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From her early years as a reluctant runner to becoming an avid ElliptiGO rider, Peggy Grimes has shown perseverance and adaptability in her fitness journey. After knee pain forced her to stop running, Peggy found a new way to stay active by embracing ElliptiGO cycling. Over the years — and through two knee replacements — Peggy has logged more than 26,000 miles on her ElliptiGO bike, using it to maintain her high level of fitness and to train for ambitious goals, including mountain climbing. Get to know our January 2025 Rider of the Month, Peggy Grimes. 

Peggy’s family moved from Missouri to Portland, Oregon, near the end of her junior year of high school. It was 1975, and running was exploding in popularity across the country. Being the home of Nike and legendary runner Steve Prefontaine, Oregon was an epicenter for the sport. Peggy recalls, “This bookish, sedentary Midwest girl was suddenly running a mile every night.” 

After graduating from high school, Peggy enrolled at the University of Oregon (UO). However, she dropped out in 1979 because she was tired of living on a financial aid budget. Peggy then went to work, planting trees with the Hoedads, one of the original work cooperatives. “It was a very physical job,” she says. Peggy met her husband through the co-op and they started a family. Before the birth of her second child, Peggy opted to return to UO. She earned a degree in fitness management and began a 22-year career as a fitness director and personal trainer.

“I was never very good at running, but I plodded on for decades,” Peggy shares. She lifted weights at work and ran, hiked, or walked outdoors for cardio exercise. Eventually, her left knee began giving her trouble. Usually, she could run through the initial pain and then find her running groove, but one day in 2013, she just couldn’t. It hurt too much. Seated cycling wasn’t any better — pedaling aggravated the pain.

Luckily, ElliptiGO bikes were on Peggy’s radar. One of the trainers she supervised, Matt Moberg, was an avid middle-distance runner. He had purchased an early ElliptiGO bike model, so she knew that was a solution for an outdoor cardio workout that was comparable to running — without the pain. 

Peggy drove 60 miles to the nearest ElliptiGO bike test-ride location. She bought an 8C on the spot and was soon riding the rural roads of her neighborhood at least two or three times a week. “Switching from running to GOing allowed me to stay in shape over the next two years, before I finally had to get a knee replacement in late 2015,” Peggy says. 

After she recovered from the surgery, Peggy got back on her GO. She logged an impressive 26,000 miles on her 8C in nine years. 

In 2019, Peggy retired and increased her riding frequency to four to five days a week. Her love of hiking became a passion for mountain climbing, and riding an ElliptiGO bike is instrumental in her training. During the mountain climbing season, she aims to climb two days a week, ride two to three hours a day on non-climbing days, and lift weights twice a week. Peggy is in her 60s, and her training regimen has propelled her to lead her climbing group up Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in Colorado, and up Mt. Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States — while wearing a 30-pound pack. 

In 2022, Peggy decided to upgrade to an ElliptiGO 11R. The 8C had served her well, allowing Peggy to ride the hills near her home. But the 11R’s wider gear range would allow her to handle steeper climbs, including the hills of her favorite road biking events.

One of those cycling events is Ride the Rim at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. The course is 25.5 miles long, with approximately 3,500 feet of climbing in a location that is at an elevation of 6,800 feet and higher. Peggy had completed the ride three times in the past, on a seated bike. She notes, “Each year I had to scramble to get my butt in shape (literally) to be able to handle several hours of intimate contact with a bike seat.” ElliptiGO bikes are known for being seatless, allowing riders to stand tall and eliminating seat pain.

Peggy longed to ditch the bike seat and just GO on that challenging ride on Crater Lake’s rim. In September 2024, she did it on her 11R! “I was giddy with pride,” she says, “and maybe a little dizzy from all the oxygen I inhaled by the time I topped the four-mile-long, five-percent-grade hill in the middle of the ride.”

Two months later, in November 2024, Peggy had her other knee replaced. She was able to get back on her GO at the beginning of this month. “That was a very good day,” Peggy says. “I could feel my quad muscles working gently, without all the impact that even walking involves.” 

Looking ahead, Peggy has set her sights on conquering McKenzie Pass this year, a climb with a difficulty rating of “extreme,” according to Travel Oregon. She’s also intrigued by the idea of joining an ElliptiGO group ride in Europe. “Traveling and riding GOs with a small group of adventurers would be amazing!” says Peggy. 

For new riders or those who are considering purchasing an ElliptiGO bike, Peggy recommends joining the ElliptiGO Facebook group. There, fellow riders are happy to answer questions, share lessons learned and cheer each other on. She also notes that a high-quality helmet is critical, and a helmet mirror is a great accessory that allows riders to see behind them without having to turn around. 

Most importantly, Peggy emphasizes the quality of ElliptiGO bikes. “They really hold up. Case in point, I rode my 8C for 26,000 miles over the course of nine years,” she says. Calculating the cost-per-day, she adds, “That’s less than a dollar a day!” Totally worth it! 

Peggy’s ElliptiGO journey underscores the impact of finding the right fitness tool to support your goals. As she looks ahead to the challenge of McKenzie Pass, Peggy continues to inspire fellow riders to keep pushing forward and just GO! Congratulations, Peggy. We can’t wait to see how high you climb!

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