The Allure of the Sanibel Causeway

I set out to ride east from my house today. I figured I’d do one of my usual routes which consists of Linear Park, Six Mile Cypress, and Michael Rippe parkway. Somehow I ended up on Sanibel Island which is in the complete opposite direction. I blame red lights and traffic which caused me to keep turning right but I think subconsciously I was headed there all along. The allure of the Sanibel Causeway is too powerful and I can’t resist it. I know I should vary routes more often but I end up riding out there at least once a week anyways.

Me and that causeway have a love affair and it’s easy to see why. For starters the view is gorgeous. You get views of Pine Island Sound, San Carlos Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. You also get views of people engaged in various activities such as kiteboarding, windsurfing, fishing, boating, swimming, and sunbathing. And it’s usually good for at least one bikini sighting, especially on the weekends. It also also has nice wide bike lanes and the traffic is mercifully slow. The views and lanes are good enough that pro cyclist Phil Gaimon gave them a shout out in Bicycling Magazine.

Best of all, the causeway is the only place in town that has any sort of elevation. The Sanibel bridge is the best climb in the county and the rest of the causeway has several gentle hills on it. It’s one of the few places where a skinny guy like myself has an advantage. It makes me feel strong and I have a bunch of great Strava rankings along that stretch so I feel like it’s my territory.

Once you get out to Sanibel you can turn around but cycling out on Sanibel is great too especially during the summer when you practically have the island to yourself. Sometimes I’ll park my car at Bike Bistro and launch from there so that I can make a day of exploring the island without worrying about being too tired to make it home.

I know the causeway is intimidating to some cyclists because of the cars and the fact that you’re riding over bridges that are way up high and over water. The wind can be quite strong there as well but I take that as a fitness-building positive. Furthermore, cyclist Tracey Kleinpell was killed there in 2011 which adds to the stigma. But Tracey was struck by a drug impaired and asleep-at-the-wheel driver (Theresa L. Shirley) who crossed over an entire lane of traffic and hit her head on. This could have happened anywhere and I don’t think the causeway was a factor. If anything you’re better off on the causeway because of the wide bike lanes. But the more you ride the causeway the more you will get used to it. It quickly starts to feel natural and personally I feel safer there than many other places I ride.

I like the causeway so much that I’ll often do causeway repeats. It’s also one of my excuses for being a lone wolf because most group rides don’t go out there except for Bike Bistro’s Thursday ride. The only thing I don’t like about the Sanibel Causeway is that on the way home the stretch between the tollbooth and Shell Point road can be brutal. Typically I already have about 20 miles under my belt, I just finished climbing the bridge (usually against the wind), and then I hit that segment which is 2 miles long, flat, and exposed to the sun and an ever-present headwind. I call it Death Valley. Fortunately, Bike Bistro, my oasis, is located shortly after the end of Death Valley and I always stop there for a Coke.

some of my favorite Sanibel Causeway Strava segments:

http://app.strava.com/segments/4904807

http://app.strava.com/segments/3126629

http://app.strava.com/segments/2784915

http://app.strava.com/segments/3135129

Death Valley:

http://app.strava.com/segments/3251906

the causeway at sunset

just arrived on Sanibel and I'm a happy man

climbing into the fog (not recommended)

riding through Death Valley headed to the Bike Bistro oasis

the causeway from afar

What’s With All the Dragonflies?

Is it just me or are there tons of Dragonflies out there right now? There must have been a recent hatch or something because I'm seeing them everywhere. One nailed me in the helmet the other day and I'm just glad it wasn't my face. Check out this pic my buddy sent me of the one he got stuck in his cassette.

Tour de North Port 2014

My buddy Ian and I decided to ride the Tour de North Port charity ride last Sunday and when Ian informed me on Saturday night that Andrew and Charlie from Paradise Bikes would be joining us I simultaneously thought, “awesome and uh oh”. I also instantly regretted the 45 mile ride I’d done that day. I should have given my legs a recovery day. Andrew and Charlie are fun guys and they always make me laugh. They’re also at least 15 years younger than me and very strong riders. If I ride with them I know it’s going to be a fast ride and that we’re going to try and “win” the event. Forewarned, I prepared for the ride appropriately. I carb-loaded the night before and had a huge breakfast washed down with loads of water, juice, and coffee. I was fueled and hydrated. I also packed my jersey pockets accordingly because I knew from experience that when you ride with the lead pack you don’t make many stops. One stop is usually the norm. In my pockets I stowed: 1 bottle of water (in addition to the two on my bike), 1 Clif Shot Blok, 1 energy bar, and 1 little can of coke. Aside from possibly having to go to the bathroom I was prepared to ride straight through.

