Today we’d like to introduce you to David Loredo.
Hi David, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Pride Bike Ride Houston started with passion for cycling and community. Fun fact about our great city: Houston has an ultra-diverse cycling community! There is a plethora of cycling groups for all different levels of fitness, bicycle types, all parts of town, themed rides, and the list goes on and on. Being part of such a vast community of groups, I couldn’t help but notice there was one thing missing…. LGBTQ+ representation.
Starting our group on paper was easy. Make a Facebook group and invite everyone you know. Literally everyone I invited to the group was a friend I made while on a bike ride, family, and friends that wouldn’t touch a bike with a ten-foot pole. After building a small presence on the Facebook group (about 20 members), it was time for the next step. Make a Facebook event and hope someone shows up! After making the event and meeting everyone at a local meetup spot (at the time was Market Square Park), I was pleasantly surprised that people showed up. A whole six people.
Being used to local social rides with twenty folks or more (at times, hundreds), seeing such a low number of attendees never discouraged me. In fact, it inspired me to continue with the job. With time, patience, and sticking to our scheduled weekly rides, our ride grew. Not only in numbers, but in presence. Four years later, we have evolved to a well-known group that is established, empowered, and a symbol of what community really is. I personally would like to give a big thank you to the Houston Eagle for allowing their establishment to be Pride Bike Ride’s HQ. Thanks to them, our group has a home, the word gets out, and their friendship with our group has been tremendous for exposure and growth. So again, a million thanks to everyone who works hard for our group on Tuesdays!
Pride Bike Ride Houston is a friendly, empowering, and fierce group of friends who share a passion for cycling, good times, and exploring Houston on two-wheels. Our group has individuals from all walks of life, and we have created a bond that is so strong, it’s really hard to detail and can be summed up into one word. BikeFam.
It is with hopes that I bring not only fun, but inspiration to our riders. Aside from our weekly Social Rides, we now have long distance rides from Houston to Galveston, we participate annually on the MS150 as a team (From Houston to Austin and now Houston to College Station), and so many more rides that challenge even the seasoned cyclist. Guess what, our riders challenged themselves by doing long-distance rides, and not only did they kill it… but they want more!
Since we started in 2018, things have changed. Our Facebook group now has 2.4K members. We now meet at the Houston Eagle for our Tuesday Social Ride with a sharp roll-out at 7:30PM. Our weekly attendance has been a constant 40+ cyclists and we hope that by you reading this article, will come out and join us! Feel free to join our Facebook Group for all the tea, events, and community: Pride Bike Ride Houston
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Absolutely not. Right when Pride Bike Ride was gaining traction, we were unfortunately hit with the pandemic, and that’s when our group went into hibernation for almost a year. We did try a few times to meet safely and outdoors only, but it was always too much of a risk, and that’s when I decided to pull the plug until Covid numbers went down. Just as I was ready to have everyone return a second time for our weekly social rides, my brother passed away. My family suffered deeply, and they were my number one priority during our time of grieving. Weirdly enough, my only therapy was riding my bike. When I could, I did. Even when it was just around the block. It was the only time I could allow myself to be happy. I knew then, it was time for our comeback, and on March 30, 2021, I pulled the trigger. From that moment forward, we were back in the game, and nothing is stopping us.
I sincerely want to tell everyone in our group thank you from the bottom of my heart. You really have inspired me and pulled me out of the dark hole I was in. There is not limit to the amount of love I have for each and everyone of you. To my mom, thank you for pushing me and supporting me to continue this journey. To German, I love you thank you for supporting my passion and sharing me with the group of amazing people.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
So, when I’m not in spandex and two-wheels, I work in Finance for an engineering firm.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
The Daily by NYT, This American Life, and RadioLab.
To my brother Roland, you loved everyone, literally, every single person you’ve ever come across. I only dream to be half the man you are. It is with the upmost pleasure that I dedicate all of my ambitions in your honor.
Contact Info:
- Email: pridebikeridehouston@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pridebikeridehouston
Image Credits
David Loredo
