Florida Cyclists

Hello all I live near Jacksonville (NE Florida) and I am new to cycling but I run cross country for my High School and really like cycling so far, I really don't know much of anything about where rides are or where to find out. Also, if anybody knows a place to ride in Ponte Vedra I'd appreciate it.

I'm from the Tampa Bay area, southern Riverview to be exact. I'm doing my first cat 5 race this thursday and plan on moving to cat 3 by the end of this season 🙂

If there's anyone out there who would like a(nother) riding partner, feel free to email me at [email hidden]

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by stone61cm
I'm from the Tampa Bay area, southern Riverview to be exact. I'm doing my first cat 5 race this thursday and plan on moving to cat 3 by the end of this season 🙂

If there's anyone out there who would like a(nother) riding partner, feel free to email me at [email hidden]

FYI, in order to make it to cat 4 you need to do one of two things; either complete 10 races and then request an upgrade with USCF or win at least one race. The most difficult part of winning a race is that in cat 5 you race with the cat 4's. Secondly to move to cat 3 you need to place in the top 5 for I believe 5 races, which will make it very difficult to move up that quickly.

I can appreciate you motivation, but take it from someone who was hoping for the same result be the end of the season. The idea of moving up in the categories is great but is much harder than it looks. Unless you have previous racing experience you will see that in cat 4, 5 races are very fast and very unpredictable. I do hope you make it to cat 4 by the end of this season, but expect cat 3 next season.

I have raced in 5 races this season and so far all I have been hoping for in the races is to complete them, I'm finally in good enough shape that I can place but I have found a couple of sand baggers in my cat., thats what I get for racing only in local races. Anyway good luck in your venture, once I'm in cat 4 probably in mid July I will start to travel around the state for points series.

Email me if you have in questions.

Hey im jen one of my friends does cycling and i have been looking up sum stuff and i was wondering if you could answer a few of my questions about it???? ...cause i 've gotten pretty interested in it ....
Thanx And Good bye

Hi,
Newbie in the Miami area. I've been looking for a group or individual that will ride with a rookie.

Cheers

Hey umm im not answering your reply 4 a partner but i was wondering if you could answer some of my questions ??? it would be great if you could

firegooroo said:

FYI, in order to make it to cat 4 you need to do one of two things; either complete 10 races and then request an upgrade with USCF or win at least one race. The most difficult part of winning a race is that in cat 5 you race with the cat 4's. Secondly to move to cat 3 you need to place in the top 5 for I believe 5 races, which will make it very difficult to move up that quickly.

I can appreciate you motivation, but take it from someone who was hoping for the same result be the end of the season. The idea of moving up in the categories is great but is much harder than it looks. Unless you have previous racing experience you will see that in cat 4, 5 races are very fast and very unpredictable. I do hope you make it to cat 4 by the end of this season, but expect cat 3 next season.

I have raced in 5 races this season and so far all I have been hoping for in the races is to complete them, I'm finally in good enough shape that I can place but I have found a couple of sand baggers in my cat., thats what I get for racing only in local races. Anyway good luck in your venture, once I'm in cat 4 probably in mid July I will start to travel around the state for points series.

Email me if you have in questions.

Jen_Jen said:

Hey umm im not answering your reply 4 a partner but i was wondering if you could answer some of my questions ??? it would be great if you could

Very sorry I haven't had a chance to get to this site lately feel free to ask away if you wish email me directly or on the forum.

email is [email hidden]

I hope I can help. 🙂

Zer0hmz said:

Hi,
Newbie in the Miami area. I've been looking for a group or individual that will ride with a rookie.

Cheers

The great thing about living in south florida and being a cyclist is that there are many group rides just about every single day of the week.

Monday, well I haven't heard of monday rides. Usually the big rides that take place on Sunday are resting on Monday.

Tuesday, there is a great hammer ride in Micossukee golf and country club off of sunset and 142 ave behind the the church. It is a 4.2 mile loop and the ride starts about 4:30 and warms up till about 5pm where the hammer comes done and we average about 25 - 30 mph for about 3 to 4 laps then we slow down to 21 to 25. Another group is showing up at 6pm also.

Wensday, big hammer ride at 6:30 in the morning leaving from Don Pan at sunset place going to Key Biscayne great ride if you can make it.

Thursday, back at the golf course same times.

