Getting up early any morning is not necessarily anyone’s favorite thing to do, especially on the weekend. But Sunday, September 18, it was not hard at all. Today was the Ride4Ronald.

Ride4Ronald is a bike ride benefiting the 1,700 children and families the Ronald McDonald House serves each year. This was my first time at Ride4Ronald, so it was certainly going to be an adventure. I was up before 5 am. Breakfast was instant oatmeal (not my favorite kind of oatmeal) but it was made with whole milk, a bit of cinnamon, and some special ingredients. Perfect start for the day!

The Ride

The day was bright, sunny, HOT, and HUMID! Typical Florida weather. While it started out a rather mild temperature of the mid-’70s, it soon got up to the mid-’80s — with high humidity that made it feel like the mid-’90s.

Riders lined up for a 7:30 am start according to pace, so TeamOne was towards the front. We planned on an 18-20 mph average, of course, that was depending on the wind. Event Emcee’s kicked off the ride with some safety tips and a little trivia that there were over 1,000 markers for the routes. There were several routes (30, 60, 100). We chose the 60-mile route for the day’s event. Not too long, not too short, just right!

We took off with a large group. Up to speed quickly, traveling in the high 19 to low 20s mph, we were moving and soon within the target pace.

As with any ride and with many riders involved, it is so important to be alert and aware of what is going on. This can be a challenge — but it is a must. Unfortunately today at around mile 13 there was a mishap. A bike rider went down. I wasn’t sure what happened, but I saw bike riders go down in a jumble just in front of me. Fortunately for me, my teammate made sure I was safe and even pushed me through just a bit. I saw a bike flying up, and I was surprised how quickly my brain was calculating how to miss getting hit by that bike, not run over a person, and not fall. That little push on a shoulder was just what I needed as I rode over someone’s bike tire. Luckily I did not fall.  An easy gear and keeping the pedals moving were the keys to keep upright. We stayed, helped direct traffic until the Sheriff’s patrol came and the ambulance. The emergency vehicles were great! The rider was ok, and everyone was so very thankful for that.

We did get back on the road after the rider was taken care of. This time there were just two of us. Now, as typically can be expected on any Florida summer day, the wind was really picking up. We switched lead every mile or so just to keep up the pace we had started with the larger group. This went on for 15 miles. Whew… was it ever hot and windy!

We reached the second (our first and last) SAG stop. It was a welcome sight. The volunteers were phenomenal! They had plenty of cold water, Gatorade, soda, bananas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (beautifully prepackaged as well) and smiles for the riders. We found a bit of shade and took a few minutes to enjoy a little breather. As we were planning our next cycling run, a group came in that we had been with at the beginning. We all agreed it would be good to join up — the more riders, the more fun, and the easier to keep up the pace. A few more minutes to let them get their hydration and fuel, and we were off.

With a larger group, we got off to a good clip! Back up in the high 18-20 mph. The wind was brutal though. We kept riding. The riders we joined up with were not stopping at the second SAG stop…so neither did my team. We still had plenty of water and it was so good to ride with the group we decided to stay in the pack.

A couple of riders did start to cramp up on their legs. This is never good. They didn’t let that stop them. We kept pushing. I took the lead a few times along the way. I did not expect to be leading the last part of the ride, but there I was. I took the last 5 miles. It was a lot of just pushing through the wind. Finally, we were almost there. Everyone picked up the pace. I happily pushed toward the end. The Ride4Ronald had a large group of cheerleaders at the finish line. Hearing them cheering was motivating. I crossed the finish line at 20.9 miles per hour. At the end of the 60-mile route, I was very happy to see that on my bike computer.

Our little group congratulate each other on a great ride! Even though it was hot, it was fun! Smiles for the camera, a little more water (ok… a lot more water), and chatting with friends rounded out the day. I can’t wait until the next ride!!

Event Day Statistics

This is the course charted by one of the team members who participated in 58+ mile route.

 

Consumption

SAG Stops #2 – Hydration, Hydration, Hydration! and Fuel!!

  • Grape Jelly and Peanut Butter Sandwiches: 1/2
  • Bananas Intake: 1/2 (All day)
  • Water Intake: 48 oz
  • Electrolyte Intake: 48 oz
  • Soda: 1/2 can of Coke

Photos

Ciao,
Diana | TeamOne