How did you first hear of ElliptiGO? A year before ElliptiGO delivered their first bike I was invited to test ride a prototype of the ElliptiGO 8S. I accepted, even though I hadn’t been on a bike in over thirty years. The purpose behind the invitation was to capture a clip demonstrating that if someone could ride a regular bike, they could just as easily ride an ElliptiGO bike. They were right. I was immediately impressed by the bike’s ability to mimic running and with the ElliptiGO team. That day my wife and I decided to order two bikes (a year before production) and invest in the company.
Doug Leland
About Doug Leland
Doug was a distance runner for more than 45 years, competing in races from 880 yards to fifty miles. Throughout Doug’s three careers as a Naval Officer, healthcare executive, and Executive Coach, general fitness always remained important. Six weeks after his first ElliptiGO bike arrived in 2010 (and more than 30 years since riding a bike of any kind) Doug rode his new ElliptiGO 8S 1,850 miles from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. He hasn’t run since.
Today Doug is a Registered Maine Guide in Freeport, Maine where he also gathers the growing ElliptiGO community together for monthly group rides and multi-day outings. With an eight-month outdoor season — extended indoors by his Fluid 365 Stationary Trainer, Doug is never far from the distinctive “swoosh, swoosh” of his cardio enhancing, calorie burning ElliptiGO.
Doug’s Contact Info: (207) 522-7620
[email protected]
Doug's Journey with ElliptiGO
How Do You Use Your ElliptiGO For Fitness/Exercise? For general fitness I’ll ride 10 to 20 miles several days a week along local roads, increasing to sixty plus miles when preparing for a multi-day event. From December to March I retreat indoors and combine workouts on the Fluid 360 Stationary Trainer with yoga.
What do you love most about riding an ElliptiGO? I love standing up — the expanded line of sight, supportive posture, full body engagement, core development, steady cardio strengthening and feeling of freedom akin to my earlier days of trail running. I love knowing that I’m working harder than those on traditional bikes to cover the same distance. That’s why I got the ElliptiGO — to enhance my overall fitness and health. Riding an ElliptiGO equals the health benefits of running, exceeds those of traditional bike riding, is gentle on the body, and a whole lot of fun. I wish this had been around years ago.
What is your favorite ElliptiGO bike?
The Long-Stride, for sure. I like multi-day rides for the physical, mental and spiritual benefits that always result from several hours of riding multiple days in a row. These are days when I experience heightened presence to my surroundings while removed from life’s droning and sometimes draining “white noise.” Multi-day rides trigger mental clarity while boosting appreciation for simplicity and the Long-Stride makes multi-day rides possible. I currently ride an 8S but will upgrade to an 11R before undertaking an upcoming cross-country ride.
What is your favorite local ride?
Though I have local rides of varying distances that I enjoy for fitness riding, my favorite ride is the GAP/C&O Canal off-road trail from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh. It’s an easy ride, but oh, so peaceful! This 335-mile off-road trail offers scenic, historical and soul calming bliss punctuated by accessible trail towns, B&B’s and campgrounds.
What is your longest or most memorable ride?
Defining “ride” as multi-day ride, my longest and most memorable remains the 1,850 miles along the West Coast of the United States from Canada to Mexico. Puget Sound, the Oregon coast, Redwood forests, fields of Easter lilies, Point Reyes Station, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, valleys of strawberry fields smelled miles before seen, Monterey, Big Sur, the surfing coast and beach bike paths through Malibu, LA, and Manhattan Beach, the San Diego skyline and Border Field State Park separating the US and Mexico. The cumulative elevation gain down the West Coast is equal to that of crossing the country coast-to-coast, though experienced in about half the distance.
Ready to Try an ElliptiGO Bike?
Whether you are new to ElliptiGO bikes and looking to test ride or a current ElliptiGO Owner in the Freeport, Maine area, Doug can help, (207) 522-7620
ElliptiGO bikes available to test ride:
Long-Stride Bikes: 11R | 8C | 3C
Stand up Bikes: SUB | RSUB | MSUB
Stationary Trainer: ElliptiGO Fluid 365
Questions/Comments?
For questions or assistance, please contact Doug at:
207.522.7620 [email protected]