If you’re from the frozen northern reaches of our great country, what could be more appealing than heading to Florida in January? Little did I know that it would be all of 15 degrees when I arrived in Tallahassee in the middle of the month (while it was 30 degrees in Missoula!).Fortunately, the Florida cold was offset by the warm welcome I received from many hundreds of cyclists up and down the state. I was there to meet Adventure Cycling members and donors, see cycling conditions on the ground, talk with the media (great article in the Tallahassee Democrat), and work on U.S. Bicycle Routes with transportation officials from Georgia and Florida
Frankly, it was an exciting trip, and I came away more hopeful than I expected about the cycling future of Florida, which sometimes has a less-than-stellar reputation for safety. We had turn-outs at evening gatherings of 55 to 90 (including ambitious cycling adventurers like mother-daughter combo Rosemary Taugher and Chelsea Taugher-Dias) in Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Orlando, Coral Gables, and Tampa. We also had sizable turn-outs at morning and afternoon sessions in Fort Myers, St. Augustine (terminus of Adventure Cycling’s Southern Tier route), the Villages (near Ocala), and West Palm Beach. Special thanks to the Florida Bicycle Association, the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and incoming Adventure Cycling board member Donna O’Neal for helping spread the word.
I also met with leaders of efforts to establish extensive new trail networks in northern Florida (First Coast Trails Coalition) and the southern part of the state (River of Grass Greenway), which will establish safer cycling facilities on the coast and through the Everglades.
Finally and perhaps best of all, I had a fantastic time riding with the Ballroom Bicycling Brigade, a group of 12- to 18-year old young folks around Clearwater, who are raising funds right now to ride the entire Underground Railroad Bicycle Route this summer. After practicing pace lines with them, my advice to you is: drop them a line and drop them a few dollars to help with their inspiring journey.
On the last day of my trip, I got up early and pedaled through the early Florida dawn to join George and Isidro Mendes on the beach in Venice, Florida, to launch their 1,200 mile loop around
top photo: George and Isidro Mendes with Adventure Cycling's Jim Sayer at Casperson Beach in Venice, Florida
lower top photo: Riding along behind the Ballroom Bicycling Brigade on the Pinellas Trail
lower photo: Jim with Maureen Bonness (l) and Patty Huff (r), who are working on the River of Grass Greenway
photos courtesy of Jim Sayer and Patty Huff
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Jim Sayer is executive director of Adventure Cycling Association.
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Cycling has always been a passion of mine. While other drove motorized vehicles I cycled almost everywhere until I was in my early twenties. I enjoy seeing the adventurous spirit of the cyclists young and "young at heart" portrayed in this blog.
ReplyDeleteOur part of Florida near Rainbow Springs has some really nice bike paths through forested areas and natural preserves.
Biking through Ocala are some of my fondest memories, thank you for triggering them.
ReplyDeleteIf you are planning a cycling tour in North Florida don't forget the Withlacoochee State Trailthere.
ReplyDeleteIt occupies approximately 46 miles of an abandoned railroad right-of-way, passing through three counties (Citrus, Hernando and Pasco) en route from Citrus Springs in Citrus County to Trilby in Pasco County. The most prominent natural feature within the Withlacoochee Trail corridor is the flood plane of the Withlacoochee River.
The trail intersects this flood plane in several locations, allowing visitors to observe flood plane habitats and lakes.
Enjoy!