Life Fitness will introduce a limited edition Augie’s Quest Lifecycle exercise bike on March 17 at the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) show in San Francisco.
The bike is named in honor of Life Fitness founder Augie Nieto, who has spearheaded the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Augie’s Quest research initiative since his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 2005. A portion of the proceeds from the new bike will be donated to Augie’s Quest, which has raised more than $26 million since 2006.
“Augie shaped Life Fitness into what it is today, and he’s an inspirational leader that we will forever support,” Life Fitness President Chris Clawson said in a statement. “Augie has touched the lives of many in the industry who will want this special edition Augie’s Quest Lifecycle, not only to support his cause, but also to pay honor to his life’s work.”
The Augie’s Quest bike will display the Augie’s Quest logo and red and black colors, along with a motivational quote from Nieto that reads “From Success to Significance.”
Clawson met with Nieto at his home in California last week. Nieto said on Twitter that in addition to the line of new bikes, Schiller Park, IL-based Life Fitness will name a new showroom after him.
“WOW! What an honor,” Nieto tweeted.
Nieto introduced the Lifecycle, designed by a scientist in California more than 40 years ago, to the fitness world, and the bike helped spawn a boom in cardio fitness in the early 1980s. Nieto sold Life Fitness in June 1984 to Bally Technologies for $10 million, stayed to run the company, then bought the company back in 1990 for $60 million before he sold it in 1997 to Brunswick Corp., Lake Forest, IL, for $310 million through a private equity firm, Mancuso and Co. Nieto became chairman of Octane Fitness, Brooklyn Park, MN, in January 2005—three months before his ALS diagnosis—and remains in that capacity.
The sixth annual Bash for Augie’s Quest will be held March 18 at the San Francisco Marriott.