Blog - Page 17 of 19 - Gone Riding

Florida Gravel Grinder series #1 – Seminole Forest – Eustis, Fl With rain in the forecast for most of the day, the conditions actually turned out pretty nice for the first round of the series, the rain stopped about an hour before the start and only rained again after the event was over and nice temperatures to boot but it did leave the riders looking a dirty after the first lap. Many thanks to SORBA Orlando for helping with the parking and to Jorge Feliciano for designing the course. Speaking of the course, it was 16.8 miles per loop which

Coconut Cup #5 + ST – Dyer Park – WPB, Fl Fantastic weather at the trail with the most elevation in South Florida for the fifth stop of the series. FORCE (Florida Off Road Cycling Enthusiasts) tends to the trails in this park and they always they do a super job prepping and supporting the event, many thanks to the crew! The club laid out a doosy of a loop which consisted of 6.75 mile of about half single track (in the low country) and the other half on the “Hill” which has lot’s of climbing and decending. Saturday the

Florida Endurance series #2 – Markham Woods Park – Lake Mary, Fl Coldest day in 4 years was the local news headline and yes it was cold the morning of the race (27 degrees) but the sun was shining and zero wind so it warmed up nicely to the mid fifties in the afternoon which kept the racers shedding more and more gear as the race went on. The course was in great shape thanks to some mid week rain and the work of the SORBA Orlando crew and they had a very creative 10 mile course laid out that

Coconut Cup #4 – Virginia Key Park – Miami, Fl The series took it’s annual holiday break and came back to Virginia Key trails to face a tough weather forecast for the day as a cold front carrying rain and healthy winds were due sometime during the afternoon. The weather folks got it right this time, almost down to the minute and fortunately there was just enough time to get 99 % of the races done with a dry course. The Virginia Key MTB club once again had the trails in super shape and had laid out a challenging 6.9

Florida Endurance series #1 – Loyce Harpe Park – Lakeland, Fl Was a beautiful day in Central Florida, very mild winter so far and sunshine for the opening round of the new season. The Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Association have busy keeping the trails race ready and they also helped immensely with the running of the event, many thanks! The course was set up also on the mild side for the endurance racers but it still had some punch to it of course, this time it was a little on the long side at 8.2 miles per loop but they

Specialized Florida State Championship series #8 + Coconut Cup MU + E MTB #5 – Santos Trails – Ocala, Fl What a fun, fulfilling and competitive season this was, the weather was awesome (well at least pretty close to awesome) for most of the races and the attendance and enthusiasm was a welcome sight after being two years into the pandemic. The Santos trails are always popular and since we were not expecting rain (more on that later) we set up the course on the technical and long side (hey this was the final race after all) with sections like

Coconut Cup #3 – Amelia Earhart Park – Hialeah, Fl Lot’s going on this past weekend starting with the Coconut Cup time trial on Saturday and then the XC race on Sunday, both events were also make up races for the FSC which meant there were numerous North Florida riders (“North” meaning North of West Palm Beach) there to gather as many points as possible before the final FSC showdown in Ocala. The weather was absolutely awesome with temps in the low eighties and lot’s of sunshine. If you have never ridden this course you are missing out as it

Specialized Florida State Championship series #7 + Coconut Cup #2 + E MTB #4 – Caloosahatchee Trails – Alva, Fl Another fantastic weather event for the double header at Alva, there was concern in the air leading up the race as some rain was threatening to spoil the fun but it held off and the course conditions were perfect. This trail is a unique one for the circuit as it encompasses a long 10.5 mile loop and a shorter 4 mile loop option so many of classes did long and short options to get the desired distance. It also is

Specialized Florida State Championship series #6 + ST + E MTB #3 – Haile Trails – Newberry, Fl It is almost November and it is still quite warm in North Central Florida as the sixth round of the series rolled into the popular Hailes trails venue. This property is privately owned and only open a few times a year and many riders look forward to not just racing but riding the course when they get the opportunity. It is located on an old limestone rock quarry and features lot’s of short steep climbs and technical sections along with some awesome