mile.