More than Spokes and Spandex: Meet the Members of Nona Cycle

Lake Nona residents Matt Rought and Andrea Accion chose Lake Nona as their home knowing it was conducive to the active outdoor lifestyle they love. The bike lanes throughout the community and the opportunity to become members of Nona Cycle enticed them to make the move from their previous home in the Goldenrod area.

Their individual active lifestyles brought them together on Valentine’s Day four years ago, although their passion for fitness came about in different ways. Andrea is a natural athlete, having run her first race at age 14 and finishing first. As an adult, she competed in a number of prominent Central Florida races, including the Disney Marathon; in 2011, she was the top Central Florida finisher in her division and the 4^th place female finisher in her age group.

Andrea was not a fan of cycling or cyclists until a neighbor encouraged her to give the sport a try; she purchased an old blue aluminum bike, and her love of cycling was born. Today, she is one of the fastest, most consistent female riders in Nona Cycle. While nearly all cyclists rely on high-tech devices and apps to track their statistics, Andrea amazingly does not own even a basic speedometer. “I just like to go fast” is all the motivation she needs to get on her bike and lead the way with Nona Cycle’s fast group.

While Matt loves cycling as much as Andrea, he was quick to state that Andrea is the better, faster rider of the couple and is “okay with that.” Matt’s passion for cycling was ignited by a desire to become healthy; in 2000, he weighed 235 pounds and, in an effort to develop a healthy lifestyle, purchased an old Bridgestone bike and rode the Winter Garden West Orange Trail. As he became more fit, he upgraded his ride, joined the Orlando Road Club and focused on racing. In three years, he lost more than 75 pounds; however, after suffering several crashes during criterium races (a bike race consisting of several laps around a closed circuit), he decided to refocus his cycling to a safer format. He rode with a number of Central Florida cycling groups before joining Nona Cycle; his first ride with the group was Easter Sunday, 2018. Matt shared that cycling has molded him into the healthy person he is now, and the safety and caring community that Nona Cycle offers is what sets the group apart. As members of Team Nona Cycle, Matt and Andrea fundraise and ride in Ride for Ronald and Tour de Cure, two of the local cycling events supported by our cycling group.

An Ironman telecast provided additional inspiration, and in 2008, Matt competed in his first triathlon, followed by the Florida Half Ironman, a full Florida Ironman in 2009, and Ironman competitions in Louisville, Kentucky. He completed his last Ironman in 2015, stating he is always in the middle of his age group but just finishing is enough and plans to compete again in the near future.

Matt and Andrea’s passion for cycling has taken them beyond Lake Nona; each year, they participate in an annual Century (100 mile) ride in Belgium in support of a cure for cancer. Included in the route is the toughest climb in Tour de Flanders, a torturous ascent up a narrow cobblestone road. As passionate spectators of the sport, Matt and Andrea make an annual pilgrimage to cheer on the riders in Tour de France, the legendary 21-day, 2,200-mile cycling race.

Angel Ledesma relocated his family from Puerto Rico to the Lake Nona area in 2014, seeking a better quality of life. Similar to Matt Rought, he found cycling as a path to fitness beginning in 2010 when he and his wife, Carla, began what they refer to as their “Body Transformation Journey.” Carla found her passion for Zumba while Angel developed a love for road cycling. Over an eight-month period, his weight dropped from 250 to 178 pounds, and his overall health improved dramatically. What he never expected was that through cycling, he would find a new career and life’s purpose.

Angel worked in airline management for more than 17 years; however, in March 2013, he felt something was missing in his life. The following month, he had what can only be described as an epiphany, and Riding with Santa was born. The concept was simple: Individuals and businesses donate toys, a cycling event is held to raise funds and awareness, and on Christmas Day, the toys are delivered to children who otherwise would not receive a present. 52 riders participated, and 125 toys were distributed in December 2013, and the numbers and community support increased each year. In 2017, the last year the event was held in Puerto Rico, more than 2,800 toys were distributed throughout the country and the Dominican Republic. Community support was so great that local mayors and community leaders personally delivered toys on Christmas Day.

The move to Lake Nona proved to be a turning point in Angel’s career. He no longer felt fulfilled in airline management and fortuitously landed a position with David’s World Cycle, where he remains a valued employee. Angel has led weekly rides through the shop and is now a regular on Nona Cycle’s Sunday Signature Ride, always willing to step up and assist in any way.

With the full support of Carla, Angel was determined to continue Riding with Santa here in Lake Nona. 2018’s Riding with Santa was organized in less than 35 days; 76 riders participated in the fundraising ride, and 185 toys were distributed to local children in need on Christmas Day.

Riding with Santa is now a 501(c)(3) organization with the mission statement of “More Than a Toy, an Act of Love” and plans to expand its impact to serve even more children and their parents during the 2019 holiday season. (For more information, email: ridingwithsanta@gmail.com.)

Cycling is so much more than people on bikes taking up space on the road; we are a passionate group dedicated to using our sport to improve our community, assist those less fortunate, and inspire others to improve their health. The cycling fundraising event season begins this month, and on any given weekend, there will be multiple cycling events held in the Central Florida community with the goal of raising critical funds to support a wide variety of charitable causes. We hope you will support our efforts and as always, welcome you to join us!