# Orlando Newbie-Where to ride?



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Hi, all. I just relocated from Denver and am wondering which safe, well travelled routes I need to find for training. I live in the Millennia Mall area.

Thanks!


----------



## CMJTperry (Oct 23, 2012)

Tons of bike trails, I go to Winter Garden, Winter Park, Baldwin park,
Seminole bike trail, google orlando Bike Trails, we are very fortunate that we have toms of them available to us.


----------



## CMJTperry (Oct 23, 2012)

I think my favorite is west Orange bike trail, I think its around 22 miles long. Perfect.


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

You will find Florida is a lot like Colorado in that it is bike friendly. Road construction and repaving requires 3 feet of bike lanes be added. Trails are MUTs and have 15 mph speed limits with too many pedestrians. I say hit the road and ride. You can find a route at mapmyride or stratus dot com. No endorsement, but they helped me find some inland routes. Google local bike shops and clubs to see what maps/rides they have.

Caution, in the summer Orlando hits 100+ degree days and thunderstorms must be respected.

Enjoy the new digs.


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

thanks, all. i searched and found west orange trail at 22 miles. so that seems like a good place to start. was not aware that it was bike friendly, but that's very encouraging. wil use the mapmyride and hook up with a good bike shop, maybe find a group. 

oh, and i guess i can switch out the 11-28 rear to a 12-25 now. 

Thanks again,

Darren


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

You could take off your inner ring and front dlr to save weight, too. Every time I go to the LBS for brake cables they always remind me you only need to have one working in Florida.


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Slip Stream said:


> You could take off your inner ring and front dlr to save weight, too. Every time I go to the LBS for brake cables they always remind me you only need to have one working in Florida.


you mean BOTH inner rings and front dlr...(yep, i ride a triple. when climbing, one can never have too many bailout gears, i say.)


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

dnice, I rode a triple when I lived in NoVa, too. Couple of the "hills" slowed me to 6-7 mph. On one I hit 70+ going downhill. 

In FL, the closest thing I have to a hill is a high rise, which is what they call bridges that sailboats can sail under. As opposed to a draw or swing bridge. Some days I ride for hours on the high rise, back and forth, back and forth. It is the only mountain stage in South Florida.


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Slip Stream said:


> dnice, I rode a triple when I lived in NoVa, too. Couple of the "hills" slowed me to 6-7 mph. On one I hit 70+ going downhill.
> 
> In FL, the closest thing I have to a hill is a high rise, which is what they call bridges that sailboats can sail under. As opposed to a draw or swing bridge. Some days I ride for hours on the high rise, back and forth, back and forth. It is the only mountain stage in South Florida.


i gotta ask: do you experience a certain amount of conflict cycling in orlando? i feel like i'll love the fact that i can breathe at sea level, and not have to suffer so much climbing, plus clicking up the avg speed and the wonderful tempo that comes with riding on flats. at the same time, when you are able to sort out the climbing it does tend to reward (in a bizarre way, but gratifying nonetheless).


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

dnice said:


> i gotta ask: do you experience a certain amount of conflict cycling in orlando? i feel like i'll love the fact that i can breathe at sea level, and not have to suffer so much climbing, plus clicking up the avg speed and the wonderful tempo that comes with riding on flats. at the same time, when you are able to sort out the climbing it does tend to reward (in a bizarre way, but gratifying nonetheless).


dnice, you acclimate. Going in to the summer heat is easier than when it gets colder. Took me 2 years to get used to the many months of heat. And that was more moisture management than conditioning. I ask the barber for a one and a half razor all over. When the temps drop it gets a bit difficult. After you get used to the heat, the first 75 degree ride is breath taking. Literally. It hurts your teeth, your nose, your lungs. 75 degrees, really. I wear long sleeves, pants, and socks below 78 degrees. Socks, yuck. The tourist stand out out like black eyes. 

I live in a serious vacation destination. Us locals get to know each other quick. My chihuahua is a celebrity. And the dog it dines with is even more iconic.

Going into the heat is no problem. 

