Recently my wife and I completed the Great Allegheny Passage and C&O Canal trails from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. After dropping off our rental car in Homestead, just east of Pittsburgh, we had a bit of trouble finding the GAP’s historic Pumphouse trailhead, our planned jumping off point.

Eventually we encountered a very nice man on a bicycle who pointed the way. He was an experienced cyclist, and when I asked him – as I often do when talking to cyclists from out of state – whether he had ever done a Bike Florida tour he snorted and said:
“Nah, too damned hot.”

I got pretty much the same response during at least two other conversations on our six-day journey. And such an assumption would be absolutely correct if Bike Florida ran its weeklong tour in, say, July or August. But I suspect that participants of our recently concluded Orange Blossom Express tour would have taken issue with the “too damned hot” assertion. On at least two evenings during the OBE temperatures dipped down into the 30s, making for decidedly brisk tenting weather.

Bike Florida, of course, conducts its annual week-long tour in the early spring, usually around the end of March or the beginning of April. These are primo touring weeks in Florida; the absolute best time to ride in the Sunshine State: Cool, breezy days and even cooler nights. Heat and humidity are seldom an issue during our spring tours, and although rain is not unheard of, the usual Florida sumer cycle of late afternoon thunderstorms are still weeks away by the time our tour wraps up.

There is a reason why Bike Florida attracts so many riders from the Northeast and Midwest: Many participants are coming from places where there is still snow on the ground, and our spring tour is literally the first opportunity they have had in weeks, if not months, to get out on the road. In that regard, Bike Florida offers a superb conditioning ride for cyclists who plan to participate in Bike Virginia, RAGBRAI, BRAG and other cross-state tours.

So, no, it’s not “too damned hot” to come to Florida for our annual spring tour. And next year’s tour (March 22-28) is going to be especially inviting; it’s our 20th anniversary and it’ll be a festive affair. We’ll journey from Palatka, on the St. Johns River, to Ormond Beach to St. Augustine. There will be back country roads, beautiful stretches of coastline, funky beach towns and….oh yeah, a party in America’s oldest city.

Listen, we may be in for a hot time on our 20th anniversary tour. But I can assure you it won’t be too damned hot.

