New Video: Mountain Biking in Florida

Here is something that you may not know, I was born in Florida, in Sarasota to be exact. I was only there until I was three, and half that time was spent in Vancouver. Anyway, I get back a lot to see my grandparents and to get in some beach time. It never occurred to me that there was any decent mountain biking down there, or at least anywhere near Sarasota. That is until I started watching Seth Bike Hack’s videos and heard about Alafia River State Park. Then, for the next few months the place kept coming up - an amazing biking place between Tampa and Orlando.

So, this Spring Break when it was decided we were heading Sarasota, I was amped to bring my bike. And, wow! Was that ever the right idea. Alafia is truly amazing. It’s really apparent that there is a strong, dedicated mountain bike community in Florida. The park has courtesy tools and some of the best signage I have seen in a trail network. The trails are extremely well built with lots of manmade features like bridges and wooden berms.

The park was an old mine or quarry from back in the day and has been completely reclaimed by nature, I didn’t see any sign of the past. I did see lots of birds, including an owl, a snake, and an alligator. I believe pits were dug for the mine and they are now filled with water. Ridges form between these old pits and the trails ride the crests, and are carved into the sides - riding around the ponds and through the forest..

I rode most of the trails in the park, and while the double blacks (Gravitron, Moonscape, Gatorback) had some rad drops and jumps, what were really sick were the flowing blue and single blacks like Rollercoaster, North Creek and Spitfire. These trails rode like pump tracks. Once you got up to speed you would flow up and down with ease due to the lack of vertical, and just rip through the forest.

I hope you enjoy the video. My dad got a little creative this time and added some scenes to remind you that you are indeed in Florida.