PEDAL PUSHER Posted: 09/28/06
Dear Nan:
Do you know of any long bicycling tours this fall in Florida? 20 years ago, I bicycled for a week in England, loved it, but would prefer something closer to home this time.
Clifford S Atlanta, GA
Dear Clifford:
I've got an idea for you. On November 12, the new Florida Discovery Bicycling Center in Lake Helen will roll out its inaugural training and touring program - the first of its kind in Florida. The five-night, six-day program will begin with a full day of cycle training by League of American Bicyclists-certified safe cycling instructors. The remainder of the program will include a schedule of daytime tours with stops for wildlife sightings, historical briefs and nature explorations along the St. Johns River. You may even come across some alligators or at least a load of enthusiastic Gator fans. In the evenings, riders will enjoy dinner at area restaurants and stay at The Cassadaga Hotel, a 1929 country inn, your home base for the week. At around $700 and some change per person for double occupancy, which includes all accommodations, meals, professional safety training, a tour guide, and on-road support vehicle, it is a bargain. Sponsored by the Florida Bicycle Association, the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor, and the City of Lake Helen, the FDBC is intended to create a hub of outdoor recreational touring on Florida's roads. www.floridabicycle.org/discovery
© 2006 Nancy Zimmerman
THE BIKEMAN COMETH Posted: 10/10/006
Dear Nan:
Once watched a very exciting bike race in Europe, we made a mini vacation around the event. The excitement and the festivities of the competition were a hoot. Are there any interesting bike events like this in the Midwestern USA?
Kelly Indiana
Dear Kelly:
Traverse City’s annual Iceman Cometh Challenge is about as close to pure delight as a cyclist or spectator can imagine. Over the past 17 years, this grueling 27-mile free-for-all through the Pere Marquette State Forest has become the biggest single-day mountain-bike race in the world! Every November, competitors from all over the U.S. and Canada gather to participate in one of the strangest and most grueling cold-weather events in off-road bicycle racing, which often includes drastic changes in road conditions....muddy, snowy, icy, dry. Competition for the 2,000 available slots is almost as fierce as the rivalry on the trail; this year’s roster was filled in January, four days after Iceman officials started accepting applications. The lure of it all is the sheer adventure, unpredictable weather and a course whose natural beauty is only exceeded by its orneriness. From its starting point in the backwoods town of Kalkaska, the Iceman route dips and climbs through the forest along two-track lumber roads, abandoned railroad beds, and the route of the North American Vasa cross-country ski race, crossing only a single paved road before reaching the finish line at Traverse City’s Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort. For more information on the 2006 Iceman Cometh Challenge and other events in Traverse City, Michigan area -- as well as a listing of special fall and winter packages offered by local innkeepers -- you can contact the Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau at www.mytraversecity.com.
© 2006 Nancy Zimmerman
