My wife and I are visiting Florida for a couple of weeks so we packed up the bikes into the van and brought them with us to Orlando. I had planned to ride each of the 3 weekends I was in Florida. My goal was to stay fit and to also pick up a new state. I have not ridden a ride in Florida so it would be my opportunity to add a new state.
The first weekend turned out to be a bust. I got my notification for COVID dose 2 vaccination so I flew back to Austin to get my vaccination. I was planning to squeeze in a 100K in Austin, but I needed to start super early in the morning and I found that my old headlamps that require USB charging were not holding a charge. The bike I planned to ride was my old Trek beater and it was making a weird ticking noise that I have not been able to diagnose. I also saw that heavy rain was forecast that day and the combination of these 3 things kept me home. As the rain poured down in the mid morning, I was glad to be home and dry before heading to get my 2nd dose of Moderna vaccine.
Back in Orlando. This past week, we took the bikes to a local trail here in Orlando called Shingles Creek. It is a pleasant trail in spots as it winds through natural areas with birds and wildlife in abundance. Trails here are in very good shape. They are 14 feet wide and quite smooth - at least the newer spots. Some older portions of the trail have some signs of wear and tree root interference.
https://www.bikeorlando.net/shingle-creek-trail.htm
Saturday morning, I got up super early to head up to Apopka to ride the 100K called Around Lake Apopka. I had contacted riders who had ridden this route before to get some advance advice about the route. Most of the routes I looked at in the Orlando/Cocoa Beach areas looked pretty flat. I knew that the bigger challenge would likely be wind as is the case down in South Padre Texas. The route I picked did have a few hills and featured about 1700 feet of climbing. The route map can be seen here.
I arrived to the parking lot adjacent to the first control around 5:30 AM. I filled my one bottle with water and put the handlebar bag on the bike. I made sure the tires were aired up. I donned my reflective vest and got rolling. The roads in Florida are amazingly smooth. Even as you leave the suburbs and head into the the more rural areas, the roads remain smooth as glass. A few roads along this route feature a narrow bike lane. However, the bike lanes are fickle. As I rolled into the final control along Rock Springs Road, the bike lane suddenly just disappears in the last 2 miles. Also, I found only a few roads with shoulders -- mostly on the bigger/busier roads. Drivers were in general very courteous moving over to give room.
Early in the ride, it was dark. Escaping the area around Apopka required waiting at a few traffic lights. Some, I was able to yield and go when confirming it was clear. A couple required waiting for the light to change as the cross traffic was moving fast. In general, I find traffic lights in Florida to be an exercise in patience -- especially if you are turning left. I miss the flashing yellow arrows that allow you to proceed when the way is clear. I have only seen this at one intersection near Orlando. All the rest make you sit and wait, wait, wait. I have learned it's sometimes faster to go through these intersections and do a U turn and then turning right.
As it got light, I was able to enjoy the ride more. I had been worried I might miss a turn during the hours before sunrise, but the Garmin kept me on track. There were a few nice rollers along this route and there was one fairly nice hill at around mile 31 where the road pitches up to 8.5%. Being able to stand up on the pedals to get some relief from sitting and spinning was appreciated.
The wind was the biggest challenge of this ride. As the sun came up, the wind picked up speed. As I rode north, I got a nice push, but I knew it would be challenging as I turned east at Tavares, I felt the strength of the cross wind. The lake finally came into view and I stopped to snap a couple of photos.
The area up near Tavares featured lots of big trees with spanish moss and there were a lot of beautiful homes facing the lake along Lake Dora and Helm.
I was pressing to finish the ride as quickly as possible so I could rejoin my family for a trip down to St Petersburg to visit the Chihuly Collection museum. As I turned east, my average speed was around 15 thanks to the tailwind. I stopped briefly to eat a bar from my handlebar bag as I headed into the wind. I also had to stop about 5 miles from the finish to stretch my legs and drink some water with a salt tablet as I felt that maybe a cramp was coming. The good news is that I finished without cramping. My speed dropped, but I still finished in 4 hours 33 minutes which gave me enough to return to the hotel and get dressed to head out with the family.
Many thanks to the Florida randos who responded to my questions ahead of the ride. In particular Mark and Joshua who sent me several notes with information.
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