If you love running and your doctor says, “Stop running now and don’t run any more. You need a total hip replacement,” that can be as devastating as the thought of major surgery.
Those are the words Jane LeGore, our ElliptiGO Rider of the Month, heard in mid-2012. Fortunately for her – and the ElliptiGO rider community – she soon found another outlet to rebuild her fitness and psyche.
“In January 2013, I was visiting San Diego when I saw someone riding an ElliptiGO,” she explained. “I jumped online to do some research. I read everything I could find, and after a brief test ride on the 8C, I ordered the 11R. I bought the 11R because I didn’t want to regret not investing a little more to have what appeared to be the best model. I guess I didn’t realize until just now that I bought an 11R without ever trying one!”
Just 10 weeks later, LeGore accomplished her first big goal – becoming one of the members of the ElliptiGO Century Club, the first 100 riders to finish a 100-mile ride. That was her first century ride, and it came just nine months after her hip replacement surgery.
Later that summer, she traveled to Boston to ride in the End of Summer Classic, which planted a seed in her mind. “It was the first time I had the opportunity to meet and ride with other ElliptiGO owners, and I thought it would be great to create an event in Arizona in the winter while other areas are buried in snow and our weather is so beautiful.” The ElliptiGO Winter Classic was born.
Last month, LeGore oversaw the third annual Classic, which brought together 43 owners from eight states, including “snow birds” escaping the cold of Iowa, Colorado, Illinois, Virginia and New York. “I just love meeting other riders in person and spending the weekend riding together and socializing. Having the event in January gets people fired up about what they’re going to ride or train for during the coming year.”
Conceiving and developing the annual winter get-away shows how goal-oriented and driven to succeed LeGore is. But while the Classic took shape quickly, some of her goals took decades to come to fruition. Once again, her bike was the driving force in fulfilling a dream.
“When I was 7 years old, I found a postcard of the Bixby Bridge. I didn’t really know where the bridge was, and I had never been to California before, but I had a fascination with bridges, so I kept the postcard until I went to college. Many years later when I started to travel, I promised myself I would ‘someday’ drive over that bridge. That day never came, but imagine my exhilaration when I got to ride across the Bixby Bridge on my ElliptiGO during the California Coast Classic bike tour!”
LeGore has traversed Bixby Bridge twice now in the CCC. Last year, she was one of six ElliptiGO cyclists who rode the 525 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles over eight days, raising more than $22,100 to fight arthritis. Ever the leader, she is captaining a team of ElliptiGO riders to do it again this year. (If you’re interested in joining them, register here.)
Of course, for driven people like LeGore, having just one big goal a year is not enough. This year, she plans to qualify for the ElliptiGO World Championships by riding 50 miles in under four hours at the Tour de Cure in Phoenix in March. She also has her sights set on the San Diego Metric Century in May, Bike the Bay over the San Diego Coronado Bay Bridge in August and, of course, the ElliptiGO World Championships in October.
Along the way, no doubt, she will find more people who contribute to her future goals. “The people in the ElliptiGO community continually inspire me. There’s always someone that reminds me what it was like when I first started riding and someone that amazes me with their riding accomplishments. Most of all, I love hearing all the stories of how people found ElliptiGO, why they ride and what it’s done for them. I have so much gratitude for finding this invention that has positively impacted my life and connects me with like-minded, grateful and compassionate people.”
