Southeast - Kudos to the North Florida Bicycle Club

I looked up the bicycle club on the internet because I was going to be in Jacksonville, Fl Saturday morning. Picked a ride, showed up, and rode 34 miles with a friendly, knowledgeable group. They took me on an interesting ride and everyone rode safe. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. If we had some of those bridges down here in Sebring, I'd be a better man:lol: As it was I went down a lot faster than I went up. Nice people in Jacksonville!

Good to hear, I like to think we have a nice scene here.

Good to hear, I like to think we have a nice scene here.

One of these days when I know ahead of time I'm going to be in town long enough to ride, I'll try to contact you and see if we can manage a ride together.

Where were you in Jax and where did you ride?

Since you mentioned bridges, I'd assume you weren't in Orange Park.

Where were you in Jax and where did you ride?

Since you mentioned bridges, I'd assume you weren't in Orange Park.

My son and his family left out west near where I 10 crosses I 295 but I went to Mandarin and started out just north of I295 on San Jose and went down around the Stadium and back. Actually Orange Park would have been closer but I wasn't sure the rides I saw on Saturday morning wouldn't have just dropped my old fat butt. I've only been riding a road bike since October and while there is less of me than there was in October I've still got a long to go.

Pulling my 250lbs over the bridges at Acosta and Main St was a challenge but I'm fast going down hill:roflmao2:

You have so many options in Jacksonville it was hard to choose.

Our rides are generally A-B rides, and that's not because of the name of our shop (About Bicycles). However, the sat am rides are a no drop affair since we do want to keep people riding, whether its with us or else where.

Saturday rides leave the shop at 7:30 am and are 30-60 miles with a stop about half way out at the Black Creek Trailhead. From there the short ride heads back to the shop and the fast guys go on into Green Cove. Feel free to join us.

But then again, the NFBC does have a more social type ride during the weekends, especially on sunday.

And as a local may I say, thanks for visiting with your bike.

My son and his family left out west near where I 10 crosses I 295 but I went to Mandarin and started out just north of I295 on San Jose and went down around the Stadium and back. Actually Orange Park would have been closer but I wasn't sure the rides I saw on Saturday morning wouldn't have just dropped my old fat butt. I've only been riding a road bike since October and while there is less of me than there was in October I've still got a long to go.

Pulling my 250lbs over the bridges at Acosta and Main St was a challenge but I'm fast going down hill:roflmao2:

You have so many options in Jacksonville it was hard to choose.

Sounds like he did the Southside Rambler route from Publix to the Acosta\Main St. Nice route and I have to pull 290, so no whining skinny. :lol:

Acosta/Main Street? Is that the blue lift bridge that US 1 crosses? Some years back the steel grate ate both acquaintance's tires and down he went, with plenty of blood, just before the crit down by the insurance companies. :) I'm always leery of crossing lift bridges and drawspans.

The Acosta is the concrete span with the blue neon and the people mover inbetween the spans and the Main Street is the blue lift bridge with the metal grating that goes past the MOSH.

There is a thursday night ride that is laps over the Acosta where we flat landers can feel like we are climbing.

I thought for climbing you'd go do out-and-backs on Dames Point.

Can't ride that bridge, it's a car only deal, but I hate riding that bridge in a car.

Well, that would be nice, doing laps on the dames point, but it's not as centralized and friendly as the acosta.

And yes, I do believe it to be cars only, except for the odd suicide attempt. But one year the Tour de Forts used the dames point as the route to fernadina with a return using the mayport ferry. That was a good weekend.

oh yea, I forgot about them using that. I probably would have been walking about half way up that thing, but would have been one hell of a ride coming back down.

I was in ok shape when I did it years ago, literally right after the bridge was completed, I don't remember walking or stopping on the way up, but I recall hitting something in the area of 50mph on the way down. Weeeeeeee.....

Huh... I didn't know Dames Point was closed to bikes.

We've got a stretch down here called Dungarvin Road. It looks like a cartoon sea serpent - 4 or 5 short, steep hills in quick succession. It's on the Horse Farm Hundred route. Some of the roadies here like to go down there and just go back and forth on Dungarvin. It's an excruciating workout for a bunch of (comparative) flatlanders :-)

I was just glad one of the guys I rode with up there mentioned as I was approaching the top of the bridge that there was a turn and a stop light at the bottom. I might have ended up splattered across someone's hood:roflmao2:

Yea, you have three options to exit off that bridge, choose wisely. :lol:

I've gone up there every year for the past 4 years to do the Tour de Cure out of Jacksonville, and the NFBC has contributed a great deal to help them make that a most enjoyable ride.