# St Pete and Gulf beaches ride report



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I'm down in Florida on vacation this week..... Yesterday I went over to Mulberry and rode with follow RBRer Gutfiddle... Today I headed out and did about 60 miles around the gulf beach and St Petersburg....

I've ridden all over the country and Caribbean and St Petersburg ranks in my top 5 for cycling friendly cities....There are bike lanes everywhere and the Pinellas trail is outstanding..... I was very pleasantly surprised.....


Here are some pics


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Some more


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## Le Wrench (May 12, 2009)

The best looking Swift Folder build.
Very nice.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

The last set


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## MB1 (Jan 27, 2004)

Nice, we'll have to check out the area and the shop in the fall.


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## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

Great shots...

How were the temps?


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## pedalruns (Dec 18, 2002)

That's nice Dave.... very pretty, and it is hot as heck here, but a little cooler today in DFW, a cool front came thru so it only made it to 95 or so. 

Enjoy the beach while you can!


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

fasteddy07 said:


> Great shots...
> 
> How were the temps?


Temps are in the 90's but the wind really helps it feel cooler


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## bigbill (Feb 15, 2005)

I spent five weeks in Pensacola going to officer school back in 2000. It wasn't OCS, it was more like a bad convention with lots of time off. I took a road bike with the goal of getting 1000 miles in five weeks and ended up with almost 1400. It was really flat, hot, and muggy but the area cyclists were nice. They had a tuesday/thursday ride that was a cutthroat sprint fest that usually ended up with a 25+ mph average. I usually felt woozy after the ride.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

love the thundercloud shots, can't wait to get to Anna Maria this weekend. Next time ur in the Sunshine State I'll meet _you_ for a ride!


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## Ridgetop (Mar 1, 2005)

Nice. Love the clouds.


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## Thommy (Sep 23, 2003)

Way to go dave! Saint Pete is awesome! Looks like you're having a great time. I wonder how many people caught the image of the pirate in the second photo that goes with your moniker. Ride on you crazy pirate!


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

Dave Hickey said:


> Temps are in the 90's but the wind really helps it feel cooler


The ride to Fort DeSoto is a good addition to your ride (if you haven't already). You'll have to pay the 25 cents for the toll bridges but the island is pretty much unspoiled--7 miles long with some of the best beaches in the contig. US.


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

SwiftSolo said:


> The ride to Fort DeSoto is a good addition to your ride (if you haven't already). You'll have to pay the 25 cents for the toll bridges but the island is pretty much unspoiled--7 miles long with some of the best beaches in the contig. US.


+1 definitely worth checking out.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

gutfiddle said:


> +1 definitely worth checking out.



Cool..thanks guys..I'll check it out tomorrow


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## cdhbrad (Feb 18, 2003)

The toll road to Ft. Desoto is FREE for bikes, just wave and say "Thanks" as you ride by the toll booth. If you want to go by bike follow the route you were on yesterday down to the Don Cesar (pink hotel in your pics), turn Left and head east. After you cross over one bridge, you get to the intersection for the road to Tierra Verde / Ft Desoto, take a right and head south to the end..... and there's Ft. Desoto. Great beaches, etc. for the family too. 

I'll be doing a monthly Time Trial out there Thursday night starting at 6:30, so come have some fun. A couple of girls from 66 Fixed rode it last month and were great. They sure didn't need more than one gear. 

Sorry about the rain today, it's the time of year we start seeing tropical weather.


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Looks pretty nice- I never thought of Florida as being a place to go for cycling, but it seems you enjoyed yourself. Also, not as hot as I would expect if it was only in the 90s. What was that big pink building? County courthouse? Somebody`s consulate?


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## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

Great shots!

But where did all the people go?

Also cool bike, is it comfy on really long rides? - I guess so since you did 60 miles on it... heh


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## gutfiddle (Apr 27, 2006)

rodar y rodar said:


> Looks pretty nice- I never thought of Florida as being a place to go for cycling, but it seems you enjoyed yourself. Also, not as hot as I would expect if it was only in the 90s. What was that big pink building? County courthouse? Somebody`s consulate?


