Been down here to fix up a house and sell it over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been between the Orlando area and Cape Coral (where the house is). Within the next year or so I plan on moving down here. The question is where? I visited Clermont, it is nice and all, but seems like there is a lot of traffic and not that many bike lanes. Although I haven’t seen all of it, so I cant say it is great for training or not. I love the ocean and gulf too and am thinking of Naples or the Miami area. Of course I am always interested in my fellow slowtwitchers point of view on these places and places in Florida I might not have mentioned. Luckily where I am now I am spoiled with great trail and dirt road running. I would like to have that in Florida too, but I do not know if that is a reality.
Chris, we are New Yorkers but my family has a condo in Ft Myers. Gotta say, besides staying on the bike lane paralleling Summerlin out to the Sanibel bridge then riding the island, I haven’t found any good riding. I did a Strava search and it appears that the Strava users only have little segments, no courses. Beautiful weather but for road riding, I’m stumped and maybe spoiled expecting good riding rolling out the door. Let’s see if someone responds to your question as I’m curious as well.
We live outside Philadelphia and family has a place between Ft. Myers and Naples in Bonita Springs. West coast is totally different from Miami and the east coast. Naples/Ft.Myers area is a busy place from Jan-March with mostly snowbirds from the Mid-west and Mid-Atlantic area (including Philly). Not too many New Yorkers though as they seem to prefer the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area. From April-December, it’s pretty sleepy and quiet (compared to around here)…unlike the more year round inhabited Miami area. When I’m there, I see lots of bike riders and it appears great if you like long/flat straightaways. but being from the Philadelphia area, it seems to be a pretty boring place to ride. Lots of very wide streets and good bike paths that have been built in recent years to handle the increase in population growth before the housing crash, but obviously totally flat…and usually hot. Being right on the Gulf is nice, lots of great beaches and it seems to be a very nice area to live judging from feedback we get from the full-time residents living in our development. You didn’t mention your age but if you are under 50 and like a more diverse location, East Coast is probably a better bet. West Coast, especially the Naples and Ft. Myers area will have a little older crowd as the norm…again, all generally speaking.
ps…also if you are single and appreciate night life, Naples/Ft.Myers might be a little too sleepy for you.
If you can afford Naples it’s amazing. I live in Tampa and have been here since the mid 90’s. I only swim and ride, but can say of all my locales this is my least favorite training venue. Sure we get the weather, but the road danger spoils it for me…3 years running as the #1 state for traffic/cyclist fatalities. Pretty much anywhere in Florida please keep your head on a swivel cycling…the Q-Tips will look right at you and then proceed to make you a hood ornament. If you end up in Naples you can train with one of the nicest and hands down straight up legendary triathletes in Joe Bonness. Super humble guy, super nice and will welcome you right in. Here is where the trouble starts…have fun trying to hang on his wheel! When I lived on Captiva and in Ft. Myers I ‘tried’ some rides with that group. Whew!
I have a home in sebring. If you got to have the ocean or the gulf then you are half in between but the cycling is great. Orange groves and cattle country. Can do 100 miles with little traffic. Groups from all over the state come here for two big rides to get away from traffic.Lots and lots of lakes and we do have some hills
Chris, we are New Yorkers but my family has a condo in Ft Myers. Gotta say, besides staying on the bike lane paralleling Summerlin out to the Sanibel bridge then riding the island, I haven’t found any good riding. I did a Strava search and it appears that the Strava users only have little segments, no courses. Beautiful weather but for road riding, I’m stumped and maybe spoiled expecting good riding rolling out the door. Let’s see if someone responds to your question as I’m curious as well.
RK - go east my friend. There is a route that parallels I-75 (east north of Estero- west south of Estero) that has a bike lane from colonial blvd in fort Myers to south of Pine Ridge Road in Naples. Over 80 miles rounds trip. A few signals to wait on but not a bad route. Another nice route is take road down Fort Myers beach down to Naples and back. The bike lanes are weaker but the traffic is slower on the beach.
Been down here to fix up a house and sell it over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been between the Orlando area and Cape Coral (where the house is). Within the next year or so I plan on moving down here. The question is where? I visited Clermont, it is nice and all, but seems like there is a lot of traffic and not that many bike lanes. Although I haven’t seen all of it, so I cant say it is great for training or not. I love the ocean and gulf too and am thinking of Naples or the Miami area. Of course I am always interested in my fellow slowtwitchers point of view on these places and places in Florida I might not have mentioned. Luckily where I am now I am spoiled with great trail and dirt road running. I would like to have that in Florida too, but I do not know if that is a reality.
I appreciate the help.
Thanks,
Chris
There are a lot of bicycling events near Clermont.
West of Clermont there is a 30 mile bike path that runs South to Polk City. Only one slight turn. Only a couple cross roads. Every half mile is marked. Few people. Wildlife. Lovely for doing intervals.
Short and sweet - - I live in Miami and love it!!! Traffic you will find everywhere. So when it comes to riding, those are the things that people deal with in most urban areas. Now when it comes to the opportunity to really train all year round you just cant beat the weather here (especially nice warm water). When it comes to races there are so many to choose from.
When it comes to quality of life - it depends on what you want. Do you want a quiet lifestyle or do you want a place that is not quite the hustle and bustle of major metropolitan cities but always has something to do at all hours of the day? Is it a bit more expensive to live here - just a bit, but everything is relevant.
There is so much in a choice of where to live - cost of living, neighborhoods, quality of life, crime, etc etc etc. Regardless, no matter what you choose in Florida you will be pretty happy.
Wow thanks for all the help guys. Sorry for the delayed response. When I looked up Mapmyride, I did find some rides out there to the East. When I was in Cape Coral there is a decent amount of bike lanes, but they come and go. Not really the most scenic riding either, but not too bad.
If access to great triathlon cycling and running is a key factor, Ponte Vedra Beach is amazing (East of Jacksonville). Huge triathlon community in the area (with many Kona qualifiers) and great local events. Only downside is ocean water is not as nice to swim in as down South (due to sediment).
