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Florida Endurance series #5 – Hialeah Hustle – Hialeah, Fl Starting to get warm again, it wasn’t too hot but it was getting there as temps were pushing the ninties and it was obvious to the racers that heat and hydration was an important factor for the day. The course was on the dry side and was set for a 7.5 mile loop around this fun and flowing trail system which set up a four lap affair for the sprint classes and an eight times around for the marathon racers. In the long distance race the winner of the men’s […]

Florida Endurance series #4 + TT#2 – Hammock Hauler – Alachua, Fl Got lucky with the weather again as it was cool but not cold and just enough rain to make both days of racing near perfection at San Felasco trails. On Saturday the final Time Trial of the series was held at 3pm with temperatures in the upper 70’s and it was Alberto Maracano that set the fast lap at 38:13 on the 10.45 mile course while Nicole Blessing set the fastest of the women’s time. Then at around 7pm there was a cold front that blew in and

Coconut Cup series #6 – Markham Park – Sunrise, Fl It has been over a year since the series has been to Markham park and it was good to be back especially with the great weather and trail conditions. The Markham park trail building club has done a lot of great work restoring and maintaining the system and they put together a fast, flowing course for the racers which was right at 6.9 miles per loop. Although rain was expected (it did hold off till after the race) so there were a few wooden options that were taken out but

Florida Gravel Grinder series #3 – Seminole Grind – Eustis, Fl It was a chamber of commerce type of day, just what all the broachers advertise when it comes to wintertime in Florida, sunny & mild and a big switch from what the racers have been facing in the series so far. The 16.8 mile double lolly pop loop has a lot of variation with some open areas, some canopy roads, some small hills and plenty of turns and holes to help keep the focus. The park is proving to be very popular with the riders and this year there

Florida Endurance series #3 + E Vortex – 12 hours of Santos – Ocala, Fl Friday’s E bike race was held on the same course that the endurance riders would use the next day (although dry) which was a nine mile mix of flowing single track and punchy red trails (which had been toned down due to the weather forcast for the next day). The E MTB’ers faced two laps and there was $500+ on the line for the top riders, and it was Nick Mackie and Simone Berger that took home the bulk of the loot by winning the

Coconut Cup series #5 – Oleta River State Park – North Miami, Fl Another picture perfect weather event at this picturesque South Florida park setting, where else would you want to be in Winter especially with the sun the sand and bikes right? These beach side trails however are known for being demanding with lot’s and lot’s of turns, roots, rocks and surprisingly virtually sand free which makes this race feel nothing like a vacation, it tests every riders week points and here only the strong and skilled survive. Angel Rodiguez topped the men’s podium for the third CC race

Florida Endurance series #2 + Time Trial#1 – Markham Woods Masher – Lake Mary, Fl It was a dry one, yup, despite all of the doom and gloom about how the day was going to be a rainy washout it only dropped three maybe four small drops that I could see. The course could have actually used some of the wet stuff as it was a little loose in some of the turns. And temperatures were shall we say perfect t-shirt weather. The forecast certainly hurt the attendance but all in all the riders seemed to have a great time

Coconut Cup series #4 – Virginia Key Park – Miami, Fl Virginia Key Beach, the site of round four was in great shape for the racers as the club Virginia Key MTB club had the trails groomed to perfection for the event. The course this year was set at 6.7 miles and features some of the most creative designs you will ever see on a mountain bike. The park is located right in the Miami port area and some of the many views you will get are the cruise ships, the great beaches, Star Island (home of the stars) and

Florida Gravel Grinder series #2 + Time Trial #2 – 3 Forks Grind – Palm Bay, Fl Chilly & windy, sound familiar? At last year’s memorable race, the wind speeds were 40 to 50 mph & cold, this year was not as bad only around 20-25 mph and while yes it was around 45 degrees when the race started it did warm up to a sunny almost 60 degrees by awards time. So with a strong North wind carrying the racers South to the turnaround point, the second half of the course was brutal as the head winds never let