Friday, Hialeah gardens going north on US 27 I think that is at 5 or 6. I haven't done that ride.

Saturday, Pinecrest to Key Biscayne 57 ave SW 104 Street. Ride begins 7:30am sharp they wait for no one. Fast pace starts at 18 to 22 and when they get into the key the speed picks up after the bridge its all over, big sprint approaching the fire station maxing at 35 to 40 mph.

Sunday, Country walk south good route a lot of rolling roads good pace for about 10 miles. Pace picks a little until it gets to the 217 ave south road then the pace is up to over 25 mph. I'd give you the whole route but its quite lengthy. When the big riders are not racing they are here and that is when it get really fast.

Now you have a full schedule of Dade county. Broward county has there ride days which I haven't done. If you're interested in mtb let me know I have a few locales.

If you need any thing else let me know. 🙂

firegooroo said:

The great thing about living in south florida and being a cyclist is that there are many group rides just about every single day of the week.

Monday, well I haven't heard of monday rides. Usually the big rides that take place on Sunday are resting on Monday.

Tuesday, there is a great hammer ride in Micossukee golf and country club off of sunset and 142 ave behind the the church. It is a 4.2 mile loop and the ride starts about 4:30 and warms up till about 5pm where the hammer comes done and we average about 25 - 30 mph for about 3 to 4 laps then we slow down to 21 to 25. Another group is showing up at 6pm also.

Wensday, big hammer ride at 6:30 in the morning leaving from Don Pan at sunset place going to Key Biscayne great ride if you can make it.

Thursday, back at the golf course same times.

Friday, Hialeah gardens going north on US 27 I think that is at 5 or 6. I haven't done that ride.

Saturday, Pinecrest to Key Biscayne 57 ave SW 104 Street. Ride begins 7:30am sharp they wait for no one. Fast pace starts at 18 to 22 and when they get into the key the speed picks up after the bridge its all over, big sprint approaching the fire station maxing at 35 to 40 mph.

Sunday, Country walk south good route a lot of rolling roads good pace for about 10 miles. Pace picks a little until it gets to the 217 ave south road then the pace is up to over 25 mph. I'd give you the whole route but its quite lengthy. When the big riders are not racing they are here and that is when it get really fast.

Now you have a full schedule of Dade county. Broward county has there ride days which I haven't done. If you're interested in mtb let me know I have a few locales.

If you need any thing else let me know. 🙂

Hey Fire,

I moved to FL two years ago and haven't found any good back routes from Boca Raton to Miami via bike that's safe. Any suggestions?

Nicholas

StarryMan said:

Hey Fire,

I moved to FL two years ago and haven't found any good back routes from Boca Raton to Miami via bike that's safe. Any suggestions?

Nicholas

Hey starryman, I'm sorry to say this but there is no real way from Boca to Miami that may be safe. You may need to classify the SAFE. SR 441 may be one option but it is a busy road. If you were to look up florida cycling in the internet you can find some good routes in the Boca area. I'll see what I can find out. I'm more of a Dade guy. 😄

Hi firegooroo,

I'm just getting back into MTB. Can you tell me groups/locals/schedule in North Dade or South Broward?

Thanks,
[email hidden]

cymmgarcia said:

Hi firegooroo,

I'm just getting back into MTB. Can you tell me groups/locals/schedule in North Dade or South Broward?

Thanks,
[email hidden]

Unfortunately with mtbing it isn't like roadies that there are groups and days to have different rides. Your best bet is to go either in the afternoons after 5pm to the parks which I will mention in a minute or go on the weekends usually early in the morning about 8am. Because of current conditions with all the rain we had had the best park to go to now is Oleta River State Park on 163rd street and just west of the intercoastal bridge on the south side (can't miss it) admission is $3 for single person in car or $5 if its more than you weekend rates are the same and on race weekend I think the rate may be a little higher. Also in Dade County you have Amelia Earhart Park in Hialeah ( off 119st West of 42 ave on the North side). If you need more specific let me know where your coming from. Admission is free during the week and there is a charge on the weekends. Right now because of the rain there are alot of trails that are not even fun to ride through. In Broward you have Markham Park which is North of 595 on SR 84 (I can give you more specific you need it) admission is free during the week and a charge on the weekend. The first race of the mtb season is at Markham on 9/19 sponsored by Gone Riding.com.
In North Broward in Coral Springs you have Quiet Waters State Park. The way I go there is through the 869 to the end first intersection make a left park will be on the left side, there is an admission charge everyday like Oleta. The trails are pretty fun but not very well marked.

