Photo by La Piña

CLUBS, ROUTES & PEOPLE

By Blain Reeves

I’ve been a hardcore cyclist for several years, both mountain and road, and used to find it hard to get back into the groove after my many military tours overseas. But after I returned from Iraq in 2004 and was reassigned to United States Southern Command in beautiful Doral, I started realizing what South Florida cycling and racing are all about.

There are few places in the world where cycling thrives as well as it does here. We have rides and clubs that can accommodate any ability level from beginner to seasoned professional.

Within 15 miles of where I live in western Broward there are clubs for beginner and intermediate riders, such as the South Broward Wheelers and Team Memorial, which sometimes have more than 100 riders. Intermediate and advanced riders can pedal with the Weston Flyers and Big Wheel Cycles. And who could forget the Sheridan ride on Saturday mornings, when many of the top riders in South Florida show up to do battle?

Plus we have Boca Raton Bicycle Club and West Palm Beach Bicycle Club in Palm Beach County and Everglades Bicycle Club and Kendall Knights in Miami-Dade, to name a few.

Most rides around South Florida are large and have great turnouts, and why not? The weather is almost always great. It may be a little windy and rainy at times, but there is no snow or ice to contend with.

Elsewhere there are rides that head out on Key Biscayne with more than 100 cyclists and rides from Aventura Mall that can also top the 100-cyclist mark. There are rides every day of the week if you look.

South Florida cycling is also known for the number of competitive teams and riders who live here. The names of sponsors have changed but the riders remain the same. Teams such as Bike America Racing, Team Big Wheel, Team Santos, Team Champion Porsche, pb Herbalife, Team Performance Fitness, Stick Boys Racing, Sun Cycle, Team Locos Bar & Grill, Blue Star and Team zMotion are just a few. Professional and former Olympic-level riders are leading some of these teams.

Most people don’t know that riders in local pelotons (the large masses of riders) include Ivan Franco, a former rider for Spain’s ONCE team. Also in the local ranks are former Colombian national cycling champion John Durango, and guys like Yosvany Falcon and Seth Hansley who were first and third respectively in the recent USA Criterium National Championship Series.

It’s amazing that two of the riders who stood on the podium for the national championship were from South Florida.

On a side note, Hansley was picked up by Italy’s Team Lampre and will start training with them in the spring. How about Frank Travieso and Grant Potter? They’re two guys who have to constantly be watched within the peloton. Rumor is that in December Potter and Travieso are training in the mountains of north Georgia with Floyd Landis, Lance Armstrong’s former teammate.

Anyway you look at it there’s every ability level present in South Florida and with the great weather there’s no reason not to get out and ride. All you have to do is ask your local bike shop to recommend a club.

Blain Reeves recently retired as a lieutenant-colonel in the U.S. Army. A long-time ultra-endurance athlete, he moved to South Florida in 2004 and won the South Florida Duathlon Series from 2005 to 2007. He now focuses on cycling and has made the move into the Pro 1/2 ranks.