provided to The Santiva Chronicle
Last week, 15 intrepid members of the Sanibel Bicycle Club ventured 220 miles across the state of Florida on their bikes.
“We formed a small group many months ago, and began our planning last fall,” said Jim Meyer, President of the club. The group of varying cycling experience started in Clearwater Beach, traveled east through central Florida for five days, and ended with a swim in New Smyrna Beach.
Jim Cryder and Dan Wilhelm, officers of the club, managed the route and logistics for moving the group one-way by bike and returning by van at the end of the week. “It was a tremendous experience for all of us,” said Cindy Owens. “We were all a bit apprehensive at first, but the group energy pulled us through with no problems.”
Wilhelm had the knowledge of long-distance cycling from his trip across the US in 2024. The routes followed other cycling maps posted on a site called “Ride With GPS,” which can be used by anyone to find existing, proven cycling routes anywhere in the US. Most of the trip followed Florida’s extensive and growing pedestrian path systems, at times connected by short distances on roads.
“I loved the small towns in central Florida, such as Clermont and Winter Garden, which we’d never see if not on a bike tour,” said rider Bryan Goldberg. The people were friendly, and all mentioned how they loved Sanibel.
The Sanibel Bicycle Club is one of the oldest social activity clubs on Sanibel, and now has nearly 200 members. The club offers a variety of cycling opportunities for riders of all levels. See the website at www.sanibelbicycleclub.org for more information. There will also be an information booth at the Sanibel Volunteer Expo on January 2.