January 10, 2016
Sarasota to Tampa
On the road again! Off to Tampa at 10:00 after getting everything back into the panniers and munching down breakfast. The week in Sarasota was great. Lots of good scenery and fast rides. I wasn't really expecting the latter but was able to keep up with the "boys" in their pacelines. But now it is back to loaded touring. Although, full disclosure here, I'm letting Mark carry the tent, sleeping bag, and air mattress since I will not be doing any more camping. Mark will be following me to Jacksonville by car (actually, leaving after me each day and arriving at our hotel ahead of me) and working while I bike. But more on that later!
By now, I am very used to Florida roads. To get just about anywhere, you need to ride a four- or six-lane boulevard that likely has bike lanes but also a lot of traffic. Getting out of Sarasota was not an exception. Of course, our hotel was on University Parkway, but after a short distance I diverted to Desoto Road, a relatively quiet two-lane facility, but no bike lane.
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But after Desoto, I had to get back on University as there were no other real options. I was headed east of Interstate 75, and you can only pass those barriers at interchanges, which means you have to cycle those major arterials!
I carefully made my way through the interchange and continued east, slowly leaving the heavy traffic behind me as I headed into the "countryside," such as it were. Countryside just means more subdivisions, most with that typical Florida cachet (Sunny this or Lake that). Of course, if you find a lake, you also might see this:
By then, I had turned north, and it really did eventually become truly rural.
That was near MP 25, which I passed at 12 noon. I was moving at a good clip, maybe 14.6 or 14.8 mph. The wind was from the west, and I was headed east for a good part of the morning, so that certainly helped. But I could tell a front was moving in. It was getting overcast, had chilled a bit, and the sun was definitely on vacation.
But it never rained. Not a drop. I continued on my way as there were still roads to cycle before bedtime.
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But it all ended as I approached the outskirts of Tampa. Technically, I am in Riverview, which sounds nicer than it is! There were not many lodging options as far south and east as I wanted. Tomorrow I head for Winter Haven (so Florida) and didn't really want to go further into Tampa. Not this time. During our return in February, we'll circumnavigate the bay, but for now, I'm headed east/northeast to Orlando!
So I navigated my way through Balm, Florida and then headed northwest on Balm Riverview Road in a northwest direction. That gave me a good headwind, so the last 10 miles or so were at a rough pace, sometimes below 11 mph! But I eventually made it in good time, arriving at my hotel at 3:00 PM. Not bad for a 60-mile day.
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 637 miles (1,025 km)
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