I do not live in Orlando. I visit there often for biz and pleasure. I live along the SW coast. There is very little temp variation from day to day. About 4 months out of the year it is 93/83. Today was cold, high was 71-72 and low is cigar prevention territory. About 2 hours from Orlando if you drive the speed limit(that is a guess, it takes me 80-90 minutes to get there). When you live in Florida and think about vacation, you have Orlando, Daytona, Miami, Key West, Pensicola, _______ and my back yard in a day trip. Not bad.

Do not know where I want to retire. But, I'm right where I want to be right now.


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

the heat is a special challenge, for sure. i feel like hydration is the key there, as you said. but then again, respect for the heat would likely cause me to get out earlier, as well. i'm guessing you freeze your drink bottles over night and always ride with two of them. what other techniques for keeping your body cool do you practice?


----------



## NJBiker72 (Jul 9, 2011)

dnice said:


> i gotta ask: do you experience a certain amount of conflict cycling in orlando? i feel like i'll love the fact that i can breathe at sea level, and not have to suffer so much climbing, plus clicking up the avg speed and the wonderful tempo that comes with riding on flats. at the same time, when you are able to sort out the climbing it does tend to reward (in a bizarre way, but gratifying nonetheless).


I used to think that but I would miss the challenge of hills. 

About once a year we go to south Jersey and i spend a week riding flats. Fun. For a week.


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

dnice said:


> the heat is a special challenge, for sure. i feel like hydration is the key there, as you said. but then again, respect for the heat would likely cause me to get out earlier, as well. i'm guessing you freeze your drink bottles over night and always ride with two of them. what other techniques for keeping your body cool do you practice?


As said, the heat is easy. Wake up and throw down water regardless of days activity level. It's Florida. Heat is the order du jour. It is 60 degrees out right now (9 AM) and I am not going out in that. Way too cold! It will be above 65 soon and that calls for knickers, long sleeves and gloves. Again, heat is easy - DRINK WATER. Not soda. Definitely not wine. Beer is 99% water, so it is OK. Lots of water. Think pre-load with water.

And while you're wasting away in margarittaville, salt, salt, salt.
Danger Will Robinson! Science ahead:
Psycho-Physiology: 99 times out of 100 when you get "hunger pangs" or feel "hungry" your body is craving, that is needs, water or salt, the two most basic foundations of nutrition.
If you are doing distance athletics in a tropical clime you need grams of salt every day. Grams.

One big bottle will last about 1.5 hours. Two will last about 3 hours. If you go longer, it is easy to refill in Florida. Even in the 'glades. Death by dehydration on the side of the road would not be good for a tourist destination. Water is everywhere.

Rest comes down to conditioning. Heat is easier than cold, which for this Floridian is sub 78s.

ps. dnice, think you missed in OP, my head is shaved to keep the sweat off my eye screens. Go low. Took me two years and a couple of head sweat management devices that did not work so well to figure it out.


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

it's funny, 78 is cold. I walk around here at night in the high 40s with a t shirt and people rre bundled up in jackets. In colorado I would cycle down to 40 degrees with a craft base layer, long sleeve shirt, long cycle pants. I have to adjust my bearings, I guess.


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

dnice said:


> it's funny, 78 is cold. I walk around here at night in the high 40s with a t shirt and people rre bundled up in jackets. In colorado I would cycle down to 40 degrees with a craft base layer, long sleeve shirt, long cycle pants. I have to adjust my bearings, I guess.


Just wait. It took a couple years to catch up with me, too. After you acclimate the tourists stand out like black eyes.


----------



## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

Another option for rides is the east Orlando area from UCF out towards Christmas and up Ft Christmas Rd toward Geneva. Its mostly 2 lane, very sparsely driven and fairly scenic. I have riden all the way to Mims (Lake Pickett E to Ft Christmas N to Snow Hill N to FL 46 E), a few times when I lived down there and I recommend it if your interested in riding in fairly rural areas without the hassle of traffic on a MUT.