Like its Italian namesake, Florida’s City of Venice has a grand canal that stretches for four or five miles.
This canal is lined on both sides, not by cathedrals, and villas, but rather by a well-used greenway known as the Venetian Waterway Park.
On a recent day I battled a stiff headwind to tour the park. Expensive yachts and modest fishing skiffs alike navigated the canal, all the while flanked by dozens of cyclists, runners and strollers.
At the city’s historic restored train depot the VWP Trail connects with The Legacy Trail, which runs more than 10 miles north into Sarasota. It traverses wetlands and palmetto scrubs and affords users handy access to white sand and blue sea vistas on Casey and Siesta keys.
It is not for nothing that Venice recently joined Gainesville as the only other Florida city to be awarded silver-level bicycle friendly status by the League of American Bicyclists. Cyclists are everywhere in this beachside resort town.
Mayor John Holic told me that Venice intends to “go for the gold,” and surpass Gainesville as Florida’s most bicycle friendly city. Popular amenities like the Venetian Waterfront Park and Legacy Trail will certainly help that effort.
And Venice isn’t the only community possessed by trail fever. From Fernandina Beach, on the northeastern edge of Florida’s Atlantic coast, a new greenway runs the length of Amelia Island, past the expensive hotels and condos, to connect with another greenway on Big Talbot Island.
Farther to the south sections of a trail that will eventually connect St. Augustine to Palatka are open. Palatka has ambitions to become a major Florida trail hub, and work is progressing on a greenway to link that city on the St. Johns River to Keystone Heights and points north and west.
These are not pie-in-the-sky projects. They are shrewd quality of life investments. The City of Dunedin has undergone a downtown renaissance thanks to the Pinellas Trail. A series of trails in Central Florida had an estimated $42 million impact on the regional economy in 2010 alone. A study cited by the state’s Office of Greenways and Trails indicates that every $1 million invested in multi-trail systems produces about 10 new jobs.
“The repeated annual economic impact of cyclists has been estimated to be nine times the one-time cost to build bicycle facilities,” states OGT’s website.
Florida’s vast and expending trail system may be our state’s best kept secret. From the Nature Coast Trail that crosses the Suwannee River to the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail to a greenway that spans the Overseas Highway from Key West to the mainland, Florida can boost some of America’s most extensive and impressive trail fragments.
And that’s the problem, Florida’s trails are so fragmented that their full economic and recreational potential remains unrealized. This despite a longstanding state greenways master plan that envisions connecting many of these isolated segments into an “integrated statewide network.”
Nature-based tourism, “eco-tourism” if you will, is fast becoming an economic powerhouse. A Visit Florida study indicates that nearly 75 percent of the tourists who come here participate in nature-based activities – cycling, kayaking, bird-watching, hiking and the like. Tourists who are interested in multi-day cycle tours, but who are afraid to venture out on the state’s congested highways, constitute a potentially huge untapped market.
All of which is good reason for Gov. Rick Scott to not veto a $50 million allocation in the new proposed state budget. That money will be spent to begin linking up a series of existing Central Florida greenways into a 200-mile “Coast to Coast Connector” from Tampa Bay to Titusville.
This was not one Scott’s budget priorities, but his Department of Environmental Protection supports bridging the 72-miles of gaps necessary to make the connector a reality.
“If you have a large trail that doesn’t have bits and pieces missing from it, it really becomes an attraction,” Patrick Gillespie, DEP spokesman, told the Tampa Tribune. “Then you’ve got people staying in those communities, spending money in those communities, and that’s where you get your economic impact.”
Scott has made economic development a cornerstone of his administration. Spending $50 million to connect fragments of trails is a good investment in Florida’s ecotourism future.
If Scott doubts that potential, he ought to take a day off and cycle the Venetian Waterfront Park and Legacy Trail. The experience will certainly put a smile on his face…and quite possibly put dollar signs in his eyes.
Ron Cunningham is former editorial page editor of The Sun. He is also Executive Director of Bike Florida.

The last time I was in downtown Tampa, maybe 8 years ago, I was on a bicycle and had a rather spirited exchange with a red-faced gentleman in a pickup truck.

It was a contention over lane rights of the sort that happens a thousand times a day in AutoAmerica. From the driver’s point of view I simply didn’t belong there. And to be fair, I could see his point. Tampa regularly makes the list of the nation’s most deadly cities for cyclists and pedestrians; along Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami.

But I love urban cycling. I’ve ridden in Chicago, New York, Denver, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C and in most Florida metros. It’s the best way I know to connect with the heart and rhythm of a city.

And here’s the thing. We often forget that cities exist to bring people, not automobiles, together.

Last week I returned to Tampa and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the city on the bay is slowly and methodically making efforts to be a more walkable and bikable community.

I saw bike lanes and bike paths where none had existed before. Police cars had bumper stickers reminding motorists that they must allow three-feet of clearance when passing a bicycle. A safety education initiative called Walk Wise/Bike Smart is aimed at improving the survival rate among pedestrians and cyclists. Soon, Tampa will join some 40 other American cities in launching a bike share program.

I was in town because U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood had chosen Tampa to host the Southeast Regional Bicycle Safety Summit. LaHood took a bicycle tour of Tampa’s Riverwalk area, and then announced a national campaign to dramatically reduce the number of pedestrian and cycling deaths in America.

“We need to have zero tolerance for people who don’t respect cyclists,” he said in opening the summit. “If somebody is not respectful of cyclists, there needs to be a penalty involved. We need to continue this effort until we reduce cyclist deaths to zero. What a great goal.”