We met up with Andrew at the event who showed up riding a 2015 Giant Propel Advanced Pro 0 with 55mm full carbon rims. Yep this was going to be a fast ride alright. Charlie unfortunately was absent because he had to work.
The ride started and immediately eight of us broke away from the main group of riders doing the 65 mile route. We quickly formed a fast moving paceline and ten miles later we’d shed two riders. Names were exchanged (Ian, Andrew, Richard, Eric, and Chris a former racer who I already knew from my local scene). The six of us continued on enjoying an interesting route. The course took us through what I would describe as a sparsely populated rural residential area. There were lots of loops, twists, and turns. I got a lot of practice turning at high speed. We had some roads that were freshly paved and among the nicest I’ve ever ridden on. We also had some roads that were some of the roughest I’ve ever experienced and they gave the compliance of my new Bianchi Intenso a good test (it passed wonderfully).

The weather was perfect. It was sunny and the wind was relatively mild for this time of year. The day started at 60 degrees and finished around 80. I pulled down my armwarmers mid-ride and my base layer kept off the chill. Ian who has blood even thinner than mine kept his arm and FULL leg warmers on all day. He’d say it was a bit cold for him. Best of all, my food and water supply worked out perfectly. When we finally stopped for a quick break at mile 45 I still had a full water bottle. I chugged a bottle of Gatorade anyways. I also scarfed down a cookie, took a pee and then we hit the road again before I’d even caught my breath.

As we approached the end of the ride everyone was pretty beat by this point. Turns at the front of the paceline had dwindled from macho 3 minute pulls to 30 second turns and I was suffering from leg cramps. I couldn’t pedal out of the saddle without immediately getting muscle spasms on the front of my thighs. Nonetheless, we started jockeying for position. Andrew told me that his legs were toast but that he could still lead me out for the finish. That opportunity didn’t materialize though because Eric decided to go early. Chris and I were the only ones able to go with him but Eric went too early because he burned his match and we dropped him. With just two of us remaining, Chris and I fought to cross the finish line first but I was beat by a bike-length. Maybe if I’d be able to sprint out of the saddle I could have had it but there’s no way my legs were going to let me do that. Nonetheless, I was pleased to finish second out of a decent-sized group doing the metric century and be the first rider to the top of both bridge “climbs”. Finally tally was almost 21 mph average speed and 68 miles ridden with one short stop. Strava gave me an “extreme suffer score” 208. Yes I know it’s sad and pathetic for me to talk about a CHARITY RIDE like it’s some sort of race but any time you put two cyclists together it’s basically a race. And when it’s a group of middle-aged men vainly trying to recapture some of the glory of their lost youth it’s even more so true. So I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to admit that sometimes I treat these things competitively.

All in all this was a great event for a good cause (planting trees!) and it was well organized. The volunteers were numerous, friendly, and gracious. The route was almost completely traffic free and I enjoyed the scenery.There was plenty of good food both before and after the ride. Lunch was a delicious and varied spread of chicken stir fry, pasta, rice pilaf, chicken wings, salad, and pie. The one rest stop we used was amply supplied and we blew by at least 3 other SAG stations that appeared well attended. The only suggestion I can make is to place the road markers farther away from where the turns occur. When you’re going 20+ mph it’s hard to make a turn at the last minute. This is a problem I find at most charity rides though. Overall, I enjoyed this ride when I did it in 2012 and this year they made it even better. Now I plan to do it every year.
http://app.strava.com/activities/212043348

