OutRiders teammates Marjorie Rudinsky and Billy Candela take a selfie. (Photo courtesy Rudinsky)

OutRiders is a metro D.C. cycling group for the LGBT community and its allies. Members organize about 60 rides per year from late spring to early fall. Weekend rides range from 20-60 miles with shorter weekday rides after work offered throughout their season.

This week in the Washington Blade All Star series, we meet two LGBT cyclists, both originally from Long Island, who are thriving on two wheels.

Billy Candela didn’t play team sports growing up but enjoyed mountain biking and riding the trails near his house. After graduating from Rochester Institute of Technology, he lived in Honolulu for three years before arriving in D.C. in 2009.

A dislike for the Metro led to Candela cycling to work every day, rain or shine, all year long. His job as a creative director at NPR affords him a locker and a shower after his rides. Looking for more social activities, he found the OutRiders on Meetup.

“I needed some balance in my life and joining the OutRiders has helped me to be more disciplined in pursuing things I enjoy,” Candela says. “It has given me a social connection and a better sense of community.”

Being in the group has ramped up his cycling and he recently stepped into the role of a ride leader for the OutRiders. The position has led to him seeking out new areas for riding.

“I led my first ride this season and mapped out the route in advance. D.C. is so great for cycling and the different routes open up the city in a different way,” Candela says. “Exploring on a bike makes the city seem smaller and more accessible. That’s exciting.”

Candela also does yoga with Stonewall Yoga and has found that his social circle has become more entwined. He has also been a part of the OutRiders contingent in the urban cycling adventure, the 50 States Ride.

“Biking is a community in itself,” Candela says. “Most people put their bikes away after October, but I will still be out on the trails, exploring on my own.”

After graduating from West Point, Marjorie Rudinsky served as a commissioned Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. She was stationed in both Germany and the United States and resigned her commission in 1999 because of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

“I couldn’t live under the policy with my integrity intact. It felt like I wasn’t being true to myself,” Rudinsky says. “The values and principles of West Point become a part of who you are and you live the honor code.”

She went on to graduate from the New Hampshire School of Law and came to D.C. in 2008 to work in the federal government. A lifelong athlete, Rudinsky grew up playing soccer, softball, tennis and basketball. She was on the varsity teams at West Point in soccer and softball.

After arriving in Washington, she stayed active on her own with running and CrossFit before finding the OutRiders on Meetup.

“It has been a fantastic experience with great people who are friendly, helpful and fun,” Rudinsky says. “The ride leaders are dedicated and offer details to help people understand if the ride is something they can complete.”

Rudinsky also points to the meal stops the riders share together as a great opportunity for fellowship, especially if it’s in rural areas of Maryland.

“The fact that this organization offers cycling to the LGBT community is incredible. Wearing our OutRiders gear at events like the Cider Ride or even in restaurants in outlying areas, raises our visibility,” Rudinsky says. “Having an LGBT niche is great and all of us riding together fosters the collegiality of the group.”