It is a paradox unique to our auto-oriented culture that while highway deaths in general have been on the decline for years, cycling and pedestrian fatality rates continue to rise. And Florida is the most dangerous state of all for people who desire to get from one place to another without the assistance of an automobile.

More than 500 cyclists died in Florida between 2006 and 2010, LaHood said. In 2008 alone Florida, with about 6 percent of the nation’s population, accounted for 17 percent of all cycling deaths and more than 11 percent of pedestrian fatalities.

Reducing that fatality rate won’t be easy, cheap or quickly accomplished. It was require a concerted effort on three fronts: Engineering improvements – more bike lanes, bike paths, sidewalks and so on – enhanced education, and, yes, tougher enforcement. Police not only need to crack down on careless motorists, but get tough on jaywalkers and errant cyclists who put themselves at risk.

“Police officers aren’t as educated about pedestrian laws and bicycle laws as they should be,” Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office Major Tim Burton admitted during a panel discussion. “It’s just not a hot topic at the police academy.”

Moving the needle downward on bike-ped deaths in a nation that designed its roadways to facilitate fast driving may sound like a fool’s errand. What LaHood is talking about will require nothing less than a fundamental change in the very culture of American driving.

But he reminds us that over the past 20 years, thanks to tougher laws and “Click It or Ticket” campaigns, seat belt use in America went from practically nonexistent to 86 percent among current drivers.

And it required organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving to help stigmatize the deadly habit of drinking and driving before lawmakers would finally respond with “zero tolerance” DUI laws.

What’s at stake is the very livability of our communities, “a society we can all enjoy,” said David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

“Frankly, getting ourselves out of cars and walking and riding makes us a healthier, happier and ultimately more cohesive nation.”

Share the road, America. It belongs to us all.

Ron Cunningham is the executive director of Bike Florida.

For those of you who may have missed the Lang’s Taste of Florida booth at Bok Tower Gardens, here’s a photo of their award-winning Grapefruit Pie:

YUM!!

The 2013 Orange Blossom Express has ended, and what a ride!  The opening weekend in Lakeland offered great rides and on Sunday, great wind.  Clermont delivered on hills and chills with a cold front that plummeted temperatures into the low 40′s overnight.  Not to be outdone, Lake Wales made up for their warmer temperatures by providing our campers with cold showers.  Hey!  I was one of them!  I suffered with you and have witnesses.

The Express may have jumped the tracks a few times, but overall it was a delight of sights and fruit smells with more orange groves than you could have ever imagined.  Fresh grapefruit and oranges from the Florida Department of Citrus and juices from Florida’s Natural were a real treat.  The final evening at Bok Tower Gardens did indeed become an affair to remember and it was an honor to share a childhood memory of natural wonder that lives on today.  My memories of Bok Tower will now include a taste of delicious grapefruit pie and orange chocolate bark paired with an adult beverage.

Oh, and one final memory, the view from the top balcony of Bok Tower.  That’s right, I made it to the top!

Becky did make an appearance on the Bok Tower balcony..the top balcony!

A BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors, the cities we visited and all of their support groups, every law enforcement officer who assisted our riders, our overnight facility hosts, our non-riding volunteers, our riding volunteers, the Bike Florida team, my tour staff and the participants of the 2013 Orange Blossom Express.  I look forward to another great tour for our 20th Anniversary in 2014.

Cycle Safe!

Becky Afonso

Hello cyclists. My name’s Ron Cunningham and I’m the new executive director of Bike Florida. If you are planning to attend our Orange Blossom Express tour next month please stop by the headquarters tent and say hello. The whole Bike Florida team, Becky Afonso, our ride director; Ken Foster, our Share The Road Marketing Director, and our dedicated board members and volunteers are committed to making this year’s tour an unforgettable experience for riders.

