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Here at ElliptiGO, we conduct our business and lead our team with five core values in mind: caring, inspiration, innovation, integrity, and fun. We love to surround ourselves with like-minded individuals and often find that these guiding principles have attracted people to the ElliptiGO community who share them.

Our July 2021 Rider of the Month embodies these values and has gone from admirer, to customer, to mobile rep and community leader. His contributions to the sport of stand-up cycling, his authentic passion for ElliptiGO bikes, as well as his dedication to representing at organized rides all over the country have earned him the title. This month, we’re honoring John Burmester.

“I was training for the Boston Marathon on the American River Parkway bike trail in 2013 when I saw a couple of smiling riders go by. I was intrigued, researched online, and was impressed by how many professional athletes used ElliptiGO bikes for low-impact training,” John told us. “After a rental, I was hooked and bought my first ElliptiGO bike, a green 8C, in June of that year.”

Speaking of the Boston Marathon, it’s worth noting that John qualified for and completed five of them from 2012 to 2016. Like so many of our customers, John was an avid runner. Though he has now retired from running, John was a competitive USATF masters marathoner. In 2014, he worked with coach Greg McMillan of McMillan Running using an ElliptiGO-integrated training program. At age 53, he brought his times down to personal bests in the 5k, half marathon, and to a lifetime best of 3:09 in the marathon at the California International Marathon in 2014.

While John no longer pounds the pavement, he has not stopped building and maintaining an impressive level of fitness.

“When I was running marathons and competing, I would run 2000+ miles per year.  My focus now as a former runner is just to stay in shape and enjoy the ride,” John said. “I ride my ElliptiGO bike 300 to 500 miles per month. I’ve experienced zero injury issues with ElliptiGO bikes and it’s just plain fun.”

John was so taken with the ElliptiGO experience, he took the next step to help us share stand-up cycling with the world. John served as a brand ambassador for ElliptiGO starting in 2014. In 2018, John came on as a mobile rep and has been organizing group rides in the Sacramento area ever since. He’s welcomed nearly 200 ElliptiGO customers to our family of riders, and, with each bike, he offers a real sense of community.

Community is something that we take great pride in, and John understands the importance of fostering friendships and support when it comes to fitness.

“I’ve met many life-long friends through the global ElliptiGO community,” John told us. “ElliptiGO is a fun, fitness lifestyle we share in common. Having the social connection and community motivates me to get out and GO.”

For John, fostering community starts the minute he engages with someone interested in learning more about our bikes and continues after they’ve purchased one. 

“I promise to be there after the sale. As a strong believer and an experienced and avid user of the product, I can coach my customers towards their fitness goals.”

John has many exciting goals of his own coming up. He has 10 – yes, 10 – organized rides coming up just between now and October! He’ll be at Tour De Vine in the Napa Valley Region and Tour de Tahoe that circles Lake Tahoe with several other ElliptiGO riders. He’ll also be participating in Ride the Parkway, which raises money to maintain the beautiful  American River Parkway bike trail. 

In addition, John will be hosting an ElliptiGO Day event with the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club along a converted Rail Trail in the gold country of California in September.

We asked John about his most memorable ride so far. Here’s what he told us: “In 2015, I did the Markleeville Death Ride with 11 other ElliptiGOers. The aptly named Death Ride is 129 miles and 16000 feet of climbing in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. It climbs five major passes. I had run 14 major marathons and ultra marathons including five Boston Marathons and that was the toughest yet most amazing endurance experience of my life. I’ve also had many memorable rides along the coast near ElliptiGO Headquarters at Solana Beach.”

John was set to complete the Death Ride again this past month, but it was unfortunately canceled.

John, we are so thankful for amazing partners like you who help us share the spirit of ElliptiGO with everyone you meet. You have made a lasting impact on this category and are such an excellent representative of all the things we believe in: pushing the limits, lending a hand, always being open to new challenges and opportunities, and building community and camaraderie through sport. 

If you are in the Sacramento area and wish to test ride or rent an ElliptiGO or are interested in joining in one of his rides, we encourage you to reach out to John. Get his contact info or schedule a test ride with him here!