Long Beach cyclist tackles 100-mile course

Cracks top 30 in Campagnolo Gran Fondo NY Championship

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Cyclists from 93 countries packed the George Washington Bridge on May 15 to take part in the 2016 Campagnolo Gran Fondo New York Championship, as Long Beach resident Ronald Malone was among the several thousand racers who tackled the 100-mile course from Manhattan to Bear Mountain State Park and back.

Malone, 49, placed third in his age group and 29th overall with a time just above 4 hours and 50 minutes, his personal record for this race despite a tougher-than-usual course consisting of 8,500 feet of elevation. It was his fourth time competing in the event — which Malone labeled as “the New York City marathon of cycling” — as it is the sport’s largest amateur event in the United States, he said.

The local cyclist grew up in Long Beach with a background in cross-country running before converting to a bike, as he is now a ride leader at Brickwell Cycling. When he “retired” from the sport a few years ago, Malone said friends at Runner’s Edge recommended a cycling tour at L’Alpe d’Huez, a famous mountain pass journeyed by riders in the Tour de France each year. As he was “flying through the hills” to witness cycling’s most prominent event, he was realizing how much he enjoyed riding.

“It just changed me,” Malone said. “I came back and got a decent bike finally, and it just took off. I went to nationals in triathlons and did well there and all of a sudden people started seeing me on a bike and I just got faster and faster as I rode more and more.”

To prepare specifically for last month’s race, Malone said he spent mornings doing three-hour training sessions throughout the winter at Brickwell, where they have technology to simulate the elevation he would experience during the northward trek.

“I was living on that a couple days a week and just plugging away…[I kept] going on the trainers, even though you don’t want to,” Malone said, adding that members of his bike club, The Original Members Bike Club, suffered through the workouts with him. “Long Island doesn’t have very many hills so it didn’t really give me a lot of options.”

But training bikes could not prepare Malone for all the obstacles he would face on the roads, and as the race began, he found himself weaving through riders to make his way to the lead group. At the eight-mile mark, Malone had caught up, and he stayed in the collection of bikers as long as he could.

As Malone explained, cyclists often strategically latch onto a group so they can draft off the lead riders and expend less energy, especially during windy conditions. This race was no exception, but the large group broke up around Bear Mountain, and Malone said he found a smaller squad as he approached the midway point.

“I was supposed to refuel at the top of Bear Mountain but I had a nice six- or seven-guy group and we were moving at a good pace and I just said the hell with it, I just went for it,” Malone said. “I had only two water bottles, they were both half full and I was [thinking] if I lose this group, I’m in no-man’s land.”

Malone pushed onward through Harriman State Park, down the Palisades Parkway and finally to the homestretch at the base of the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, N.J., where he crossed the finish line. With the many hills, bustling wind, constant jockeying for position at 24 miles per hour, and the close calls at crashing all behind him, Malone had cracked the top 30 in a major event that started with thousands, placing third in the 45-49 age bracket.

“It feels good that I can set a pretty good example for the younger people and older people that want to do something but are afraid to do it because of age or because they’re just afraid,” Malone said.

His wife, Theresa, did not attend the race, but said she was “glued” to her phone, where she received updates of his progress. She said that her husband has inspired many of his friends, who he takes under his wing and tries to make better athletes, as Ronald has defied his age when it comes to competitive cycling.

“That’s the biggest thrill of it all, because of his age and how old he is,” Theresa said. “It’s just a huge accomplishment beating out the younger guys and he just trains so hard and puts so much dedication into his training. To see him at the end succeed so much, it’s just incredible.”

The couple is slated to participate in the Jamesport Triathlon on July 10, but Theresa said she would not be able to keep up with her husband’s pace.

“It’s kind of annoying, it’s like whatever he does, he does extremely well,” Theresa said, laughing. “…He’s a freak of nature.”