Blog

You may have heard the classic idiom that a picture is worth a thousand words. For our May 2021 Rider of the Month, a photo in her local newspaper was worth twelve: “I saw this ElliptiGO in the newspaper today and I want one!”

Melissa Satterfield of Fort Smith, Arkansas tells us, “Discovering ElliptiGO was truly life-changing for me.” Melissa had been active her entire life. She tried out for the track team in junior high and kept on running for the next 30 years – even competing at the collegiate level for the University of Kansas. She was covering distances large and small, from 800 meters to full marathons. Decades of enjoying the sport she loved came to a sudden halt in 2011. Melissa was suffering from severe knee and hip problems and was forced to give up running for good.

For a few years, Melissa was completely dissatisfied with the options for workouts. Unable to run, she turned to indoor training and traditional outdoor cycling. Neither presented the same satisfaction as a great run while also allowing her to enjoy the beauty of nature and get a breath of fresh air.

That’s when that fateful picture appeared. “My local newspaper printed a photo of a man on this strange bicycle and, fortunately, the caption included its name: an ElliptiGO 8C,” Melissa said. “Incidentally, I know the exact date because I still have the photo. I clipped it out of the newspaper and taped it in my journal.”

Just three weeks later, she was able to take a test ride and, on March 15, 2016, she became the owner of an ElliptiGO 8C.

“…and the rest is history,”

Melissa’s fleet of ElliptiGO bikes now includes an 8C, an Arc24, and an RSUB. She rides them nearly every day and, to date, has ridden nearly 23,000 injury-free miles on her ElliptiGO bikes!

“On weekdays, I ride in the afternoons after my workday ends, and on the weekends I just ride whenever it fits my schedule,” she shared. “In 2020, I rode 333 days, with 210 consecutive riding days between April 1st and October 27, thanks to [the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club’s GOGO Challenge.]”

While Melissa makes a habit of riding regularly and riding far, she said it’s about so much more than total miles or hours: “Long-term, I want to be one of those people who exercises well into old age – as long as I possibly can. I’ve been active all of my life, so I know what a difference exercise makes in regard to my health.”

She continued, “I shudder to think that, without ElliptiGO, I would have been doomed to a lifetime of unenjoyable, unsatisfying exercise – not just the 5 years I endured post-running / pre-ElliptiGO. Or, worse yet, I may have completely given up on exercise. I am incredibly thankful for ElliptiGO!”

On top of the amazing workout experience, Melissa noted that the community of ElliptiGO riders around the world has a big impact on her motivation and offers her inspiration.

“I am a part of [the Global ElliptiGO Riders Club] and the Facebook group, and I love them both,” she said. “There is a wealth of knowledge and experience available from other riders in the Facebook group that I can, and often do, tap into. I also enjoy getting to ‘know’ the other riders by reading their posts and viewing beautiful pictures of their local scenery. As for GERC, this is my second year to participate and, without a doubt, it has made me a better rider and has made riding even more fun for me.  I have a tendency to get in a rut and just ride the same route and distance over and over, but you can’t do that with GOGO!  There is always a GOGO challenge waiting to ‘stretch’ me, so I enjoy that.”  

Melissa, we are so thrilled to have you as a part of our ElliptiGO community of riders. Thank you for choosing to ride with us as you stay active for a lifetime. Keep GOing!