St. Cloud, FL – JHOP Century

November 25, 2017, Saturday morning, TeamOne members (Diana & Z) joined in the 6th Annual JHOP 100 Century Ride. The JHOP 100 is a ride for all levels of riders, and the event treats all riders as VIPs. Proceeds benefit the Tom Bryan Scholarship fund and the Cornerstone Church Kids Camp Scholarships.

The start time was 8 am in St. Cloud. With a much shorter travel time, team members enjoyed a little extra sleep this morning.

The Ride

The morning started out with heavy fog. Local law enforcement made sure conditions were adequate for a safe ride, so the start time was delayed by 30 minutes. Riders from all over readied their gear, warmed up on their cycles, and enjoyed a little visiting before the event.

The JHOP Century gave riders a choice of 3 different routes: a half-metric century (3o miles), a metric century (75 miles), and a century (100 miles). A great feature of this ride was the rolling SAG support and deputy escorts for lead groups in the 75 and 100-mile groups. Flat, smooth roads and over 20 cattle ranches lined the course.

At 8:30 am, the riders lined up ready to start together. The first 1.2 miles were a warmup before the actual starting line. Once riders passed the starting line, groups started to form their pace lines. Right out of the gate, the TeamOne members and their small group started off with speed of over 18 mph.

The fog and damp conditions caused droplets to form on sunglasses, making the riders wish there were windshield wipers for glasses.

SAG stops were positioned every 20 miles. At the first stop, the clouds started to lift and the fog had burned off. Friendly volunteers refilled water bottles, had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ready and checked on each rider. An assortment of cookies and brownies, bananas, and pickles accompanied water and Gatorade. A quick stop, then the group hit the road. The small group faced strong winds already. Rotating lead riders every mile or so helped keep stamina up. The sun chased away the clouds.

The beauty of Osceola county surrounded the cyclists. A rural setting, the roads were quiet and made for an enjoyable ride in the countryside. The wind continued its gusts.

The next 20 miles passed quickly. Averaging 18-20 mph in this stretch, the 2nd SAG stop (40 miles) came before anyone knew it. At the 40 mile mark, the 75 and 100-mile routes split. This stop was even quicker. Water and Gatorade fill up, sandwiches, pickles, and bananas — fueling up for the next leg! The 100-mile group mounted up and got underway. Now the group consisted of 8 riders.

Time practically stood still on miles 41-60. Heading straight into the wind, the riders dug deep into their reserves to keep the pace going! The average was still up over 18 mph. They pushed 18-20 mph. On this leg, the turnaround point finally came – more wind on the way back to the SAG stop. At mile 60, the SAG stop gave the group a chance to fill up their reserves again. 60% done – only 40 miles left.

At mile 68, the incline of the upcoming bridge loomed ahead of the cyclists. Not only was there the ascent, the headwind had picked up! Grudgingly, the group shifted to easier gears to climb the small incline. One of the TeamOne riders hit a wall – and bonked. The group slowed down, giving the rider a chance to recover. At mile 70, though, the cramps started to hit the rider. The TeamOne riders peeled off the group, letting them finish at the clip of 18+ mph.

At the next SAG stop – mile 80, TeamOne picked up another rider who helped pull on the last leg of the journey. Lou helped keep the pace going. The 3 kept pushing into the headwinds. Forewarned by the JHOP reminders, the last 30 miles is notorious for strong headwinds. The little group felt them. 1 mile left. Then…the finish line! Mission accomplished. 100 miles completed.

The JHOP volunteers had food ready. PioPio catered delicious chicken, rice and beans, salad, cookies, and brownies. Hungry riders sat down. The food made a disappearing act.

The day could not have had better weather. Wonderful volunteers at every SAG stop, friendly riders helping each other out along the way, rolling SAG support from the motorcyclists and David’s World all topped the day off.

Now that the TeamOne cyclists finished the century ride, they are ready to tackle their next ride – PCC #17 Holiday Ride!