St. Cloud, FL – JHOP 100 Ride

November 24, 2018, Saturday morning, TeamOne members (Catherine, Diana & Z) joined in the 7th Annual JHOP 100 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. Sunrise of golden orange rays greeted the riders on this perfect Florida fall morning.

The Ride

Last year the morning started out with heavy fog. In sharp contrast, this year the weather was a rider’s dream. Mid 60’s at 7:30 am, light cloud cover, and low humidity set the tone for the day. Over 300 riders from all over readied their gear, warmed up on their cycles, and enjoyed a little visiting before the event.

The JHOP 100 provides 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 7:45 am, riders lined up ready to start together at 8:00 am. 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. Today TeamOne selected the 30-mile route. Knowing the famous Florida wind is especially brutal in the fall, today’s ride proved no exception to the intensity of the wind.

SAG stops were positioned at 20 miles. At the only stop for today, friendly volunteers refilled water bottles, had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ready and checked on each rider. After a quick stop, the small group started back for the remainder of the ride. Rotating lead riders every mile or so helped keep stamina up. With a goal of 17-18 mph average for the 30-mile route, the wind pushed against the riders, forcing them to keep the speed intact despite strong headwinds.

Rural areas in Osceola County, friendly drivers, and flat roads helped the riders keep the momentum going.

The last 10 miles passed quickly. Each turn on the road brought no relief from the wind, though. The little group felt each gust of wind. Finally, the finish line came into focus. A pleasant Saturday ride finished strong.

PioPio catered delicious chicken, rice and beans, and salad. Hungry riders enjoyed conversation while they fed the hunger from riding on a fine morning.