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March is Women’s History Month, and ElliptiGO is celebrating the amazing women who inspire us. We have to start with the women who make our company GO: The Women of ElliptiGO. The small-but-mighty ElliptiGO team of 12 is bolstered by five incredible women. It’s rare for a small bike company to be helmed by so many women—or to have a female lead service manager.

From all the shout-outs and love she gets, most people know (and love!) Service Manager Keri Cleeremans. She’s quick to diagnose an issue and prescribe a solution so you can get your bike rolling safely. Customer Ken P. raves, “Keri has always been great, efficient and super on top of knowing what is needed, knowing the history record of my bike and providing any helpful videos or advice! She is awesome! She is a super asset to this company.” We couldn’t agree more.

The additional awesome women of ElliptiGO include VP of Operations Beth Visscher, who was recently honored by the LA Times as an Inspirational Woman in Business; Sales Operations Manager Sarah Enjem, who gets the bikes to our distributors and customers; Lead Enthusiast Erin Whiting, who provides stellar customer service; and Creative Director Tennille Hopper, who makes our brand stand out and our website running smoothly. Meet the whole amazing team!

We’re just as starstruck by our incredible female customers. From new moms to decorated veterans to pro athletes to everyday heroes, we are so proud of the determination and strength of our ElliptiGO family members. Meet the bold women who are setting records, spreading kindness and shattering expectations. 

The Olympian: Molly Seidel. We’re thrilled that so many professional athletes include ElliptiGO bikes in their training. We had the most ElliptiGO athletes ever–23–from around the world participate in the Tokyo Olympics, held in 2021. One American woman and ElliptiGO athlete, Molly Seidel, came home with a medal. The Olympic marathon was only Seidel’s third marathon EVER, and she came in just seconds behind the gold-medal winner, earning a bronze medal. See the full results from our athletes.

The Hero: Gretchen Evans. Gretchen Evans was the first recipient of an ElliptiGO bike through our partnership with The Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). Evans is one of the most decorated female veterans in US history, having earned the Bronze Star, the Presidential Unit Citation Medal, six Meritorious Service Medals and numerous other awards during her 27 years of service in the Army. While serving in Afghanistan, she was severely wounded by an incoming rocket blast that left her with a brain injury, internal injuries and total hearing loss. Running, hiking and cycling kept her fit after her military service, but they eventually took their toll on her knees and back, leading her to reach out to the CAF. She received a red 8C, which she named Rudolph. “Staying physically healthy is paramount to me,” Evans says. “It helps me mitigate my wounds of war, both physical and mental.” Read more about Evans.

The Woman on a Mission: Nahla Summers. In 2020, Nahla Summers challenged herself to ride 5,000 miles across England on her ElliptiGO bike, through every city in the UK, on a route that literally spelled the word “kindness.” Summers is the founder of Sunshine People, a social movement to promote kindness. Each year, even though she says, “I’m not a fitness person,” she takes on a physical challenge. Rather than asking people to donate money to her challenge, she asks them to do an act of kindness for a stranger. Find out how she accomplished her challenge, even after the pandemic began.

The Trail Blazer: Erin Whiting. Erin, an ElliptiGO employee for over a decade, was the first female to do a century (100-mile ride) on an ElliptiGO bike in 2010. Since then, dozens and dozens of women have pushed themselves to complete 100-mile rides and even longer distances on their ElliptiGO bikes. Get tips on riding your first metric century or century here.

The Ninja Warrior: Jessie Graff. If you ever need some inspiration to push yourself, just take a look at stunt woman, martial artist and Ninja Warrior Jessie Graff’s Instagram. Simply watching how she climbs stairs will blow your mind (hint: she doesn’t use her legs). As a stunt woman for literal Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, among others, Graff has experienced her share of injuries. After tearing her ACL in 2015, she began training three to seven times a week on an ElliptiGO bike. She shares her ElliptiGO experience in this short video. In an interview with The Cut, she said, “Too many women believe it when they’re told, ‘You can’t do that, you’re a girl.’ I love that I can be a part of defying that concept.” 

The Record Breakers: Tera Moody and Betsy Graney. Tera Moody and Betsy Graney both hold not one but two incredible ElliptiGO records. In 2017, Moody completed the fastest female century, in 6:21:08, at Bike Sebring in Florida. In 2019, she rode the most miles of any woman in a 24-hour period, covering 269.74 miles, again at Bike Sebring. In 2013, Graney blazed through one mile on the track at the Portland Track Festival in 2:54.85. In 2016, she rode the fastest 8.4-mile Fiesta Island Time Trial in San Diego, CA, finishing it in 25:07.

The Fitness Influencer: Gabby Reece. Model. Pro volleyball player. Podcast host. Businesswoman. Speaker. Author. Actress. Mom. Gabby Reece has done it all, and she continues to take on new challenges. Not surprisingly, she’s chosen the fitness tool that offers a fun, low-impact, hyper-efficient workout: ElliptiGO bikes. She and her husband Laird Hamilton talk about why they love and use ElliptiGO bikes in this video.

The New Moms. So many women have shared with us that thanks to their ElliptiGO bikes, they were able to exercise during pregnancy when running became too uncomfortable and they were able to regain their previous fitness level quickly or even increase their fitness level postpartum. Super Mom tip: Use the Fluid 365 Stationary Trainer to log miles indoors while the baby naps! Learn more from new Moms on the Go.

The Fastest Female: Sarah Brown. In 2016, Sarah Brown crushed the ElliptiGO Founders’ Cup. At Palomar Mountain in California, she charged up 11.7 miles with 4,209 feet of elevation gain in just 1 hour and 16 minutes. Brown is also an elite runner who was the subject of the documentary Run Mama Run for espnW and ESPN Films.

The Nate Harrison Grade Five. On January 9, 2021, five female athletes conquered Palomar Mountain’s Nate Harrison Grade. This mostly off-road course challenges riders with 12.5 miles of climbing with an average grade of 8.2%. In this record-setting ride, the cyclists had to avoid patches of snow and ice along the way. Rachel Crumrine set a world record for the fastest climb of the grade, in 1:53:48. The five female finishers together set a record for the most women to complete the course at once.    

Our ElliptiGO community is enriched by the many women who have chosen to be a part of it. While some reports estimate that only 24.7% of bike riders are women, we’re proud that nearly 50% of our customer base women. We also have 23 women working as ElliptiGO enthusiasts and mobile reps. They believe in our mission and are helping to spread the word about ElliptiGO. And of course our community wouldn’t be as strong without the women behind the private Facebook group and GERC.

Patricia Klein started the private Facebook group in 2011 and it has grown into a supportive and friendly community of over 5,000 members. Didi Schenck is a moderator and cheerleader for the Facebook group.

Then there is Jane LeGore, who probably needs no introduction. Jane has been a hands-on member of the community and friend to the company from the beginning. We don’t know where we would be or what GERC would look like without her. Thank you, Jane, for all you do!

Countless women have helped make GERC what it is today. From the current GERC Secretary, Lamorna Swigart, to the queen of spooky Halloween photos, Kim Nedeau. Thank you all for sharing this ride with us! 

Ladies, we are so proud that you’ve each chosen to ride ElliptiGO bikes on your individual paths to success! In honor of Women’s History Month, we’ve designed three new women’s shirts for the fun of it. Choose from Strong Women Stand Up, Ride Like a Girl and Strong Women Stand Tall. 

Tennis legend Serena Williams said, “The success of every woman should be the inspiration to another.” We hope that after reading this article, you’re as inspired as we are. May you ride farther, ride faster, ride more often and ride together.