Mountain Biking - New Port Richey, Florida?

I'm thinking of moving to New Port Richey to be closer to my son.

Does anybody know the MTB options in the area or surrounding area...anything within a 1 hour drive? Also, what is the Road cycling like in the area... is it commutable? Hilly? flat? Traffic infested?

Just looking for all the basic Cycling info for the area.

Not that the following is applicable, I'm also trying to find out what the local Job opportunities and real estate are like, web searches are exhausting! <-----you don't have to answer these :D

I'm not "too" familiat with NPR other than to say, I hope you like Greek food. Lots and lots of Greek heritage in the area. (I love Greek food and like the people in general)

There is some (not a lot it's Florida) riding within and hour to an hour and a half. As far North as you are, Santos Trails in Belleview isn't too far away and one of my favorite places to ride in all the state. Check out www.omba.org Alafia River State Park is my "stomping" ground as it's the closest to my area. www.swampclub.org for details about that and good links to other areas.

Road riding is road riding in FL. NPR is coastal so there won't be a lot of hills. There WILL be a lot of elderly drivers so you'll have to ride defensively and will most likely be hit or cut off and forced off the road. (Three times for me so far)

The benefit? It was 75 degrees today, Jan 08, 2005. Not bad!

The thing with NY is that we have more cold months than warm months...The traffic is a bit too much for a safe enough commute.

Nothing in Florida is hilly. The biggest hills in the entire state are when you go over freeway overpasses. I spent a month and a half down there a couple years ago and it was the LEAST interesting landscape I've ever seen in my life. I really didn't like Florida at all.

Here's a topographic map of New Prot Richey. (http://www.terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=2&S=14&Z=17&X=104&Y=978&W=1&qs=%7cnew+port+richey%7cFL%7c)

Notice the marked elevations at 5ft and 8ft.

I have a good friend who lives in NPR and have been there several times. There are numerous (so I hear) MTB trails in the Tampa area. Do a couple google searches for "tampa mountain biking" and you'll find links to the local MTB clubs.

From a living stand point, it's a pretty nice area. It is a Tampa suburb, with everything available nearby. The area has grown exponentially, but there's still some countryside to be found.

As for road biking, it's probably OK, but watch out for 1) old folks and 2) rednecks. There's lots of both on the roads; the elderly simply won't see you and the rednecks want to scare you. Traffic is at it's worse in the winter when all the snowbirds come down.

It's Florida. No hills, except for overpasses. There's some "bumps" that run down the center of the state, as well as some small hills in the old phosphate mines which have been converted to into MTB trails.

Dave
(currently freezing my butt off in Baltimore)

I'm thinking of moving to New Port Richey to be closer to my son.

Does anybody know the MTB options in the area or surrounding area...anything within a 1 hour drive? Also, what is the Road cycling like in the area... is it commutable? Hilly? flat? Traffic infested?

Just looking for all the basic Cycling info for the area.

Not that the following is applicable, I'm also trying to find out what the local Job opportunities and real estate are like, web searches are exhausting! <-----you don't have to answer these :D

I live in St. Petersburg, and there is an area about 50 minutes away that the serious moutain bikers go to on Sundays. Also, there is some great hill training areas not terribly far from the area. I am just a standard roadie and do lots of riding with the St. Petersburg bike club which has daily rides, and sometimes both morning and evening rides - a very active, wonderful club.

Actually there ARE hills in Florida, just not big ones.

There is also mountain biking trails, just no big climbs. But they are technical and there are a lot of quick short climbs and steep drops. Santos, Alafia, Carter Road, The T.O.E. all good trails.

Grey Hairs and Halfbacks are your major concerns on the road, the Grey Hairs don't see you and the Halfbacks don't care.

However, you head east from NPR's city limits and you can find a lot of backroads that are barely traveled. Rednecks haven't ever really hassled me. It's more of the Punk Kids that drive and those are everywhere.