Why I Ride Series: Jason Florendo, RN

Leading up to the inaugural Back to You Bike Ride Presented by Hoag Orthopedic Institute (HOI) in partnership with OC Wheelmen on November 18, HOI staff and supporters are sharing “Why I Ride” and the importance that road cycling has to them.

Jason Florendo, RN, RNFA, the Lead Registered Nurse First Assistant at Hoag Orthopedic Institute, shares about his passion for cycling as not only exercise but as a community activity.

As an avid runner who ran half and full marathons and was always interested in endurance sports, Jason shared that he got into cycling after joining HOI in 2015.

“While working at Hoag Orthopedic Institute, I noticed there were many of my colleagues and surgeons that were cycling. I decided to join them on a group ride and fell in love with the sport right away,” he said.

Jason adds that cycling has become very important to him. “ Bike rides afterwork and on weekends is an outlet for me to relieve stress from day to day living.”

His favorite rides are on trails or events.

“I enjoy bike rides on paved trails, specifically the Santa Ana River Trail and a small trail behind our hospital, San Diego Creek Trail. My favorite cycling event would be the Mammoth Century ride every September. I head up to Mammoth with a few of my co-workers and surgeons and we have a great time during, before and after the bike ride.”

Jason shares that he is very excited to be a part of the inaugural Back to You Bike Ride. “I am looking forward to seeing our community come together and enjoy this event. I would hope to see community members as well as hospital staff become enthusiastic about cycling as I am after this ride. I am hoping to see some of our surgical patients participate in this ride. It would be amazing to hear their story about their surgery and how it impacted their fitness pertaining to cycling.”

To learn more about the Back to You Bike Ride, benefiting Hoag Orthopedics, the research and non-profit arm of HOI, please visit https://www.ocwheelmen.org/page/show/8201084-hoag-back-to-you-bike-ride.