Long Beach cyclist defying the odds

Long Beach resident Ronald Malone was among the thousands of elite cyclists who competed in the 2019 Campagnolo Gran Fondo New York World Championship on May 19, a 100-mile race that begins in New York City and heads north to Bear Mountain.

Malone, 52, placed third in his age group — and 30th overall — with a time of four hours, 31 minutes in the largest amateur event in the United States.

“It’s remarkable how hard he works,” said Malone’s close friend, Jimi Chahalis. “He is the combination of a lot of natural talent, determination and focus.”

Malone, a former cross country runner and wrestler at Long Beach High School, has participated in the event since 2012 — he didn’t compete last year — and bested his 2017 time by 20 minutes this year.

It’s no easy feat: the 100-mile course, which begins on the George Washington Bridge, has an 8,500-feet elevation. Malone, who rides a professional Pinarello Dogma bike, was one of 5,500 competitors who rode from the bridge to Bear Mountain, and down to Fort Lee, N.J. — with no breaks and only two water bottles.

“This year was stacked with semi-pro and pro-riders,” Malone said. “You’re riding and trying to catch up with elite guys and doing 25 mph to Bear Mountain, which is really fast on a bike and up a mountain. The steepest thing in Long Beach is our boardwalk ramp. You have 5,000 people trying to squeeze in the roads, trying to get up Bear Mountain.”

GFNY is described as the world’s largest cycling marathon series, with 20 events held in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Indonesia, Italy, Israel, Mexico, Panama, the Philippines, Portugal, Uruguay, and the U.S. Malone, who is sponsored by Merrick Bicycles, was also the third U.S. citizen to place in this year’s competition in New York, he said.

Malone’s wife, Theresa said, “He basically lives on his bike,” and trains for three-hours per day. Malone uses a Zwift virtual training program, which simulates hills and climbs.

“I ride the boardwalk 50,000 times, and I do a lot of my training on the computer,” he said.

The biggest challenge in the course, he said, is the second half, as riders take to Route 9W toward Bear Mountain, before pushing on 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.

“The majority of the bigger climbs are one the second half, where it’s more mountainous,” he said.

Though he was always athletic and participated in triathlons, Malone said he began racing competitively at age 45.

“I was a runner and played around with triathlons and then retired, and kind of stopped at 40 to build a home in Long Beach,” he said.

It wasn’t until he met Chahalis, who was doing the flooring in Malone’s new home, who encouraged him to race competitively.

“He got me back into it, and I started racing and then I went to France,” Malone said.

As the Herald reported in 2016, 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.

At age 45, even though he had some doubts about entering a professional competition, Malone purchased a professional bike and started training.

“It’s been awesome and that’s why I keep doing it,” he said. “My wife has been super excited and there’s been great feedback from people in town. Believe it or not, since I started doing this and doing so well, I do it to motivate the younger generation.”

Malone finished third out of 344 riders in the 50-54 age bracket in the recent GFNY world championship, and friends said that placing 30th overall is unheard of for someone his age. Malone also trains aspiring cyclists at The Original Members Biking Club, a Long Island-based cycling organization.

“Ronnie’s biggest contribution is his ability to inspire athletes to do their best,” Chahalis said. “There will be a lot of cyclists who would not be as good as they are if it wasn’t for Ronnie taking them under their wing.”