How do you not make a few train associations when your tour is called “Orange Blossom Express” and your routes cross railroad track after railroad track after railroad track?  ‘All Aboard!’ and ‘Next Stop!’ are natural expressions to use, but when it comes to ‘Final Stop!’, well, it’s just so final.  I mean, why would you want something so much fun to end?  But end it must, the tour that is, and our final route back to Lakeland will have a few stops worth making before reaching the end.

A look at the Moos

The ride out of Lake Wales goes by the downtown before heading out to citrus groves and cow pastures.  You may find yourself cruising so fast on these flats you won’t want to stop!  One stop you don’t want to miss comes around mile 25 at Homeland.

MOO!

The Homeland Heritage Park rest stop will showcase Polk County’s only existing historical park.  This five-acre park has many historical sites and buildings in period furnishings such as:

• Homeland School (1878);
• Old Homeland Methodist Church (1887);
• Former Methodist parsonage and church annex;
• The Raulerson House (1880);
• The English family’s log cabin and barn (1888).

From this stop it is on to Bartow and the Polk County History Center rest stop.

Leaving Bartow the route takes the Fort Fraser Trail to CR 540A.  This trail has informative markers and inspirational quotes that are much more enjoyable to take in than riding along the high-speed traffic on Highway 98.

Don’t miss the messages on the power poles

I read this while riding into a 30 mph head wind

OK, you’re going to curse the ride director one last time as there is one last “climb” towards Sun n’ Fun – try to remember all the inspirational thoughts you read on the trail.  Enjoy a cool treat at the end of the ride and spend the rest of the year getting ready for our 20th Anniversary tour in 2014!  ‘Final Stop’ meet ‘What’s Next’ – see you there!

Schwinn Mule and I at the finish

Blogger’s Note:  This will be the first Bike Florida spring tour to take place in central Florida and I doubt it will be the last.  Polk and Lake counties have too much to offer to the touring cyclist.  My Orange Blossom Express recon ride was both challenging and memorable – a cycling adventure I had no idea was in my own backyard until I rode it.  Have a great time and may the Orange be with you!

Bok Tower Gardens, this folks, is what I consider Old School Florida Tourism.

My Bok Tower story is not a bicycle “recon ride” story per se as it is a story about a dream, a dream that will come true and when it does, it will be a story worth sharing.  My dream is to end the 2013 Bike Florida Orange Blossom Express spring bicycle tour at Bok Tower Gardens.

Bok Tower

And by end, I’m not saying the actual ride ends at Bok Tower Gardens, the ride will actually end where it started, at Sun n’ Fun in Lakeland.  What I’m saying is the final evening of the tour, while in Lake Wales, will be an affair to remember at Bok Tower Gardens.

Imagine this lawn..

Yes, this lawn

..filled with an after hours private party of 750 cyclists enjoying citrus and chocolate dessert delights created by local chefs while sipping adult beverages, some of the carbonated sort that are served with orange slices.  Yes, this is how I dream.

And as this private party enjoys the surrounding natural beauty of the gardens during a full moon lit night, the 60-bell carillon will play two sets as the sun sets on what will be my first Bike Florida as ride director.  This dream is destined to come true..

Bells will be ringing

..the “Singing Tower” will sing and I will thank everyone involved for the energy and effort to make this dream come true.

Special 2-4-1 entrance deal for OBE participants March 23-29!

I know this because arrangements have been made and Bok Tower Gardens is hosting our final evening of the tour.

It’s not that I’ve had this dream since I was seven, which would have been my age when I first visited Bok Tower Gardens, no, nothing like that.  The memories of the gardens, however, did remind me of something special and this is what I wished to share with our Orange Blossom Express participants.

The history of Bok Tower is a fascinating read, as is the story of the man who made his dream a reality, Edward W. Bok.  Edward Bok established the gardens and tower in 1929 as a gift to the American people, inspired by the words of his grandmother, “Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it.”

If you opt not to ride any of the supported routes on Thursday, a day at the gardens will be a joy.

