I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it well! Well, here is your chance. Nona Cycle is right here in your front yard waiting for you to join the fun. The group is pretty much a relaxed group of individuals with a similar interest: riding bikes. Some for training, some for exercise, some for the social aspects, all for a good time. There is very little that is formal or intimidating; if you’ve been riding for years or are just starting out, there is a place for you.
The group has had its ups and downs over its brief history, but the future looks very bright. Since my recent introduction to the group a few months ago, it seems we are adding members on a daily basis. There is no formal registration, just go online and request to join or even easier just show up on a Sunday morning to join our group ride and you’re in. Sunday is officially our only recognized group ride, but members communicate on the group Facebook page to arrange mutually agreeable rides throughout the week, mornings, afternoons and evenings, Since everybody is on a different schedule with different days off, there is almost always another rider available.
Most members are local from Laureate Park, North Shore, East Park and all neighboring areas, but we take all riders. The main goal is just to ride. Since most areas in the Nonahood are fairly new, our members have friends and contacts with other Greater Orlando riding groups and clubs, which expands our members and opportunities to all over Orlando. We sometimes join other Orlando group rides to expand our experiences going out to Clermont, Winter Garden and Longwood to take in new routes and break out from the same old same old.
Some members are experimenting with some local time trials and racing circuits, so there is a wide variety of opportunities for all tastes. If you have never ridden and just want to get started, come talk to us. You are not alone, we have all been there, we can get you on the road.
Ok, shifting gears a little bit (get it… see what I did there?), what is the biggest thing holding you back from joining a bike group? I’ll tell you, the people already riding are spandex-clad, bike techno nerds with thighs the size of watermelons, and they ride faster than the traffic on Tavistock Boulevard headed home on a Friday afternoon. Wrong! Ok, partially right, but that’s where you come in; everything and everybody has a starting point. You join, you start slowly, you learn, you teach others, you grow, and soon you’re riding with the big girls and boys and someone new comes along to fill your shoes, and so it goes. The only thing holding you back is you.
If you don’t have a bike, believe me, there is a current member dumping his/her old ride and stepping up to a new model that is likely to create a hailstorm of domestic grief but also will be allowing this person to claim Nonahood bragging rights and cut .00001 seconds off their latest Strava PR. Not familiar with Strava? Well, there’s another good reason to join and find out.
Not interested in going 100 mph on a bike? That’s why this group is for you. Most groups are hardcore, but this one is reaching out to all levels. When a group ride develops, it is separated into classes of experience and fitness, the “A” group will be the hammerheads (hammering on a bike means you are really hitting those pedals with some umph!), next the “B” group will be a little slower and so on down the line, so there will be a group for you.
We seem to be growing exponentially right along with the Lake Nona area and are really only in the infancy stage of development, so there is plenty of room to grow and develop. If you are new to the area, you may not know, but the Nona Cycling arm of the Nona Brew Crew is committed to helping the community by being one of the biggest supporters of the area’s biggest charity rides.
Do you like to cycle or want to learn how? Join the Nona Cycle group for weekly rides: http://nonahood.to/nonacycle
