Sunday, February 21, 2016, started at 6 am in 63-degree weather. It was a clear, low humidity day with little to medium gusts of wind. All in all a great day to ride. It was the kind of lazy day that even though we all were ready early, we actually ran late for the start. We put the band back together, Cesar, Dawn, Diana, Jodel, Seresaa, and I participated in the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund (HBIF) Tour Latino event in Clermont, FL.
3rd HBIF Tour Latino Ride
We all participated in the 25-mile course. The Hispanic Business Initiative Fund (HBIF) of Florida, Inc. is the leading Hispanic non-profit economic development organization in Florida. Since 1991, HBIF has specialized in providing free bilingual business development services to Hispanic entrepreneurs trying to establish or expand their business. Its quality professional services—provided to clients for free—include educational assistance, individual consulting and technical assistance, entrepreneurial grants for subcontracted services, and loan facilitation.
This was our second Tour Latino event to participate in. The crazy thing about this ride is that it actually includes HILLS! Yes, there are hills in Florida. Our group had all different level of riders, including some that had been sidelined for a while due to injury. This event proved to be a nice little challenge that everyone did their best to master. The course took us around the beautiful lake views and into the hills. The first hill was slight. A small uphill to get used to shifting and pedaling. They got a little more challenging each time. At times it seemed that there would not be an end to that uphill climb. And then that nice relief of some even ground with the eventual downhill descent to give us a little break.
The water station was a welcome sight. We refilled water and Gatorade bottles, enjoyed some of the best oranges Florida has to offer, snacked on pretzels and granola. Volunteers made it seem like we had hardly expended any effort to get here with their smiles and encouragement. Then it was time to get back on the road. We joked that it was all downhill from here. Of course, we only got to the downhill part after we hit the uphill part first. By the time we got to the 20-mile mark, we knew we’d be at that finish line soon. Once we were at mile 24, we were excited but had to cautiously navigate the trail that had quite a few joggers and park visitors by that time. Then there was the finish line! A great way to end a challenging ride.
The best part of the ride, though, was the great food provided and the camaraderie we shared at lunch. These rides are always a great experience for the simple fact we all share a love of biking and can share a sense of accomplishment in what we did that day.
Clermont, FL
Clermont is a city in Lake County, Florida, United States, about 22 miles (35 km) west of Orlando and 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Leesburg. The population was 30,201 as of 2013. The city is residential in character and its economy is centered in retail trade, lodging, and food and beverage establishments, which are tourism oriented. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Florida Citrus Tower, one of the first constructed Florida landmarks, is located in Clermont. The tower celebrated its 50th anniversary in December 2006
Statistics for the Day
We wanted to share the day with the members who couldn’t attend, so please enjoy the map and images below.
We rode as a unit so this could be the stats for all of us on the ride. Use this link to view more details: Garmin Connect https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1062251980
