The Bee-17s will ride a loop by the Team
Florida Cycling Swamp Classic races at the Gainesville Raceway,
Saturday, February 4th.
Note: This route will take us out to
Brooker, and then swing by the Gainesville Raceway, where the Team Florida
Cycling Swamp Classic will be taking place. Riders can stop off at
the
races or continue straight back to the starting point, your choice. A
flyer for the race event can be found here: http://www.floridacycling.com/flyers/swampclassic12.pdf
The Route: We
will
start by riding north from the Gainesville Northside Park on SR121, then
fork
right onto SR231/235 to Brooker for the rest stop, then go east
on
CR18 to the CR231 loop and then back onto CR18 until we reach
CR225
which we will take south until it turns west and then south again and
passes by
the Gainesville Raceway where we will pause and people can decide whether
they
want to stay and watch the races for a while or continue immediately with
the
ride. The route will then continue south on CR225 until it reaches
CR232
(NE 53rd Ave), which we will take west back to SR121 (NW 34th
St), then take that north back to the starting point at the
Gainesville
Northside Park.
The Time: Meet at
8:45AM, ride at 9:00AM,
Saturday, February 4th. Expect a ride time
of ~3:00 hours including the rest stop, but not
time
spent at the racetrack for those who stay to watch the
races.
The Ride: This is
a relatively easy ride of ~41 miles, with a
few minor hills and smooth
roads.
Expect ride speeds of 17-19 mph with a target
pedaling
speed of 17 mph and an average speed of 16-17 mph. This is a
no-drop friendly ride for riders in reasonable physical condition; we
will
soft pedal as necessary to keep the core of the group together because
riders on this ride are expected to be able to ride at the stated
group
speed; nevertheless we will wait for everyone to regroup at
each major turn and after fun sprints, if necessary to
prevent
drops. Helmets
are required.
The Rest Stop:
Will
be in Brooker at approximately 13 miles, at a gas
station/convenience store with restrooms, with an optional stop at the
Gainesville Raceway.
The Start Point:
Will
be at the Gainesville Northside Park, whose entrance
is
located on NW 34th Street (CR121), just south of
the
county DMV office where car tags are issued, a short distance south of the
DMV
drivers license office and Florida Highway Patrol station on
441.
This is the location of the new Gainesville Senior Recreation Center,
where
restrooms are available.
The Ride Aids:
If
you want a preview map of the ride or a Garmin .tcx file, email Ed at
the
address below. General information about the Bee-17s is now
available
in the "Riding Groups" page at the GCC web site:
Weather: In the
event
of questionable weather as we near ride time, a GO or cancellation
notice
will be posted on the list server approximately 1 hour or sooner before
posted
ride meeting time; if you don't see anything by then, the ride is most
likely a
GO; if you still have concerns or useful specific information
about bad weather along the ride route, please give me a
call.