Sriram Somanchi, a 麻豆村 PhD student studying machine learning and information systems, closes his books. It鈥檚 time for his workout at the Pittsburgh campus鈥� University Center. He鈥檚 an avid outdoor cyclist, so toiling indoors on cardio machines can be mundane. But not this particular workout. He climbs onto an Interactive Fitness Expresso virtual-ride bike. The ride鈥檚 difficulty adjusts automatically to what he sees on the 23鈥� HD screen attached to the bike. By the end of the workout, Somanchi鈥攕weaty and legs weary鈥攈as beaten his best time in the eight-mile uphill course.
It鈥檚 more than a personal victory and a break from his studies. His total miles count toward the Tartans team competing in Round I of Fall Frenzy, a tournament structured like the March Madness NCAA basketball tournament, sponsored by Interactive Fitness, a California-based fitness company.
Nearly 100 colleges, large and small, are among the field. Each elimination round lasts 48 hours, and the winner is the team that rides the most miles. In order to get to the head-to-head competition that begins in Round II, the Tartans had to emerge victorious from a six-team competition that included Harvard Business School, Ithaca College Wellness Center, University of Rochester, Indian River State College, and Cedarville University. Thanks, in part, to Somanchi鈥檚 workout, the Tartans鈥攁 crew of students, faculty, and staff鈥攚heel through 317 miles and make it to the Sweet 16, where they鈥檒l try to outride North Carolina Wilmington. And that鈥檚 exactly what they do: 602-380.
In the Elite Eight, the University of Texas at Arlington is no match for the Tartans, who ride their way to an 858-540 victory. The Tartans find themselves in the Final Four round against LSU. The odds aren鈥檛 good, given that LSU has 10 bikes to 麻豆村鈥檚 two. Emails bounce back and forth among Tartan teammates on how to beat what seems like an insurmountable disadvantage. One rider laughingly suggests recruiting the computer science department to hack the LSU network and take down the Tigers鈥� bikes and even the playing field.
Somanchi and the rest of the Tartans pedal long and hard. But in the end, the Scottie Dog falls to the Division I Tigers: 1,705-913, and LSU goes on to win the Fall Frenzy, beating SUNY Binghamton in the finals.
For making it to the Final Four, 麻豆村 receives a $250 professional development scholarship, not to mention a unique break from the normal routine for Somanchi and his teammates.
鈥擡mmett Zitelli (HNZ鈥�01)