beautiful pavement

Giro Atmos Helmet Review - Maximum Air Flow

The Giro Atmos is the second helmet I ever bought and I liked it so much that after a year I bought another one in a smaller size. My first helmet was a Giro Transfer which is a nice helmet and a great value at $40 but I wanted something with more ventilation. The Atmos is about as airy and well ventilated as they come. Combined with it being ultra low-weight it's like not wearing a helmet at all so obviously the helmet is quite comfortable. This helmet is so well ventilated that when it's cool out my head actually gets a little cold and I have to wear something underneath it. The Atmos has a dial adjustment in back to make tightening or loosening a simple one-handed process.  I think this helmet looks pretty stylish too but I guess that depends on the shape of your head. My wife looks better in the Transfer. I also like the fact that I was able to find one with lots of hi-viz yellow on it. It’s surprisingly hard to find a hi-viz helmet. My only complaint is that the straps were much too long and I had to cut some off and seal the ends with a lighter. However, the strap issue is common to all helmets and it’s an easy fix. Yes at $180 this helmet is more expensive than some but it’s still about $70 cheaper than the very high end helmets and I don’t see what advantage those most expensive helmets provide. Like I said earlier, I have this helmet in two sizes. My head size is 57 ½ cm which must be an awkward size because in my large helmet I have to tighten the dial almost all the way and in my medium helmet I have to loosen the dial almost all the way. My first Atmos is a large and I went with that because I wanted to be able to wear a cycling cap under it. But as time went on I quit wearing my cap and realized I could wear a size medium which my wife thinks looks a little better on me (and her opinion is what matters). So now I have the best of both worlds. I wear my medium sized Atmos helmet almost all the time except when it gets really cold and I need to layer up under the helmet. I also keep a light-mount attached to my large Atmos helmet at all times for the occasional ride in the dark. Just to compare the Atmos to another helmet I bought (and returned) a Lazer Genesis helmet which is more expensive. I bought it because I can’t leave good enough alone but also because the Genesis comes in ALL hi-viz and I had to have it. Mistake. That helmet is so much heavier that I couldn’t get used to it. It’s also less ventilated and I wouldn’t have been able to wear it in the heat of the summer. So back to the store it went.

October Charity Rides

From now through April there's a charity ride pretty much every weekend and a lot of them are in town or at least close to home so there's no excuse to not try one. As they approach I’ll try and write about some of my favorites. Coming soon is:

Tour de North Port, Sunday, October 26, 2014

http://peoplefortrees.com/tourevent1_14.php

I never ride in North Port so this event seemed like a good opportunity to ride in a different area that's still close to Fort Myers. I did this ride in 2012 and I remember we got a great breakfast and lunch with lots of homemade desserts. There were loads of volunteers and the route was well marked and took us through some sparsely populated areas of North Port. The rest stop at that ladies house in the woods was super cool. Thank you for the chairs! We ended up hanging out so long my legs got stiff. The ride benefits a group that plants tree and I love trees (but who doesn't).

http://app.strava.com/activities/35172761

Everglades Bicycle Club Homestead Speedway - Freedom Ride, Sunday, October 19, 2014 @ the Homestead Miami Speedway

http://www.evergladesbc.com/freedomride2014

I skipped the Tour de North Port in 2013 to do a charity ride out of the Homestead Speedway. It's a unique event and it was nice to get myself out of my comfort zone. It’s a younger, bilingual, and multicultural experience over there which is cool. And I’ve never seen such a wide variety of bicycles. You get to do a lap around the speedway which is an absolute blast and then you head down to beautiful Key Largo. Lunch afterwards was gourmet and they used a bracelet to make sure everyone got fed. No bracelet no food and when you got in the food line they cut off the bracelet so you couldn’t go twice. Why don’t all charity rides do this? It's worth staying for the raffle because there are some great prizes. You should definitely do this ride at least once just for that lap around the speedway.

http://app.strava.com/activities/90364573

Welcome Back Snowbirds!

I did an early morning (in the dark) ride this morning and it prompts me to say welcome back snowbirds. It was much busier out at that hour than it was a month ago. Yep the snowbirds are back in force. Last week I wrote about the arrival of good weather. With the good weather comes the birds. The birds are my friends, my family, and they support our economy and give me employment. But boy does it sure make you have to step up your awareness when riding. And not just on the road. I think the MUPS are just as dangerous. They are packed with people right now. My biggest crash was a collision on a MUP so please, everybody, be careful out there and be aware of others.

Two Ride Weekend

I got two rides in this weekend. Granted they were shortened due to family obligations but any weekend that I get to ride both Saturday and Sunday is a good weekend. And this weekend was one of those. Best of all we had two days of cooler weather. Finally! It was a hotter than usual summer. It was so brutal that for the first time since I moved here 12 years ago I thought about moving. Moving for me and my family isn’t truly realistic but the oppressive heat made me fantasize about it nonetheless. Somewhere with hills or mountains would be nice. Of course the downside is that unless you move to southern California you probably won’t be able to ride 12 months a year. Yes it gets hotter than hell here but you can still ride. Drinking a lot of water goes a long way and I can ride in heat a lot better than I can ride in cold. And I certainly can’t ride in ice or snow. So if you in SW Florida you gotta take the good (12 months of riding) with the bad (no elevation and some of the highest temps and humidity on the planet). But here’s to the next 7 months of good-weather-riding in SW Florida!