Don CeSar resort

http://www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/St-Pete-Beach-Resort/Overview.aspx


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## VaughnA (Jun 3, 2003)

Nice shots Dave,

I agree, the bike is the wrong color. I like St Pete but hate Tampa. Downtown St Pete has some nice character. I tried to ride near Tampa and vowed to never do it again. Flat roads with crazy drivers. 

My parents used to live in Brandon. My stepfather wanted us to invest in real estate a few years ago but we had a bad feeling so we passed. I'm glad we did. My brother bought his house in Sarasota for 350k in 1999, the 'value' went up to 750k before the bust. I'm not sure what it's worth now. A lot of folks are hurting in that area. I'll take the nice slow value growth on my little split level in Virginia.


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## HokieRider (Oct 6, 2005)

We stayed at the Don Cesar when I was a kid...maybe 11 or 12. My maiden name is Cessar and some of the staff thought we were related to "the Don Cesar". We got fantastic service that entire trip. I recognized that place as soon as I saw the pic, and I haven't thought about that in years.

Nice shots Dave. How comfy is the folding bike for distances?


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## jd3 (Oct 8, 2004)

Somebody's gotta say it. Nice rack


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

HokieRider said:


> We stayed at the Don Cesar when I was a kid...maybe 11 or 12. My maiden name is Cessar and some of the staff thought we were related to "the Don Cesar". We got fantastic service that entire trip. I recognized that place as soon as I saw the pic, and I haven't thought about that in years.
> 
> Nice shots Dave. How comfy is the folding bike for distances?



The bike is extremely comfy for long distances...It has the equivelant of 38c tires. the tires and Brooks saddle make for a very comfortable ride


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## rodar y rodar (Jul 20, 2007)

Wow, hard to believe it could be so comfortable with black paint. Well, I guess as long as there`s no derailer....


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## Eisentraut (Sep 18, 2008)

You could spend years riding in this area alone and not see everything. If you think of the Pinellas trail as an artery you can find neighborhoods and comunities along the way that you'd not likely find by car. I've riden the whole trail round trip last weekend for the first time and I've lived here for 20+ years.I've read you come from Texas so your used to the heat and if you can deal with that aspect of Florida, it's a great place to ride. Check out Tarpon Springs at the north end of the trail if you get the chance, it's an interesting community and you see some nice things on the way.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Eisentraut said:


> You could spend years riding in this area alone and not see everything. If you think of the Pinellas trail as an artery you can find neighborhoods and comunities along the way that you'd not likely find by car. I've riden the whole trail round trip last weekend for the first time and I've lived here for 20+ years.I've read you come from Texas so your used to the heat and if you can deal with that aspect of Florida, it's a great place to ride. Check out Tarpon Springs at the north end of the trail if you get the chance, it's an interesting community and you see some nice things on the way.


I hear you....I like to explore when I ride and I always used the Pinellas Trail as my starting point...I found a great safe road( 74th st) the runs from just over the bridge from Redington Beach that ran straight to the trail..From there I'd head north or south and branched out from there...

Other than the rain for two solid days it was a great trip....My son and I drove straight through yesterday so we're back in Texas today....


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## SwiftSolo (Jun 7, 2008)

Dave Hickey said:


> Cool..thanks guys..I'll check it out tomorrow


If you want to add a little "old Florida" charm to your ride, you may want to ride on up to Pass-a-Grille (the end of the road and back down to the hotel (pink) before heading out to the Fort. It's about my favorite little town in Florida--also with good beachs. There is a great place to have breakfast at a little grill right on the outside beach just adjacent to "downtown" which is one block of shops and bars.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I rode to Pass-a-Grille twice.....I loved it.... I told my wife that it was one of the coolist towns I've been in


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