Thursday, February 24, 2011

"Mountain Biking" in NE Florida

OK, there simply isn't mountain biking in NE Florida. With the exception of dunes, this area is totally flat. Getting any kind of hills means going west or riding a bridge. Here are the closest good things I've ridden:

Graham Swamp near Palm Coast
http://www.sjrwmd.com/recreationguide/grahamswamp/index.html
Who would have thought the best nearby trail would be in Flaglar County? Apparently the hilliness is the result of limestone excavation. Park off Colbert Road. The climbs and downhills are short relative to what I like from North Carolina. The sand can be annoying. But if ridden fast this is actually a decent trail. Thanks to the folks who built and maintain it.

Belleview / Santos near Ocala
http://omba.org/index.php/Trailhead-Locations.html
The hilliness on these trails is from a combination of slight elevation changes in the middle of the state plus quarries. I haven't ridden there recently, but it was good a few years ago.

St. Augustine and Jacksonville bridges
Good thing I took up road biking a few years ago.
The Acosta (State Road 13) bridge in Jacksonville gets steep enough (6% maybe) to be a good challenge for running or biking. The climbs are about 0.35 miles. The climbs start steep, taper off a bit in the middle, then pick up again near the end. Parking near the Museum of Science and History works well. There's a disorganized group ride here on Thursday nights in the daylight saving season.

The Usina (A1A) bridge linking St. Augustine to Vilano Beach is also a decent challenge. It has about the same grade as the Acosta but it slightly longer. The views of the intercoastal waterway and ocean are very nice. The seabreeze can add an additional challenge and one direction.

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