Spend the day in nature

To fully experience the true essence of the gardens through its many experiences – a historic Olmsted landscape garden, the majesty and music of the Singing Tower carillon, Pinewood Estate mansion tour, the museum exhibits, café, gift shop and more – it is recommended that you plan a minimum of three to four hours.

Spending the day at the gardens will enrich your soul, and the evening activities will be a treat.  I did an evening recon of the gardens during one of their sunset concerts – to be in the gardens in the quiet of twilight as a full moon rises and coats the grounds with a faded light is an unique experience.  There are torches (real fire!) placed about every 50 feet along the paths and surprisingly, everyone speaks in hushed whispers and once the bells sound, no talk at all.  There are plenty of benches placed throughout the gardens to sit and relax.

I realize the accompanying photos are fuzzy, but I do think they capture the ambience of the evening.

The tower will glow from within

The Tower at the reflection pool while still glowing from within

Lights out as the concert ends

When the interior Tower lights go off, leaving only the shine on the brass door, a still silence falls upon the gardens that, on that night, was magical.  I don’t know if 750 cyclists will enjoy the same silence, but by day or night, the Gardens will instill a lasting memory.  A celebration of beauty, nature and music.. with dessert and drinks!  Not only will you enjoy the tour, you’re also going to love how it ends.

Of course, there is still one more ride, from Lake Wales back to Lakeland, and I’ll get to that next, stay tuned.

I was completely relaxed and ready for the trek to Lake Wales after my Huff n’ Puff metric accomplishment.  The morning ride out of Clermont has its scenic moments around Lake Minnehaha, but the road has no shoulder and paying attention during commuter traffic is highly recommended.

Our first rest stop is scheduled to take place at Dream Big Horse Club Rescue.  We hear the horses love people and may be out to greet OBE participants.  The second rest stop will be back at the Van Fleet State Trail.  This time from the trail head, you will ride 10 miles of straightaway to the south to end at Polk City.  Polk City is one option for a lunch stop; local restaurants and City Council members are teaming together to bring their products to the trail head for sale.

Somewhere between Polk City and Haines City, I found a photo op I couldn’t resist.

The second option for a lunch stop is Haines City.  Wednesday is Farmer’s Market day in downtown Haines City, so expect some pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

The Schwinn Mule made it to the heartland of Florida!

As enjoyable as this ride as been, I feel obligated to warn you, you have to climb out of Haines City to get to Lake Wales.  In fact, the remaining 15 miles to Lake Wales will have rollers and vistas as it follows the Lake Wales Ridge via the Ridge Scenic Highway.

Road to Lake Wales with Bok Tower way in the distance, on the left.

This was actually quite fun, but I may have been delirious from the previous day’s Huff n’ Puff metric.  Suffice to say, cold beer and hot bath preceded a nice dinner out.

The Lake Wales layover day can be spent many different ways.  If you choose the Frostproof metric, you will ride the first part of the Lake Kissimmee State Park route, the part that gets you to the park, before breaking away to head to Frostproof.

The ride to Lake Kissimmee State Park has a nice mix of citrus groves and pastures.  The pastures before the park entrance will help get you in the spirit of a park attraction, Cow Camp.

Schwinn Mule at Cow Camp entrance

Cow Camp is described as this:  Enter the year 1876, where you’ll find a cow hunter talking about his life in a living history demonstration. View scrub cattle brought here by the Spanish in the 1500s.

This attraction is normally a weekend only event, but the park will graciously have it open for us on Thursday during the tour.  Word of caution, it’s a dirt road off of the main paved road to get to Cow Camp.  I managed on the hybrid, but for the skinny road tires, I would consider walking, which isn’t far and has a nice little surprise:

Canal crossing to Cow Camp

In addition to Cow Camp, the park has kayak rentals and Segway tours available, more information on these and other activities can be found here.  I know this will sound funny, but I don’t recall seeing the lake while I was in the park.  Must have been too busy enjoying other things.

