Sunday morning, November 5, 2017, TeamOne members (Diana,  Shawn, & Z) joined other cyclists for the “Power for Puerto Rico Ride”, an event coordinated by Peloton Cyclist Club (PCC).

Why the “Power for Puerto Rico Ride”?  With the impacts of hurricane Irma and hurricane Maria (ABC News) still plaguing the island of Puerto Rico, the Orlando cycling community came together today to show support for the island and also do something to help those still experiencing the effects.  The Caribbean was devastated recently by these two hurricanes, and many on the island currently suffer without power. This situation is expected to last for months and possibly longer.  100% of the registration fees for the event go towards purchasing generators and sending them to Puerto Rico. So many in the community have friends and family who have been affected by this year’s hurricane season. Today the community banded together to give back.

PCC (http://pelotoncyclistclub.com) is a fun and unique company that has set out to unite the cycling community. All PCC rides are fully supported with mechanical and nutritional support before, during, and after the events. PCC has designated fully stocked SAG stops along the route to meet every rider’s need.

The Ride

The ride start time was 8:00  am. On most days an 8:00 am ride might seem like a late start, but with an hour drive and sunrise not until about 7:20 am, riders still started on their way early.

Over 160 riders gathered in scenic Winter Garden, FL, for this amazing community event.  Participants discovered a breakfast of bagels, bananas, snack bars, orange juice, water and coffee laid out for a great start to the day.  The PCC team always sets out an array of goodies to get riders started off right!

Routes today included a 10-mile family fun ride, a 38+ mile ride, and a 55+ mile ride. With so many riders, these options satisfied everyone’s skill level.

Eric Reichwein, President of PCC, began the day introducing Luis Rodriguez, of WinStrong Crossfit. Luis conceived the idea of an event to raise funds to help the island of Puerto Rico. With that seed of an idea, in less than 30 days, PCC set in motion the organization of a community ride.

Area bike shops like David’s World of Cycle, Epic Cycles World, Orange Cycle, Winter Garden Wheel Works all promoted and supported this event.  Together, all these caring people, along with the participants, enabled the “Power for Puerto Rico Ride” to raise money to buy generators for the most rural areas of Puerto Rico that could still be without power for many more months. 100% of the registration fees were donated to this cause. Helping Hands and Home Depot will be getting these generators to those areas.

After Eric’s inspirational words, the riders took their places to get started. The first group to set out was the 55+ mile group. Several minutes later the 36+ mile group riding at a pace of 16-18 mph set out.  The next group of riders for 38+ miles riding at a pace of 14-16 mph took the road. The last group to go was the 10-mile Family Fun ride. To see all these people come together to help was an incredible sight.

TeamOne members chose the 38+ mile route. Spirits soared. A ride through the cobblestone road of Winter Garden gave way to a more comfortable asphalt-paved roadway. Before too long, the hills greeted the riders! The thrill of climbing to the top of a hill takes second place only to the excitement of speeding down the hill afterward. The Wall, as one of the first hills on the ride, is affectionately known, offered a slight burn to the quads. Cyclists didn’t hesitate in tackling that incline and made their way up The Wall successfully.

The PCC supported SAG stop at the 20-mile mark was a welcome sight. Water, Gatorade,  peanut butter crackers, assorted energy bars, and trail mix filled the table. Even though the day was overcast and comfortable, the refill gave the cyclists a break and a chance to visit for a few minutes. Two-minute warning – and then the group was back on the road.  Sugarloaf Mountain, with its incline looming ahead (well, maybe “looming” only to Florida riders used to the flats) took its turn on the cyclist’s physical conditioning right after the SAG stop.

The riders kept pushing. Even though The Wall and Sugarloaf Mountain were behind them, the last stretch still contained hills. Each time going up a hill, the riders pushed themselves even more. Finally, the finish was in sight! The riders finished up, not just satisfied but with a perfect and safe day of riding.

A few riders along with TeamOne members went to a local cafe for lunch. Afterward, ice cream at Scoops Old Fashioned Ice Cream Store made a perfect ending to this perfect day.

Event Day Statistics

This is the course charted by one of the team members who participated in 38+ mile route.

Video



If video doesn’t load properly you can also view this video on YouTube https://youtu.be/dX1Hnk1Y41c

Music

This is one of the mixes by DJ Israel “El Lobel” Rodriguez  playing on the ride. Feel free to share, like, download, or go to SoundCloud and see what other mixes and genre you might like created by TeamOne’s dear friend from da Bronx “El Lobel“.

View TeamOne’s entire cycling playlist: https://soundcloud.com/teamone/sets/salsa-for-riding

Photos
Provided by Jun @ 18mph Studio

 Download all the Hi-Resolution images 171105-PowerPuertoRico.zip (contains 37 images)

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Ciao,
TeamOne