The JHOP 100 Ride date arrived on a beautiful Saturday morning. Last year I was able to accomplish the goal of my first century ride. This year, I decided to enjoy a shorter distance and see the beauty Florida has to offer.
After an easy drive to the ride location, I arrived in plenty of time to get ready. My teammates and I gathered with other riders, waiting for the start of today’s event.
Over 300 riders turned up today. The ride started on time! After last year’s fog, this perfect fall morning got the day off to a great start.
We started out at a good pace and kept the speed up the entire time. Knowing the wind would be harsh, we switched lead position throughout the ride. This always makes for a great strategy…keeping our legs fresh to pump through strong headwinds.
We only stopped at one SAG stop. The volunteers were great, as usual. The made us feel so welcome. We fueled up quickly and hit the road on time – we were only stopping for 10 minutes.
The last 10 miles were fun, and they did present a bit of a challenge. We had wind the entire way. Each time I thought maybe there would be a break as we would round a turn, Mother Nature had a different idea. Basically, there were headwinds the entire ride. Soon enough, though, we crossed the finish line. I felt great, excited, and happy to have enjoyed such beautiful country-side.
We had a wonderful lunch catered by PioPio. Chicken, rice and beans made for the perfect setting for great conversation. Soon, we were treated to some fast-paced excitement. Some cyclists come out to race. They were riding at top speeds of 25-30 mph. This year, since I took the short route, I had the pleasure of seeing them cross the finish line. And let me tell you… they were FAST! It is so exciting and inspirational to see these cyclists crossing the finish line after 70 and 100 miles at these incredible speeds.
#EnjoyingTheView #WaitingForNextYear
Event Day Statistics
This is the course charted by one of the TeamOne members who participated in the 30-mile route.
Ciao,
Diana | TeamOne