Taking a break by the ol’ oak tree

Leaving the park, you have the choice of going back to Lake Wales, or continue on the Frostproof metric route, which is also being shared by the day’s century option.  The road to Frostproof goes through the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest.  The treat comes at the Lake Weohyakapka rest stop, and then you ride along Reedy Lake before going through the groves to reach Frostproof.

Reedy Lake

Going through the Groves

Whoa! Fresh picked oranges ahead!

The Frostproof Chamber will set up a lunch stop at the Depot.  I recommend saving some room for dessert, a dessert that can be found on the north side of town as you head back to Lake Wales.  Look for Frostbite Ice Cream on your left, the chocolate malt was wonderful.

My absolute favorite part of the entire recon ride comes heading out of Frostproof back towards Lake Wales.  Utilizing the Ridge Scenic Highway, you pedal towards this:

Riding into..

..Lake Moody?..

..not into, around Lake Moody, and then climbing up towards Babson Park!

This was fun!  Your definition may vary.  I realize this may not be for everyone, which is why it’s an option ride.  You may opt to ride to Bok Tower Gardens to spend the day, and that ride will take you up a hill and through citrus groves as well.  You may wish to walk across the street from the school just to look at Spook Hill, it’s that close.  Whatever you choose to do, it’s your day to enjoy.  I will encourage everyone, however, to attend the Thursday evening activities at Bok Tower Gardens, and the next story will highlight why, stay tuned.

When it finally came time to ride the connector routes self-contained for recon, I was happy to have clear skies and moderate temperatures.  I checked the weather for the week and a cool front was approaching, so I had to pack accordingly.  Always be prepared.

Ready to leave Sun n’ Fun and head to Clermont

The Schwinn Mule seemed to weigh more than it did at last year’s recon ride, and I figure the bike with gear to weigh about 70 pounds..80?  One of these recon rides, I’m going to weigh the darn thing.  My estimate is based on whether or not I can lift the rear of the bike, and this year it was not an easy feat to accomplish.

That said, the challenge with the weight is parking the darn thing while I do things, like talk to convenience store owners about Rest Stop use, that sort of thing.

You have to lean the mule just right..

OK, don’t try this at home – when out and about, always lock your bike!  For the recon, I figure if someone was going to attempt to ride off with the Schwinn, I was going to applaud.  And then easily run to catch them.  Seriously, the average speed I maintained while riding was 10mph.

But enough about the bike, let’s talk about the route.  The ride out of Sun n’ Fun will start along some farmland, then goes under busy Interstate 4, and then back to the country.  Within 5 miles, you will have forgotten what Urban sprawl is and admire the Spanish moss on the oak trees, the cows, and a part of Real Florida not seen by many.  But do pay attention to the route, the Swindell “steps” will seem like fun until you miss the left turn onto Walker Road.

A Polk County moo

As you meander through the northwestern end of Polk County, you will make your approach to the Green Swamp.  The road will seem endless, but the scenery will make up for it, especially if you like cows.

I happen to like cows

Rockridge Road (go ahead you “Blazing Saddles” fans, get it out of your system..ROCK RIDGE!?!) will start a 15-mile stretch of back road leading to the Van Fleet State Trail.  Thankfully, it is not a long straight shot the entire way; it has twists and turns and about half way through, you will wonder if you are still on the route.  We know exactly where to put the “Still on Route” sign.

What is a long straight shot is the Van Fleet State Trail.  For 10 miles, this straight path cuts through the Green Swamp and offers the opportunity to see some wildlife, including gators (do I need to tell you NOT to feed the gators?).  You will know you are approaching the time to turn off the trail when you see the construction of new facilities being added to the Bay Lake trail head.  We won’t know the exact status of this construction until just before the event, but I will say, you may have to dismount your bike to walk a little bit around the construction, but then you are right back on the road and heading towards the hills of Clermont.