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

Wayne, with you on MUT traffic. And they are always posted with 15mph limit. It takes a 25mph+ head winds to slow me down to 15mph. Road riding always has better scenery too: Bald Eagles, exotic cars, nice houses, dolphins, manatee, beautiful people and thong bikinis(sometimes even less)


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

well, that was interesting. just returned from the first ride out on the west orange trail. i woke up determined to get a ride in today, and it took a lot of determination to see it through. 

for starters the movers damaged the wheel and brake pads, so i started out with a visit to orange cycles to assess and repair damage. thankfully it was all cosmetic and just needed a few minor adjustments. shop guys directed me to the trail and also mentioned a ride in windermere that meets near me at 8:00 on weekends. good intel. 30 minutes later, and after several stops for directions, i found the trail in winter garden. 

while setting up i realized i had left the seat pack (along with the spare tube and tools) as wel as the computer at home. perfect! at least i had fluids and a stinger bar. tried to download mapmyride on the phone to get mileage, but the endless sign in failures combined with my impatience stuffed that plan.

rode from winter garden station (mile 5) to mile 21.5 and back, and it was much more open than i expected. saw a few bully boys in full kit, but otherwise far less crowded than my usual route home to and around cherry creek state park and back, which i came to know so well in denver.

never needed to drop out of the big ring, but it was extremely windy in spots, which at least got me up out of the saddle, giving the quads a bit of a workout. got lost on the way back, but eventually found my way back to the starting point. 

all in all, a bit of a pain in the arse with the toll roads and i'll miss leaving the apartment and heading out for a ride without racking up the bike, but that's life--gotta make adjustments. 

a post ride protein shake was well earned though. will hook up the computer next time and get some stats, but it was nice to just be out riding again. 

will look into the ucf deal as well, so if you could post your route on mapmyride, wayne, that would be most appreciated. thanks!


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

dnice, it was cold for locals today. Tomorrow will be even colder, thus low traffic. I own one pair of knickers, one long sleve jersey and arm warmers. Most riders I know have less cold kit then that. If it is too cold for that, too bad. I stay indoors. Keep looking for the bike lane near your new home. In Florida you should be able to ride from your door and back.


----------



## dnice (Jul 12, 2012)

Slip Stream said:


> dnice, it was cold for locals today. Tomorrow will be even colder, thus low traffic. I own one pair of knickers, one long sleve jersey and arm warmers. Most riders I know have less cold kit then that. If it is too cold for that, too bad. I stay indoors. Keep looking for the bike lane near your new home. In Florida you should be able to ride from your door and back.


so true, i was one of the few in proper summer gear. most had long sleeves, knee warmers, and even jackets. the car temp gauge read 69 degrees!


----------



## Slip Stream (Jul 19, 2002)

Just wait, in late November it dips in to the high 70s and it will feel cold. And that cold feeling doesn't end until you have 4-5 days in the 60s. 
(I wear full finger gloves under 74. And think nothing of riding 60 miles in the 90s.)


----------



## dougclaysmith (Oct 17, 2009)

dnice, Not sure what level of cycling you're at, But, In Nov there is the Horrible Hundred in Clermont, Just west of Orlando, A lot of nice rolling hills. Clermont is a nice area to ride. Check out Florida Freewheelers, They have a lot of maps. 

If your into racing here is a link, it also has a lot of info about large organized rides, FBRA

There is a club up in Seminole Co, Good guys Official Site of the SEMINOLE Cyclists

Around Orlando, Clermont and further west in San Antonio, you'll use all your gears, Nothing like Co, but there are hills out there. 

Orlando is a nice town, use to live there, now in Tampa. Just remember in May when you feel like you are gonna die because its starting to heat up, it really doesn't get hot until July.


----------



## WaynefromOrlando (Mar 3, 2010)

I don't use mapmyride, so I can't help you with that. If you hook up with the Eastside Cycling club, they ride out in that direction, ride with them over to the Ft Christmas Road area and its not hard to find the way out to Mims if you look at a map.

Eastside Cycling Club


----------