Right now the best place to ride is Oleta the dirt is compact and it makes for a fast course. If you have any other questions let me know.

Good luck and happy trails. 😄

Hey, I'm roadie from Montreal, Canada, and I'll be making my way down to Florida for a few weeks during Christmass time. Thankfully I'll be able to ride on the road for a while and not on the trainer in my basement. It's unbelievable how much you can appreciate riding when you have to deal with minus 20 degree weather (that's about 4 degrees farenheit for you guys) and snow for 4 months of the year.

Anyway, I'm looking for a few races while I'm there. I'll be staying in Hollywood and I know there probably aren't many races during the "winter", but you never know. So if anyone has any information about any sort of races (crits/road/track), or any nice group rides then I'd really appreciate it. Thanks in advance!

I am looking for a few good routes to hit on a road bike in the the Southern area of Miami, as in the area of Cutler Ridge, other than the popular route that goes along S.W. 87 Ave. Also, I am looking for another younger person to ride with. Let me know for either.

StarryMan said:

Hey Fire,

I moved to FL two years ago and haven't found any good back routes from Boca Raton to Miami via bike that's safe. Any suggestions?

Nicholas

im from boca... there is a A1A ride from palmetto park road to West Palm. i did it a lot, fast pace, big group, 35-40 miles; depending if u go down to deerfield beach for a drink.

if you are west of 441 in boca (like myself) there is a good local ride that meet up in the shopping plaza off of palmetto right across from Lodger's Run Middle School. There is usually a good group of guys that averaged in the low 20's (sometimes faster depending on the riders capabilities). usually a 30 mile ride. havent been there in a while so dont know what the situation is over there.

just moved to UNF in Jacksonville and looking for some group rides. just started training again, so im looking forward to a nice group ride w/ some burn...

Hey there, I'm fairly new to cycling and I live in the Weston area. This place is an absolute paradise for road cyclists. Because of my "new" status, I have a very basic old Schwin MTB. I put road tires on it (much faster) and have upgraded the seat. I ride the thing flat out all of the time which is only about 18mph.

Basically, I'm just getting myself into "road" shape. So far, I've lost 13lbs. When I'm ready - I'll get a road bike and stop getting passed. Getting passed happens to me every day. However, I couldn't care less because I'm not racing - I'm losing weight and getting into shape.

I've modified the bike as much as it can be. I ride the seat pretty high. My legs have only a slight bend when the pedal is all of the way down. This routine will continue, most likely, for about another 3 months. When I feel comfortable - I'll switch to a road bike - which is a substantial investment.

If anybody out there wants to have a very fast and very safe ride - try Weston. Just say, "Hi" when you zip past me...

Thanks for starting this thread... as an ex road racer I still love a good fast ride but now stick to the levee on Lake Okeechobee. There is 27 miles of pavement on the north end starting at the Kissimmee River and ending at Port Myacca and another 36 miles of pavement on the south end starting at Pahokee and ending at Moore Haven. It's just nice to get out of traffic and ride without any worries🙂

I am just starting out and I live in the Brandon/Tampa area. I have been doing spin classes for a few months, so I am able to do about 30 miles with no problems. I average about 15-17 mph and would love to meet more people to ride with. Also, if anyone in this area knows of a good place to ride without much traffic let me know.😄

DayDreamer10036 said:

I am just starting out and I live in the Brandon/Tampa area. I have been doing spin classes for a few months, so I am able to do about 30 miles with no problems. I average about 15-17 mph and would love to meet more people to ride with. Also, if anyone in this area knows of a good place to ride without much traffic let me know.😄

Follow these links for some local mountain bike clubs. Despite popular belief, there are some very good trails in "flat" Florida. Many of the members are also roadies if that is more to your liking. Be sure to check out the forums to get the scoop on group ride times.

ridgeriders.nethome.htmlOpen ↗

swampclub.orgswampclub.orgOpen ↗

Also check out the biking section of outdoortravels.comoutdoortravels.comOpen ↗ for some in-depth reviews of Florida MTB trails, rail trails, and multi-use paved trails.