Bucknell University Loves The Expresso Bike, Logging Over 4,205 Miles on Two Bikes in Less Than One Month, Becoming A Leader in the First College Interactive Cycling Challenge
Lewisburg,
PA – February 20, 2013 – In late January, Interactive Fitness delivered two new Expresso Bikes to Bucknell
University’s Kenneth Langone Athletic & Recreation Center (KLARC). Since then, the students of Bucknell have
become one of the top colleges competing in this month’s College Interactive Cycling Challenge, going head-to-head in
virtual competition with top colleges and universities from across the country.
“The Expresso Bikes have been a big hit with our
students and campus community,” said Tim Pavlechko, Deputy Director of
Athletics at Bucknell University. “This is something that our students
have been asking for as they have seen the interactive movement technology in
their home gyms, and we are very happy to start with Expresso Bikes here
at Bucknell, and incorporate an Expresso Bikes experience to our fitness
and wellness offerings.”
According to Laurel Kopecky, Assistant Director of
Recreation Services at KLARC, “The virtual challenge is such a cool idea. We love competing with other colleges and
universities but do so from our very own campus. Since the Expresso Bikes were delivered here on January 24th, they have been
constantly in use by our members, which include students, faculty and staff
from all of the Bucknell community.
Someone is always on one of the bikes – they have become extremely
popular.”
The College
Interactive Cycling Challenge began on February 1st, and
continues through February 28th.
Students, faculty, and staff from around the country are competing,
representing colleges of all conferences, divisions, and sizes. The competition is divided into two divisions
– Division I, which is competing for the most “Total Miles” plus bonus points,
and Division II, which is competing for the most “Total Miles per Bike” plus
bonus points. Each competing school
earns one point for every mile ridden on their Expresso Bike, the world’s best and most motivating cardio
experience, connected by the Internet for virtual competition anytime,
anywhere. All teams can compete in both divisions, and riders can earn bonus
points by sharing their workouts through Facebook or Twitter. The winning
schools from each division will each win a brand-new Expresso Bike – a $7,000 value.
“When you are on the Expresso
Bike, it doesn’t feel like you are biking on a stationary bike, you are
switching gears, steering, adjusting to different grades and speeds,” said
Kopecky. “Our riders have logged over
4,000 miles – we’re getting our miles in on the Expresso Bike, and now we need to fully utilize the posting of
rides on Facebook and Twitter to earn bonus points for the challenge.”
Kopecky noted that she has received great feedback from
the KLARC users, who “love them. I’m a
tri-athlete, and I’ve been using the Expresso
Bike for my winter training. I get the feel of having to switch gears, when
you are going uphill I can feel the changes in the grade, I feel like I’m
riding outside, and that’s what I want the most.”
Bucknell’s KLARC relies on Kopecky and the student staff
to introduce new users to the Expresso
Bike. “We don’t have a specific
orientation program, but our entire student staff has become familiar with
them, and are showing our members how to use the bike – a lot of it right now
is students talking to students.
On Tuesday, February 19th, Kopecky organized a
“late night” initiative, the Cycle
Survival Challenge, which featured riders racing head-to-head over a
two-mile course. As she described it,
the winner moved on to the next race, the loser went home. The prize for the winner was a gift card to
the Bucknell University bookstore.
Competition began at 10 p.m. and concluded at 1 a.m.
As of Wednesday, February 20th, the Bison are
ranked 6th in total miles (Division I) in the College Interactive Cycling Challenge, and second in total miles
plus points in the Division II competition.
This year’s competition concludes on Thursday, February 28th.
Bucknell’s KLARC has two Expresso Bikes, and over the course of the first 28 days since they
arrived on campus, the Bucknell community has amassed over 4,205 points (2,103
points per bike), logged over 4,272 miles and burned over 169,560 calories (84,780
per bike).
“The chase features have gone over really well with our
members,” said Kopecky. “It’s more
advanced than anything else we’ve seen.
Our cycling team uses it every day; it enables them to go for longer and
more challenging rides, between 10 miles and 20 miles. A lot of the shorter courses are where our
regular users are starting. Probably one
of the most popular has been the City Challenge.
“That’s the big bonus with the Expresso Bike. It’s not a
stationary bike – you need to steer, and change gears, and when you are on a
stationary bike you don’t change the conditions. The Expresso Bikes have been a great addition to our current cardio
equipment,” said Kopecky. “I hope to add
more by coming back and winning this competition or any future competitions Interactive Fitness holds. They are great for us. The interactivity, the virtual challenge, the
competition, the ghost rides, all has gone over really well here.”
The Expresso Bike
from Interactive Fitness has rapidly
gained fans and admirers from college recreation centers and intramural
programs, as well as fitness centers around the country, for the full virtual
reality experience it offers riders. Expresso Bike riders can ride through
over 40 different “worlds,” ranging from a one-mile speed course to a 20-mile
mountain climb.
Perhaps most compelling to riders today is the fact that
each and every Expresso Bike is
connected via the Internet, enabling riders to compete “virtually” with riders in other locations around the country,
instantly. Every Expresso Bike features state-of-the-art electronics and features
designed to stimulate the mind as well as the body, and enable riders in one
location to virtually race against another rider or group of riders in another
location. These “Virtual Races” are
stored and remembered for you, tracking your progress automatically as the
rider becomes stronger, and healthier.
The Expresso Bike
from Interactive Fitness will be
exhibited at the upcoming National
Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Annual Conference & Recreational
Sports Exposition (Booth #640) from Monday, March 4th through
Thursday, March 7th in Las Vegas.
For
additional information on the Expresso
Bike from Interactive Fitness,
visit http://ifholdings.com/College?r=jim.