Remember this pasture..it may be the last “flat” you see for two days

Before heading to Clermont, one last area of flat and a unique “Lunch Stop” will be had at the Lake County Pasture Reserve.  Food Trucks will be at the ready and refueling is encouraged to face the remaining 16 miles.  Yes, there are hills, and yes, you can complete the ride.  I know this because the Schwinn Mule made it to Clermont, and if I can do it on that bike…

For my Clermont layover day, I rode the “Huff n’ Puff” metric century.  I did it with what I call Schwinn Mule Lite.  Oh, I had gear in the side baskets, but not fully loaded and the rear was easy enough to lift.  One particular item of gear was a can of blue spray paint.  I brought this along with me for one reason and one reason only – to mark the places where I dismounted the bike and walked a hill.  Of the 507 miles of recon route I rode, I am proud to say there are only THREE places where you will see the mark of “SM” on an incline of a climb (SM=Schwinn Mule).  My challenge to you, if you haven’t seen the blue SM, keep climbing!  Oh, and all three marks will be seen on this Huff n’ Puff route.

Schwinn Mule Lite at the start of Huff n’ Puff metric

The Huff n’ Puff metric (metric = 62 miles, but our routes may vary) has at least four of what the Horrible Hundred event calls ‘the mountains of Florida’.  The “SM” will appear on Buckhill, Sugarloaf Mountain (which, by the way, only took 8 minutes to walk) and a special evil incline found on Scrub Jay.  I don’t know if Scrub Jay is considered one of the mountains, it’s not a big deal, it’s just a pain of an incline.  Feel free to curse the ride director when you hit Scrub Jay, you are still on the outskirts of town and no one will hear you.

Riding out of Ferndale

The payoff for riding the Huff n’ Puff metric comes around mile 32, the Yalaha Bakery.

Yum!

I always buy at least one peanut butter cookie when I visit.  And if you don’t have a sweet tooth, there’s the deli, serving sandwiches on fresh bread and beer to wash it all down.

If you don’t know where to start, this may help

This special oasis is only on the Huff n’ Puff metric and Lake County century routes – you deserve it.  But don’t get too comfortable, the ride back is where your love of climb is tested.

Don’t get too comfortable, there are hills to climb!

Once you leave the bakery and head back towards Clermont, you will start to see those blue “SM” marks.  Buckhill will be the first test.  There are three climbs to it and I dismounted only one.  I remember getting back on the bike, riding up another crest, thinking the worst was over, and then seeing before me from the apex another descent to another climb.  I rode this out of spite.

From Buckhill there is a lull before the Sugarloaf challenge.  I know it doesn’t look like much, but you will rethink that about five strokes into the ascent.

Only took 8 minutes to walk!

The “SM” mark is at a tree just after a set of mailboxes, I just couldn’t get any momentum to attack this properly.  Once at the top, it is quite the view, and the ride down is kinda fun, just watch out for loose gravel on a few turns.

Now that I’m feeling all good about walking Sugarloaf, and knowing there are about 10 miles left to go, I hit the turn onto Scrub Jay, and that is exactly what it felt like, a hit..as in a wall.  I laugh now as I laughed then because unless you truly love climbing, you will be cursing the ride director.  I know I let out a choice expletive before dismounting, and then laughed while retrieving the spray paint.  When you complete this ride and still have enough in you to find the ride director to voice your love/hate of this particular turn, do know that I can honestly say, “I felt your pain.”  And then remember I was on a Schwinn.

At this juncture I would like to tell you the worst is over, but like any evil ride director, I put one more hill in the mix, probably a mountain I don’t know the name of, but there it is.  I assure you, this is the final test.  My motivation to complete this climb was cold beer and a hot bath, yours may vary.  Suffice to say, the motivation worked, there will be no “SM” on this climb, and I felt really good about that, especially while enjoying a bath and beer.

Next up – Clermont to Lake Wales and Bok Tower