Lake Nona, FL – Ride4Ronald 2018

Fall has arrived in Florida. And with it, the annual Ride-4-RMHCCF, lovingly known as Ride4Ronald. Sunday, October 14, 2018, was a special day for this event.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida finds, creates and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and families. It provides a home away from home for families with children receiving treatment at hospitals and medical facilities in Orlando. The donations received for this event help families, as no family is ever turned away due to their inability to contribute.

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. The group planned on an 18-20 mph average, depending on the ever-present Florida wind. Event Emcees kicked off the ride with safety tips and a little trivia — over 1,000 markers for the routes. There were several routes (30, 60, 100). TeamOne chose the 60-mile route for the day’s event. Not too long, not too short, just right!

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

Keeping a steady pace, the beautiful Florida scenery provided a much-needed break from the typical suburban sprawl. Cows, trees, orange groves, and green meadows brought smiles and made a perfect backdrop for the day’s ride.

As with any ride, regardless of how 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. Today, none of the TeamOne cyclists experienced any mishaps. There was some downtime due to mechanical problems. The team found help at the SAG stop with Velofix mobile repair, official event support. After a break, with bikes intact and ready to roll, the small group got underway for the last 10 miles.

Each SAG stop was well stocked and had the best group of volunteers. They had plenty of cold water, Gatorade, soda, bananas, peanut butter, and jelly sandwiches, and smiles for the riders.

Approaching the finish line, everyone picked up the pace. The “Ride4Ronald” had a large group of cheerleaders at the finish line. The medl, smiles, and a delicious lunch capped off a stellar day! Ready for next year!!