Sarasota Cycling

We've been getting out and exploring the local cycling scene.  Mostly it has been frustrating, with a few moments of "this is so great I can't believe I'm here", but we've found a few good places to ride.

Here is Connie on Casey Key.  This is a small island just south of Sarasota.  The island is about 5 miles long and maybe only 200 yards wide at the skinny parts.

We took a "rails to trails" to get from South Sarasota to Casey Key.  Ended up with about 25 miles, most of it without traffic and lots of great scenery.   An excellent ride.
More of Casey Key.

In Oregon, we were accustomed to group rides without much structure, and changing or adjusting the route as we went along.  The club rides in Sarasota are scheduled, with the routes and speeds completely pre-planned.  Here is a photo from the Tuesday morning Potter Park ride.

The signature hammer ride for Sarasota has got to be Longboat Key.  A lot of groups do this route.  Generally they leave from downtown, hammer over the hill (Ringling Bridge), ease up through the congestion around St. Armands, then it is open road for about 18 miles.  It's far from perfect, and can have a bit too much traffic, but it's never more than a few hundred yards from the water and out and back gives about 40 miles with only a few traffic lights.

The best part of riding in Florida?  Wearing shorts and short sleeves in mid-November.