My wife and I are heading to Naples for the week before Christmas. We will have our bikes with us. We’ll be staying in a condo near where Vanderbuilt Beach Rd meets the Gulf. Can anyone help us with bike routes that will get us away from the traffic.
Pool recommendation?
Thanks
I do the HITS race there every January which has transition right at Vanderbilt beach. Just follow their Olympic bike course and leave early and you should have minimal traffic. That’s about the extent of my knowledge of Naples though so maybe someone will chime in with a better route.
I’m going down there in January with my bike and was poking around on the internet just yesterday and found this link to a bunch of route maps. http://trekbikestoreusa.com/events/ride-maps-pg796.htm
I’ve been down there several times but have never taken my bike. I do know that there several good bike shops and a lot of cyclists down there in the winter, I just have not scoped out specific routes yet but I know they are there.
What’s the Hits race like? They seem to go out of their way to make the course the worst possible. But they do make up for it by doing so many other things wrong. We have never been to Naples and I saw he Hits race when we were looking into this trip. If we like it there maybe we will enter for next year.
Hits stands for ‘‘Horses in the Sun’’ the owners very successful horse show business. It seems like he’s trying to bring the same business model into triathlon. He should realize that this isn’t that and it doesn’t work that way here. Maybe he should start by changing the name to;
Triathletes in the Sun…TITS!!!
Stop at Naples Cyclery on Vanderbilt beach Road in the plaza just west of state route 41. They have group rides leaving there daily lots of routes. Going to be plenty of traffic though at that time of year. Most of the popular cycling routes have wide paved shoulders. Cant say about swimming though.
My wife and I are heading to Naples for the week before Christmas. We will have our bikes with us. We’ll be staying in a condo near where Vanderbuilt Beach Rd meets the Gulf. Can anyone help us with bike routes that will get us away from the traffic.
Pool recommendation?
Thanks
I go down to Bonita 2x per year. I’m doing this this year and can’t wait. Really looking forward to truly just racing for the fun of it (though I do want a mug)… http://www.eliteevents.org/christmas-sprint-triathlon-and-duathlon.html
Here are a bunch of rides posted by the Trek Estero location: http://trekbikestoreusa.com/events/west-coast-ride-maps-pg763.htm
Oh, and for pool, we stay at the Hyatt Vacation Club. There is also a Hyatt Hotel and you can discretely walk right in and there’s a dedicated 25yd lap pool.
What’s the Hits race like? They seem to go out of their way to make the course the worst possible. But they do make up for it by doing so many other things wrong. We have never been to Naples and I saw he Hits race when we were looking into this trip. If we like it there maybe we will enter for next year.
Hits stands for ‘‘Horses in the Sun’’ the owners very successful horse show business. It seems like he’s trying to bring the same business model into triathlon. He should realize that this isn’t that and it doesn’t work that way here. Maybe he should start by changing the name to;
Triathletes in the Sun…TITS!!!
The bike course for the sprint and olympic are excellent IMO. Only a couple of turns, flat, smooth, nice wide shoulder, and minimal traffic that early on a Sunday morning. That’s the only HITS race I do but it’s pretty well run for a small race.
Biking on Estero Island. You may want to drive near and park. Swimming at Golden gate fitness center pool in golden gate park.
You can find an awesome masters swim program at T2 Acquatics - Mike Egan is the guy to contact via their website, in advance. The road bike scene is very good but a little dangerous. Check out the local VELO bike club with daily rides for A and B+ level riders.
You might also get some 411 at the Trek store located on Tamiami trail. However, there is another bike shop (forget the name) in a strip mall (west edge) on vanderbuilt beach road. Try there and the coffee shop next door where riders meet before and after the group rides.
good luck
My wife and I are heading to Naples for the week before Christmas. We will have our bikes with us. We’ll be staying in a condo near where Vanderbuilt Beach Rd meets the Gulf. Can anyone help us with bike routes that will get us away from the traffic.
Pool recommendation?
Thanks
You are right on the Gulf. The water is beautiful there, usually calm, and certainly warm enough to swim in. That would be my swim recommendation down there as a warm ocean/Gulf is way more enjoyable than a pool!
What’s the Hits race like? They seem to go out of their way to make the course the worst possible. But they do make up for it by doing so many other things wrong. We have never been to Naples and I saw he Hits race when we were looking into this trip. If we like it there maybe we will enter for next year.
Hits stands for ‘‘Horses in the Sun’’ the owners very successful horse show business. It seems like he’s trying to bring the same business model into triathlon. He should realize that this isn’t that and it doesn’t work that way here. Maybe he should start by changing the name to;
Triathletes in the Sun…TITS!!!
The bike course for the sprint and olympic are excellent IMO. Only a couple of turns, flat, smooth, nice wide shoulder, and minimal traffic that early on a Sunday morning. That’s the only HITS race I do but it’s pretty well run for a small race.
Yeh, not sure what you mean by “worst possible” course. I did the OLY Naples HITS race in 2013 and will be in the area again this year and signed up. The course is flat, fast, on decent roads with only two turns out and two turns back with a turnaround. What else would you want? Race was well organized. Looking forward to it again.
You are right on the Gulf. The water is beautiful there, usually calm, and certainly warm enough to swim in. That would be my swim recommendation down there as a warm ocean/Gulf is way more enjoyable than a pool!
I’m with you all the way on that. We will be swimming in the Gulf almost every day. I’m just looking for back-up in case of jellyfish, ma-o-war, too big of waves, or something else happening. Kind of like having the Swimming Hall of Fame pool at the beach in Ft Lauderdale. It’s good to have it right there when you don’t want to swim across the street.