provided to The Santiva Chronicle
One of the island’s oldest and largest social clubs is celebrating its 30th year. The Sanibel Bicycle Club was formed in 1995 and now boasts nearly 200 active members. Some of the original founders gathered recently to talk about the early days of a small group of cycling enthusiasts which has survived and grown despite our island’s restless years of storms, ill tides, and pandemic.
“Keith Trowbridge was the first to organize a small group of cyclists via a newspaper ad in 1995. Frank and Bird Rosen, Dale Armstrong, and Doug Hilger were some of the original members,” said Mike Miller, past club president and now island Mayor. The group bicycled weekly and also rode together on trips to the Everglades and Europe.
In 2003, club president Tom McCarthy led the efforts to establish the Shared Use Paths which now include over 25 miles of paths used by thousands of guests and residents each year. “We gathered some regular paint from the City, and painted the “Pass On Left” messages on the trail, which soon eroded,” said Jim Drotleff. Darla Letourneau led the efforts of working closely with the City and State on advocacy for safe cycling.
In 2008, Tom Sharbaugh and Billy’s Bikes teamed up to provide refurbished bicycles to the youths of central Florida. “I’ll never forget the look on the faces of those kids when we rolled up with a truck full of shiny bikes. It gave them the joy we all feel when we bike,” Billy Kirlkland recalled fondly.
The club’s membership grew to over 150 in 2018, and kept growing despite the challenges of the following years. “A few members have left the island over the last few years,” said former president Allison Havill, “but they never left the club and still ride and socialize with us.” The club has regular rides on Saturday of all levels, off-island rides, volunteer events, and monthly social dinners.
Jim Meyer, current president, says, “We remain strong advocates for the improvement of our SUP system which sustained storm damages after repairs in 2021. The City leaders have been great partners in helping manage the usage, growth and challenges of new devices sharing the paths.”
Recently, speed limits were established, and Path Rangers were hired to help all SUP users and motorists safely coexist. The club is well poised for the next 30 years of island cycling. To learn more, go to www.sanibelbicycleclub.org
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