2024—Here Comes the Sun Tour

“A Silver Lining of Hope”

June 8th-14th, 2024

$445,998.26 was the total raised including Sylvester’s .50 :1 match.

This year’s funds will be directed to further research by Sylvester in cancer epigenetics, specifically Ewing Sarcoma and Mutations in Cancer.

The 2024 “Here Comes the Sun” tour was aptly named, as the days leading up to the Castaway Cycling Tour featured anything but sun.

Four consecutive days of torrential downpours and heavy winds flooded roads and littered our passage with debris. The day-of forecast did not offer reprieve, calling for thunderstorms all day and winds building from 17 - 22mph, seeming to shift every hour into a perfectly orchestrated headwind.

The ride to the meeting point and first few moments of the group ride seemed to confirm our fears - gusts created unsteady moments and a feeling of unease. We texted our loved ones informing them “there’s no rush for you to head down, weather looks bad, I doubt we’ll make it very far”.

We made our way out of Castaway Beach escorted by friends, family, and outlaw-in-the-making, Ramon Ventura. Chris “The 70’s moviestar” Ventura would drop his phone 1-mile into the ride, which would make for a fun bookend later in the day. Tim’s reconnaissance ride the day prior proved accurate, as we found little need to dodge any debris or puddles. Cautious optimism turned to joy when we were greeted by CAC Alum Missy Gomez, who just so happened to be out riding bike at 430am, and whose quick visit brightened everyone’s spirits on our southbound jaunt.

Further down the road a timely stop light afforded a brief “nature stop”. As a group of Castaways began to relieve themselves on the side of the road, we noticed a police officer waiting across the intersection, and as Josh Cantor put it - an awkward Mexican Standoff would ensue over the next 35 seconds. Fortunately, this police officer was raised by loving parents so he simply looked away as we went about our business (to those of you out of the Castaways, context will soon follow - I promise).

In the blink of an eye, we pulled into Checkpoint 1 in Florida City and were greeted by Cowboy and Indian, a delicious spread, and big smiles. There was a brief sting of disappointment when the “ham and cheese” sandwiches were unveiled, only to remind us that Hermida Senior was indeed out of town this year, and we’d have to face the harsh reality that in 2024, prosciutto and manchego on baguette would be substituted with kraft and boar’s head on Cuban (still hit the spot, though). Most of us topped off water bottles and swallowed some gatorade, while Jesus cracked open and drank the contents of a glass vial of imported Colombian “salt water” (suuuuuure), and Tim treated himself to a nice glass of *checks notes*... Chocolate Milk.

The group safely navigated Card Sound road, expertly paced by Tim and Mario, with more crafty coaching by Jesus. The sun began to rise as we wondered aloud where all of the damn rain was. Turning off Card Sound, west towards Key Largo, we continued a beautiful and well-paced ride. We approached Checkpoint 2 in great spirits and were momentarily flattered by what we believed to be a brief police escort into our checkpoint.

It was not a brief police escort.

It turned out to be a police.

Leaning our bikes against the rest stop, we were greeted by one “Sergeant Vaughn”.

As it so happened, our road escort - Ramon - had been driving too far into the traffic lanes and impeding motorists (at 6am, so whatever) while creating protection for us. We are a law-abiding group, and we understand when we’ve done something wrong. I jumped at the opportunity to apologize to the police officer and explain the purpose of our ride - certain he’d understand the CAC could one day touch his life. “Sergeant Vaughn” warned me to step away before enacting further punishments. A brief debate ensued in my mind, and the idea of the county jail in a cycling outfit (no matter how well-designed by Tres Piñas) ushered in better judgment, and we stepped away as “Sergeant Vaughn” issued Ramon his ticket. In true CAC fashion, we all took to social media and requested donations in the amount of the ticket, which our supporters stepped up to and made! Additionally, CAC supporter and impromptu traffic attorney, Brandon Chase, took the ticket case pro bono and is having the ticket dismissed!

We continued our ride shortly after our unpleasant encounter, and continued to enjoy spectacular weather. Shortly into this leg, Super Mario would test the laws of physics, and ride his bicycle over a screw that would ont only puncture his tire, but drive straight through his bicycle rim, and quite literally “screw up” his ride.

