Juan Foote

I always take my bike down with, he lives below Tampa/St Pete and the riding there is terrific. I went on a nice ride through an area called Terra Ceia and noticed there were ride markers along the route, which was really nice for someone who doesn't know an area. Anyway, I decided that I would like to make a group ride while down in the area. I got on the net and started searching some of the local bike shops and clubs...actually found the ride I had done, but it was during the week and I would not be able to wait for it. There was another ride on Sunday, just my speed and distance, so I called the shop whose website I found it listed on, just to be sure of the details.

The guy I get on the phone tells me "we have no Sunday ride"
me: "I am looking at it on your website page under 'rides'"
him: "Don't know what you are talking about..."

So, I proceeded to shoot an email out to the ride organizer just to see if perhaps the affiliation between the two groups had severed and the website just hasn't been updated. She tells me that normally the ride would go on, but there was an event this particular Sunday. No issue with the shop, still happens every week aside from events like the one happening this particular time.
I mentioned to her about the shop guy saying there was no Sunday ride, she says not to worry about (such and such) he's just a jerk. The ride goes on in spite of him.

DropDeadFred

we got em here too....they don't like strangers dropping them...

Juan Foote

Lol, no worries about that from me. I created a ride group with the local club under the guise of "novice" ride, just so I would quit getting dropped.

John_V 

I don't know how long you are going to be in the area or how far from Tampa your friend lives, but this group that I ride with has rides every Sunday. Might want to give them a try. We might even get to ride together.

Tampa Bay Sunday Bicyclers

Nbob

I had a week to kill in Tampa/St. Pete 2 years ago while the GF was at meetings so I took my bike. On the way to the hotel we dropped in to a shop to pick up some CO2 ( the airline confiscated mine) and asked if they knew of any group rides.

Buddy sez to me " Only one I know wouldn't let you unless you pay for a full years membership - It's a liability issue, Florida has the 2nd highest bike fatalities in the US- drivers are A holes around here"

GF freaks out " YOU ARE NOT GOING TO RIDE ! - I'm not taking you home in a body bag" so buddy tells us about the Pinellas trail. Now, normally I'm not one for MUPs but I hauled my bike all the way down there and sticking to bike paths looked like the only way I would ever get on it ( unless I was prepared to sleep in the bathtub - if you catch my drift).

Next morning I got on the trail and a half hour into my ride met up with 4 guys who had taken the week off to train for a Tri. They invited me to join them so every day we rode from St. Pete to Tarpon Springs and back in our own mini-group.

I gotta say " chapeau !" to whoever came up with the idea for the Pinellas. Every urban planner in North America should be forced to go down and see it - that's how you design a MUP !

tcwayne

The markers were from the St. Pete Bike club's annual Spring Classic held on April 15th.
I'm curious what shop you called but if you come back down, I'll give you a huge list of rides in this area. Send me a note if you would like.

zigmeister

Yes, Tampa/St. Pete is weird about cycling. Everything is a mystery, and you just need to know where to go on what days. With that said, I won't provide anymore information than that to maintain our tradition of "the mysteries of Florida cycling."

John_V 

Nbob,

If you thought the Pinellas Trail was nice, you should have come to Tampa and ridden at Flatwoods or the Upper Tampa Trail. For me, the big problem with the Pinellas Trail is that (depending on where you are riding) there are too many stops and too many multi-lane streets that you have to cross. Flatwoods is a closed to traffic park with a well paved, one way loop where you can get all the speed you want. There is also the Suncoast Trail that runs through three counties and has some pretty good rolling hills toward the north end of the trail.

Nbob

Thanks tcwayne and John_V - seems like FL in spring is turning out to be an annual tradition ( this year it was Ft. Myers ). If I get back to Tampa area I'll check out your suggestions.

I was glad I hooked up with those other guys -we managed to avoid a great deal of the stops on the Pinellas by taking turns riding up ahead - hitting the (bike level) crossing lights and waiving the rest through.

dgasmd

It is not just that area. It is everywhere. So stupid, it is like being in high school with all the click of cool kids and such. Locally, it is the same. Thank god that I enjoy riding by myself more than anything else, or I would be one frustrated MOFO!! Personally, I don't look for groups when I go out of town. I don't know then, and while they may be very good and may drop me without much effort, it is more important to me that I don't know THEM. To me, every rider is a half azz dumb foq until proven otherwise. I prefer to go onto map-my-ride and look up local rides posted there as a reference. Then, I can pick and choose from local rides.

Juan Foote

I was only down for a couple of days over the weekend to visit with a friend back from Iraq. I appreciate all the posts, perhaps next time I will try to put something like this up well enough ahead of time to get this manner of feedback before my visit. Would be nice to meet up with some cycling brothers (or sisters) in another state while there.