The Expresso Bike from Interactive Fitness Engages Riders, Encourages Fitness, and Measures Participation in an Exciting New Way
Sunnyvale,
CA – February 22, 2013 – Today is National Recreational Sports and Fitness Day, when college
recreation and intramural programs across the country focus on broader
participation as well as the importance of fitness and wellness.
In
the last few months, an exciting new way to engage students and members has
arrived in the new Expresso Bike from Interactive
Fitness
The Expresso Bike
from Interactive Fitness is the
answer to many of the challenges college recreation and intramural directors
face each day.
·
How
do you measure participation?
·
How
do you engage active participation?
·
How do
you demonstrate the importance of fitness and wellness on your campus?
Well beyond a stationary bike, the Expresso Bike from Interactive
Fitness is the one product that does it all. It enables riders to experience full virtual
reality, as they ride through over 40 different “worlds,” ranging from a
one-mile speed course to a 20-mile mountain climb.
And it keeps the riders “social” -- every Expresso Bike is connected via the
Internet, enabling riders to share their rides, and compete “virtually” with riders in other
locations around the country, instantly.
The 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, tracking progress automatically as
the rider becomes stronger and healthier.
Throughout the month of February, Interactive Fitness has sponsored the first-ever College Interactive Cycling Challenge. Competition is heating up nationwide as
riders across the country compete head-to-head and virtually with each other. The
College Interactive Cycling Challenge
began on February 1st, and continues through February 28th. Students, faculty, and staff from around the
country are representing their colleges, and conferences of all divisions and
sizes.
Through February 20th, there are thousands of
riders from 71 colleges and universities riding on Expresso Bikes and competing in the College Interactive Cycling Challenge. They have ridden 113,350 miles and burned
3,984,505 calories, and have shared 2,236 rides through Facebook and Twitter.
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.
According to Matthew Stancel, the Assistant Director of Fitness
Programs at the University of Iowa Recreational Services Department, “We
started out with three Expresso
Bikes at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center, but our member
comment cards kept coming in asking us to add more, so we are now up to six.
I’ve seen a huge increase in the use of the Expresso Bikes over the last few months. We promote them via social
networks like Facebook and Twitter, bi-weekly newsletters e-mailed to our
members, marketed on all digital televisions, general fitness orientation and
all the attendants on the floor are trained in how to use it. Our membership is
comprised of 30,865 students, 4108 faculty and staff, and around 485 community
members.
“It’s a totally different biking atmosphere from a traditional,
stationary bike,” Stancel said. “On
the Expresso Bike you can shift
gears, select routes, change grades, and record your rides. It’s so
technology-forward compared to the other bikes -you can save so much data, race
history and more. Personally, I like that you can see the top riders time by
track, I’m very competitive. Other bikes it’s all word of mouth in regards to
how far they rode or what time they did. It’s a motivator for me. I can see
what others are doing and race against them in real time. It’s all about the
competition – I want our school to be the top in anything we do. The ability to
see in real-time what other schools and other riders are doing is really great
for us.”
The Expresso Bike has also made a big
impression at Bucknell University, with two Expresso Bikes arriving on the Lewisburg, Pennsylvania campus in
late January. “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 Bucknell’s
Kenneth Langone Athletic & Recreation Center, “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.”
At Colorado Mountain College – Spring Valley in Glenwood
Springs, Colorado, “We have one Expresso
Bike and people have been lining up to ride it, and now we’re really
working at winning another one through the College
Interactive Cycling Challenge,” said Abbie Kroesen, the college’s Coordinator
of Student Life. “We have a really small
fitness center but we have about 300 people who use the center. When the Expresso
Bike got here, everybody was amazed – this is a really cool bike.
People are complaining that they can’t get on it – they can’t find an open time
to get on it – there’s a waiting list to ride! It is right outside my
office – people call me and ask me if it’s open. We’re open 24 hours a
day, and it is in almost constant use.
“People really like the Interactive part of the bike, you
get to steer, you get to change gears, and it’s something that keeps you
engaged. Other equipment you see people reading magazines or listening to
music, watching television. The Expresso
Bike keeps them engaged while they are working out,” Kroesen said. “It’s amazing to see, there are people who
don’t typically work out who are working out now because of the Expresso Bike. We have people
riding it who have never worked out here before. Once they do a
mile, they are hooked.”
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.
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