Riding For the Cause: Jeff Ingalls and A Tale of Two Rides
Jeff Ingalls was turning 48 and coming up on his goal to ride a century before his 50th birthday. Living in Washington D.C. at the time, Jeff wasn’t sure where to find one until he came across the Bike to the Beach website. At the time he was in charge of a large group within his company and two of the employees working under him had children with Autism, and to Jeff the ride seemed like the perfect fit. Finishing the ride that first year, Jeff knew that he would be coming back the next year. It wasn’t just that the ride was along a beautiful course. The riders themselves made the event so much fun, riding along and conversing with whoever was chugging alongside, enjoying the fantastic support from the volunteers at the rest stops, and the overall feeling of positive productive energy that coursed through the event. He came back to the D.C. ride for the next three years, making new friends during each ride that inspired him with their varying sources of motivation. One year though, Jeff was unable to make it to the D.C. ride, and in an attempt to make it up, he decided to fly down to Florida that next spring to participate in the Bike to the Beach Florida ride. Although he regretted his decision to rent a random bike for the ride, Jeff found a completely different experience that intrigued him. Ironically, that decision foreshadowed what was to come.
About a year after riding in the Florida B2B ride, Jeff and his family ended up moving down to Florida. That next year, riding his own bike, Jeff again signed up for the Florida ride and had a much more fun and comfortable time. One of his favorite aspects of that ride is the contrast between the first and second half of the course. Cruising through Miami for the first half, you are surrounded by a city in full swing, although he does appreciate the lengths Bike to the Beach has gone to keep the riders off the main roads so as to not have cars whipping by at 65 miles an hour. Then the city fades away as the riders work their way down through the Everglades and the Keys, surrounded by peaceful nature and scenes that completely take you out of the fact that you’re riding one hundred miles. It is part of the reason that Jeff has come to enjoy the Florida ride more than the D.C. one, even though he still likes the D.C. ride, that fantastic contrast brings a new element to the ride that keeps Jeff coming back. The one drawback of the Florida ride, that could also be looked at as a benefit, is the flatness of the course. There’s no cruising down the backside of hills to get some energy back, forcing riders to really get off their seat and work sometimes. On the bright side, there’s no big hill climbs to sap away your energy at times you need to conserve it.
Now firmly entrenched as a Floridian, Jeff plans on continuing to ride in the Bike to the Beach ride down there. From the fantastic stories heard and wonderful people he meets, to the feeling of positivity that comes from supporting such a great cause, to Jeff, there isn’t a reason for anyone to not be participating in the ride, whichever one they can. You can find Jeff out on the course this year in Florida, which pre-registration is now open for, going down Saturday, April 27th. Thanks for all the support through the years!
