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What does it take to transform your body, your confidence, your life? You might think you need to change everything, when, in fact, one small step will set you on a path to achieve things you never knew where possible! This month, we’re excited to introduce you to a member of our community who exemplifies just that. From her inspiring postpartum weight loss journey to conquering a century ride, there’s nothing that can stop this mom, wife, entrepreneur, and ElliptiGO lover. It’s time to meet the August 2022 Rider of the Month: Kim Rose!

Kim is a Massachusetts native and continues to call the state home. She lives just outside of Boston with her wife, two daughters, and their dog and cat. Growing up, Kim stayed active by dancing. While she has continued to practice tap and musical theater as an adult, she had a hard time finding other forms of fitness that she felt passionate about. 

In April of 2021, she discovered ElliptiGO bikes! She was 11 months postpartum with her second child, and she had dealt with gestational diabetes during her pregnancy. She had used an indoor elliptical to stay off of medication during that time and continued to post-pregnancy as she tried to find an exercise routine.

“When I hit about 6 months postpartum with my second child, I knew I needed to make some changes with diet and exercise. I started using my indoor elliptical again, but, with spring approaching, I knew I wanted something I could do outside,” Kim told us. “Pregnancy had left me with chronic tailbone pain that I’ve had now for over five years. I wasn’t interested in trying a million bike seats only to discover that none work; so I found someone local to me who had an ElliptiGO bike that I could test out.”

She was hesitant and nervous at first, but she ended up diving in and getting her first ElliptiGO bike. She now owns three!

“Two miles turned into five, five turned into 20, and I recently completed my first century! I love how my ElliptiGO has completely transformed my ‘mom body.’ I’ve lost over 60 pounds and hope to lose a few more; I’m driven to keep it off which I’m confident I can do as long as I keep GOing. I’m in the best shape of my life and I owe it all to my ElliptiGO bike.”

Kim balances her love for riding her ElliptiGO bike with being a mom and entrepreneur. Kim owns and manages a portfolio of real estate. Self-employment allows her to fit riding into her busy days – logging long rides on Fridays and working in shorter rides in the middle of the day earlier in the week. Her two daughters are now five and two years old, going into Kindergarten and pre-school this fall. Kim admits that being a mom is a huge juggling act, but shared, “I’m blessed to have an amazing spouse by my side and like to think we do a great job… if it weren’t for my wife’s support and amazingly flexible work schedule, there’s no way I could ride as much as I do.”

Kim loves to keep her training fresh and is always mixing up her riding routines. She’s motivated by our community of riders, especially the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club’s Get Out and Go Challenge (also known as GOGO.) She’s ridden in the TD Five Boro Ride, the Prouty, and completed a century ride! She’s planning to ride in the Seacoast Century and the Maine Lighthouse ride next month.

“Since I never did any type of sport or competition as a kid, I find that I can be somewhat competitive as an adult. Even though GERC is all about personal achievement, I’m loving seeing how well I can do while watching the points add up.” 

Kim continued, “Diving into the ElliptiGO community has truly been a blessing. I’ve had a place to ask the million questions that I regularly have; everything from what kind of gear I should get to how I should recover from a long ride. It’s also significantly motivating to see the amazing rides that folks complete which inspires me for rides I want to do in the future.”

“Lastly, the support I have gotten from this community has been so empowering as I learn to embrace this new athletic identity that I would have never thought possible two years ago. I’ve even found a few women in the group who I view as mentors whom I chat with regularly about various riding plans/goals. I don’t think I would ride nearly as much as I do without the GOGO challenge and I wish there were a way to keep it going all year long.”

Massachusetts proves to be a beautiful place for riding! Kim told us, “I love to ride anywhere that has beautiful scenery – farms, lakes/ponds, the ocean, mountains, or even cute rural neighborhoods with interesting houses. I also enjoy rides on the bike paths near me where I know every turn and don’t have to think too hard; I can just ride and either relax and work on keeping my heart rate low or where I can try to really push myself and work on increasing my speed.” 

Since buying her first ElliptiGO bike, Kim has ridden 3,550 miles. In 2022 alone, she’s ridden 2,517 miles, climbed 93,261 feet, and logged 205 hours and 45 minutes. Last month, Kim had her best month yet. She rode 608 miles and climbed 26,252 feet. 

As Kim looks ahead to the future, she’s looking to customize her 11R with a fun paint job and spend more time on her MSUB. She also has her eye on completing a randonneur ride and a 12-24 hour riding challenge. She’s also excited to join us for the World Championships in October.

“While I know I’m not a contender to win, simply completing the climb will be an amazing achievement given I’ve never had an athletic goal in my life prior to ElliptiGO.”

Kim, we are so proud of the amazing transformation you’ve made – not just in your fitness, but in your mindset! You are an athlete and we’re so glad that our bikes could help reveal that fact to you. We can’t wait to see what goal you crush next with your family and the ElliptiGO community by your side.

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