The ride continued without incident, at an impressive pace while we all continued to look up and around waiting for the skies to part, but the moment never came. The support of family and loved ones along the way kept us moving along - even when that support was ungrateful children who couldn’t be bothered to lend more than a quick honk from their air-conditioned Detroit-powered transportation.

The Spain Train (Captain Hermida)’s decision to reconfigure our rest stops was masterful. Checkpoints 3 & 4 were perfectly separated and added to the near-flawless day we were having. The rest stops were uneventful, save big smiles and laughs, the occasional lobbying by teammates to consider rectally applying one of Jesus’ saltwater vials, and questionable music (really need to work on the playlist next year). Cowboy and Indian were masterful and are just about the greatest thing you’ll see as a cyclist - cold towels, ice water, gatorade, bananas, sandwiches, and just the right encouragement.

We departed Checkpoint 4 and proceeded to cross the treacherous 7-mile bridge. There were plenty of shaking, whizzing-by, and nervous moments, but we cleared the bridge without issue. Just as the collective unclenching commenced, my rear tire decided to unclench from the rim and spew what could only be described as “leche” across the base of the bridge. Tim and Jesus jumped straight into action - no doubt drawn in by said leche - and began working on my complicated tire repair. Our road captains decided it would be best to send the group up the road and continue to Checkpoint 5, which was some 20 miles south. They tasked Danny “The Locomotive” Girado with safely pulling the group down, while Tim, Mario, Jesus, Cam and I (read: the three fast guys, plus me and Cam) stayed back to work on my tire. The Road Captains forgot that The Locomotive had a chip on his shoulder, as Captain Hermida called him a second-tier cyclist in the group chat just days earlier - so he did what any good locomotive with a chip on its shoulder would do, and pulled the life out of his group towards Checkpoint 5. While these events were unfolding, my complicated tire repair was eventually completed, and we were off. “The three fastest guys” decided it would be best if they pulled Cam and I South at over 25mph. At first, this seemed like a great idea - but 4 minutes became 8, which became 15, and it became painfully clear that I would not be able to hold the “fast guy” pace. A Canadian-Cuban standoff ensued, as Cam and I exchanged indirect glances hoping the other would ask the group to slow down. Alas, the Great White North prevailed as I sheepishly begged the group to slow down (and I swear I saw Cam wiping away tears of joy).

We pulled into the final checkpoint and I was properly gassed - and surprised to find the other group in equally bad shape, courtesy of The Locomotive. However the discomfort was short-lived, as the last stop is the party stop. Final refreshments were passed around, a few beers were sippeed, superlatives and accolades were proclaimed, and we reveled in the joy and gratitude that comes from this event.

We mounted our bicycles one last time to complete the final ~20 mile leg to the reception. Within a few moments it would come to our attention that the Mayor was waiting for us, and we were asked (unironically) to “hurry up”. Jackie Suarez made it a point to request updates every 5 minutes, ensuring the last leg felt even longer than usual. We also managed to catch every. Single. Red. Light. Further exasperating the riders as we just wished to see that gorgeous finish line. And just to add a touch of poetic justice, Chris Venutra decided to drop his phone once more, as we approached the final mile of our ride.

The group continued to the Hyatt Centric, where the reception that never gets old awaited us - and once again proved to be the highlight of our ride.

As our resident meteorologist (Eric Stabeneau) would later explain - he forecasted a 1% chance of a small sliver lining up just perfectly so, that would afford us the opportunity to make the ride with minimal rain and thunderstorms. Sometimes, fortune favors the brave, even when the brave are dressed like idiots.

Special shoutout to our awesome rookie class:

Ben “The Kentookan” Carter
Pedro “Matchy-Matchy” Torres
Chris “The Time-Traveling Moviestar” Ventura

Thank you to Tim, Super Mario, Jesus, and Danny “Tier 2” Girado for getting us safely to Key West. And to Stabeneau, Alex, and Cam for the great company and laughs. Congrats to Josh “the Veteran-Rookie” on completing his longest CAC ride to date (maybe next year he’ll make it down to the southernmost point).

Endless appreciation and gratitude for Cowboy, Indian, and Ramon - without your support I’d stay home.

And as always, thank you to Captain Javi Hermida for turning his terrible idea into this beautiful reality.

• To see what the paddlers were doing 6 days leading up to our pedals going up and as we cycled down, click here for their Trip Report and here for the Runner’s Report.