By Marisa Penkauskas

Which college has the biggest bite in this ultimate intercollegiate cycling competition? Get ready for two weeks of heat because the 2016 Spring Breakaway schedule is set:

Regionals: April 11–15
Championship: April 25–29

 

The Spring Breakaway is a tournament that takes place on Expresso virtual reality bikes. Over the span of two weeks, participants from various colleges compete to see how many miles they can ride. Along with college pride, prizes are awarded to the top 25 riders while the coveted “Jaws” trophy will go to the champion college.

The bikes give riders 43 different courses to choose from—these courses range from a one-mile flat course to a brutal 20-mile high-elevation course. Riders get to experience pedaling through mountains, small medieval towns, and even on top of a roller coaster! The rider is prompted when to steer and shift to get through to the finish line.

Last year, 139 colleges across North America competed in this tournament. New York’s Houghton College brought home “Jaws” after 40 students, faculty, and staff members rode 2,418 miles in the championship round! Carnegie Mellon University gave Houghton a run for their money—they ended the tournament only 380 miles behind the champions.

Schools both large and small are welcome to enter this tournament where mathletes and athletes compete alongside each other. Before the start of last year’s Breakaway, Houghton’s Lacrosse Head Coach Joey Wilmot put victory in his sights, saying, “We are going to go all in for this tournament!”

Official rules and participation guidelines are available online. Schools like Louisiana State University, the University of Iowa, Vanderbilt, and more participated in the first round a year ago and will be back in the upcoming tournament. In last year’s tournament, 1,000 riders from 139 schools rode a combined 20,000 miles and burned over 724,000 calories on their Expresso Bikes. And we have over 150 colleges starting this year’s tournament!

Visit the Spring Breakaway webpage to view your college’s matchup or to learn more about getting Expresso Bikes on your campus.

 

For more information about the 2016 Spring Breakaway, please contact Interactive Fitness Marketing Manager Marisa Penkauskas.