cross florida by bike

A few of us have been meeting up on local rides in preparation to "race the sun" across the peninsula. With the mechanical advantage of bike, we hoped to traverse what took me three days on foot in less than one day. So, at sunrise on Mother's Day, we set out from Anastasia Island bound for Cedar Key...

Click here for interactive map of route.

Go time

Lily and Uwharrie saw Kenyon, Paul and me off. Our route tracked closely to last year's adventure all the way across the St. Johns. In Palatka, we diverted northwest to the rail trail along route 100. We relished its lack of traffic and cool shade as the day's temperatures began to creep towards the 90s.

As we entered into Alachua County and neared the halfway point, Kenyon's back and legs started seizing up on him. He urged Paul and me to continue on and shortly connected with Lily and Uwharrie. Hydration became key. Every 20 miles or so, we would break in the shade.

Paul and I took a long lunch at a cafe on the other side of Gainesville. We understood that the final 50 miles would be the roughest. Already tired, we faced the hottest hours in a constant headwind. To make matters worse, my bloodshot eyes started aching from the sweat, sunblock and dry wind.

Lily's oasis stops were critical during this time. As the smell of the salt marshes grew stronger, my frown began to turn itself upside-down. After 13 hours and 140-miles from the start, Paul and I reached the Gulf of Mexico at Cedar Key with about an hour of daylight to spare. Piece of cake, right?