Local campus speeds past Bucknell, University of Iowa to win first place
From the seat of one stationary bike in their fitness center, students and staff at Colorado Mountain College’s Glenwood Springs-Spring Valley campus competed against thousands of riders from 70 other colleges across the country.
And they won.
The College Interactive Cycling Challenge was sponsored by Interactive Fitness, the maker of the Expresso Bike. Contestants earned one point for every mile ridden during February in hopes of winning the first place prize, another Expresso Bike valued at $7,000.
“We believe cardio exercise can be much more engaging and fun compared to
the current industry standard, which is running or biking in front of a TV,” said Roger Reina, senior director of sales for Interactive Fitness.
The Expresso Bike represents the new age of traditional stationary bikes, using technology to create on-screen sensations of trail rides, said Reina. Riders can choose from 44 routes with varied terrains, all of which simulate the physical experience of riding a real bike where you have to steer, downshift and pedal harder up the hills.
Kevin Brun, director of CMC’s law enforcement training academy, was a frequent rider. “There are all kinds of visual distractions that take your mind off of exercise,” he said. “I focus on the trails, the scenery or trying to catch up to the guy in the yellow shirt. An hour goes by and I don’t even know it.”
Student rider Brooke Larson agreed. “You are working out without really realizing it,” she said.
While the routes are virtual, the results are real. Brun’s diet program requires him to choose an exercise that will burn 2,000 calories in a week. “I can burn 800 calories in just one day on the bike,” he said.
Larson added, “Each time I would get on the bike, I would improve my times and be able to ride in a higher gear, which was really awesome to see.”
All eyes on the prize
The contest was inspired by the idea, Reina said, “that college students often talk about how their college ranks.” This was a way for colleges of all sizes, ones that might not normally interact with one another, to compete against each other on a level playing ground.
Nathan Kafka, assistant coordinator of student life at CMC in Spring Valley, heard about the contest, and since the campus already had one Expresso Bike, he figured it was worth a shot.
A week into the contest, the campus was in sixth place, and the riders started thinking they had a fighting chance to win. Abbie Kroesen, coordinator of student life in Spring Valley, said that normally, the fitness room is open 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. They extended the closing to midnight, then to 2 a.m., then finally they opened the room around the clock for the month.
On Feb. 11, Kroesen said, “The students called me at midnight when they took second place.” At that point, she said, “We started battling back and forth with Bucknell for first place.”
With a win in sight, the team tried to make sure there was always someone on the bike. Round-the-clock sign-up sheets were filled with names of riders waiting for their turns. On Feb. 22, the students organized an all-night ride to maintain their first place lead. Campus clubs dueled each other, and incentives such as free pizza and an iPod nano were offered in the home stretch.
CMC crossed the finish line with 4,142 miles and the help of 140 different riders, concluding the race more than 1,600 points ahead of second-place Bucknell. Kroesen led the team with 483 miles and Larson led the student miles with 207.
“Their effort was inspiring,” said Reina, “not only due to their physical effort, but also because of the leadership of Abbie and Nathan and the students who took it forward and organized themselves.”
The college was recognized at the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) conference in Las Vegas on March 6. The Expresso Bike prize will be presented to the campus in the coming weeks.